ATLAS-PA, or the Access to Literacy Assessment System for Phonological Awareness, is a progress monitoring tool designed for children ages 3 to 7. Phonological awareness, the understanding of the sound structure of language, is one of the strongest predictors of children’s later reading and writing achievement. ATLAS-PA was tested with over 1300 children, including children with disabilities, to ensure that it is a valid and reliable assessment. ATLAS-PA has three subtests that ask children to rhyme, blend, and segment syllables and words.

 

[0:34] Tablet: Point to the picture that rhymes with "bee".

[0:38] Child: Key?

[0:39] Tablet: Key. Man. Sock. Yes! Bee, key rhyme.

 

[0:50] Tablet: Put /n/ ... /o/ ... /z/ ... together. Cup. Fish. Nose.

 

[1:03] Tablet: What's "cape" without /k/? Ape. Girl. Tent.

 

Children receive corrective feedback during demonstration items and have up to three opportunities to practice items if needed.

 

[1:20] Tablet: Uh-oh! Cat, hat: they rhyme.

 

ATLAS-PA captures phonological awareness with items that do not require children to speak, making it ideal for children with speech and/or language impairment. ATLAS-PA is an adaptive assessment; it chooses items that are at just the right difficulty level for each child. The adaptive format also shortens testing time for children; each subtest of ATLAS-PA takes only a couple of minutes to complete. For children with disabilities, the measure can be slowed down to help children to process the language needed to complete the task successfully. If children need behavioral supports when taking ATLAS-PA, the measure can be used with caregiver assistance. ATLAS-PA will provide easily interpretable scores that can show progress over time. We look forward to seeing how ATLAS-PA helps you to assess all children in your classroom.