• Ages: 4.6 to 9.11
• Administration: Individual, ages 4.6 - 5.5 (all 3 sections) 30-45 minutes and ages 5.6 - 9.11 (all 3 sections) is about 60 minutes.
• Norm- and criterion-referenced; includes standard scores, confidence intervals, percentile ranks, means, and age equivalents.
• Two Stimulus Easel Books, One Examiner's Manual, 50 Record Forms, three durable Storybooks and a Trial Item Stimulus Card, Pronunciation Guide CD-ROM, Stopwatch, Clipboard with Calculator, and a colorful, rolling Tote Bag.

The Emerging Literacy & Language Assessment^™ (ELLA^™), evaluates the skills children ages 4.6 to 9.11 need to become proficient readers. ELLA^™ meets Early Reading First requirements for educators needing to use evidence-based diagnostic tools to identify children at risk for reading failure. The manual includes a Curriculum and Classroom Connection for each of the 22 subtests and case studies to help you establish treatment and IEP goals.

Individual administration for ages 4.6 - 5.5 (all three sections) takes about 30-45 minutes, and for ages 5.6 - 9.11 (all three sections) takes about 60 minutes. The ELLA^™ is norm- and criterion-referenced. It includes standard scores, confidence intervals, percentile ranks, means, and age equivalents.

Divided into three sections, ELLA™ allows you to choose the skills you would like to test.

Section 1- Phonological Awareness and Flexibility assesses rhyming (awareness and production), initial sound identification, blending and segmenting sounds, words, and syllables and deleting and substituting sounds in the initial and final positions of words.

Section 2-  Sign and Symbol Recognition and Interpretation assesses an environmental symbol identification, letter-symbol identification, word reference association, and reading comprehension for one to three sentences.

Section 3- Memory, Retrieval and Automaticity assess rapid naming, word associations (name items that start with the “S” sound) and story retell (includes three story levels based on the child’s age).

Click here to see the ELLA^™ sample test items.

Why Test With ELLA^™?

• Meets Early Reading First and Reading First requirements to use evidence-based diagnostic tools.
• Section One of the ELLA^™ is a comprehensive phonological awareness assessment.
• ELLA^™ is the only test of emerging literacy and language with a Story Retell Section!
• It's simple to administer and score.
• Start ages and ceilings help to reduce testing time and frustration.
• Administer one, two, or all sections of the ELLA^™.

Who May Administer the ELLA^™?

Speech-language pathologists, special educators, resource specialists, reading specialists, school psychologists, and other professionals who are knowledgeable about literacy and language may administer the ELLA™. We recommend that test administrators be experienced in the administration, scoring, and interpretation of standardized assessments.

Valid and Reliable - The ELLA™ is a valid and reliable instrument. The standardization sample included over 1200 children ages 4.6 – 9.11 from 40 states in the U.S. The standardization sample closely resembles the U.S. Census Bureau’s data (Statistical Abstract of the U.S. 2003). The sample included children with identified language and learning disorders, as well as children receiving remediation in reading.

Click here to see additional test statistics.

Obtaining Scores - Examiners may choose which sections of ELLA™ they want to administer, depending upon the child’s area(s) of difficulty. ELLA™ allows examiners to obtain standard scores, confidence intervals, percentile ranks, means, and age equivalents. 

Click here to see additional information on scoring.

Your ELLA^™ Kit

• Two Stimulus Easel Books
• One Examiner’s Manual
• 50 Record Forms
• Three durable Storybooks and a Trial Item Stimulus Card
• Pronunciation Guide CD-ROM
• Stopwatch & Clipboard with Calculator
• Colorful, Rolling Tote Bag