29 July 2013

Basic Concepts Skills Screener ((App Review & GIVEAWAY!))

I was so excited when I was contacted by the developers, Smarty Ears about their new screener app.  I love apps like this because it provides great baseline data for RTI or IEP students with goals that correlate to the skills in the apps.  As you can tell by my TpT products, I love apps that provide me with information to where to start treatment and if students are responding.  I am so grateful to have gotten the opportunity to preview this app for you and to host a giveaway as well!!  Keep reading to learn more!  Remember, the opinions are all mine!

This app was developed for the purpose of evaluating and describing the basic concept skills of children at the receptive level.  Receptively, students must point/touch a picture based on a particular concept on each screen/probe.  Students are provided with audio prompts.  Each prompt provides 4  pictures for students to pick from.


When you first open up the app, you are provided with setting options for language preference:

Then, you can enter students into the app.  Are you on summer break?  You can input your students and their date of births in so all you have to do once you return is just use the app!  The app automatically calculates the chronological ages.  Since it is a screener app, you would use this app with one student at a time.

Once you decide which student you are going to use this app with, you can decide if you are going to do the "quick screening" or "full screening."

Receptively, students must point/touch a picture based on a particular concept on each screen/probe.  Students are provided with audio prompts.  Each prompt provides 4  pictures for students to pick from.


Some amazing features this app provides:


  • You can input notes while administering right on the app so all of your information is stored in one place

  • The app provides of a tally of questions remaining so you can see how much longer you have (and those impatient students can see for themselves)
  • The concepts used correlate to school readiness/common core
  • Can export to the Therapy Report Center
  • Automatic feedback is provided to keep students motivated and engaged.  Students are provided with this "sound" and "visual" feedback regardless if they get the answers right or wrong.  This way students don't get discouraged.
  • Can e-mail/print scores to keep in student files or save on a desktop
  • Can click "done" at any point if you run out of time or if too difficult/easy for students
  • You can also click "next" once you are ready.  The app doesn't move onto the next page after students respond.  This provides time for you to assess expressive language although the app does not assess for it.  I recommend using the "notes" feature in the top left corner for documenting expressive responses.
  • The app uses the Smarty Stick symbols.  These symbols can be found in the other Smarty Ear's apps so can be familiar to your students.  Also, if you have the Custom Boards app, you can easily create visuals and activities using concepts students responded incorrectly to.
Concepts targeted:
  • Prepositions/location
  • Size
  • Part/whole
  • Same/different
  • Emotions
  • Texture
  • Sequential
  • Temperature
  • Amount
  • Always/sometimes/never
  • Age

Once the assessment is completed, students are provided with reinforcement:
Here is a view of the results pages:



Visit iTunes!  Do you want to win a copy for yourself of this great $9.99 app?!  Enter to win below!  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

17 comments:

  1. I would be able to use this app in Speech-Language therapy all the time! For assessment and therapy! I love how it also collects data in an organized way! I am starting my CFY and this will be my first time using an iPad in therapy and this app looks wonderful! Thanks for the giveaway opportunity! :)

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  2. I would use this to quick screen my speech students!

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  3. I would use this app for both screening and therapy.

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  4. For screening, therapy, and maybe even child development days!

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  5. I would use this app for screening and collecting data for speech therapy. This looks like a great app thanks for opportunity give away.

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  6. This looks like a great app for screening and for measuring progress throughout therapy! I just got an iPad and this would be a great addition to the few I already have!

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  7. I would love these to screen my new students at the beginning of the year!

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  8. I would love this! I am always looking for new tools to help with progress monitoring to help drive my instruction. Thanks!

    Heather
    Quart Size Communicators

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  9. This would be great with kindergarten screening!

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  10. I think this app will be great to measure progress throughout the year and to provide parents with details about concepts they can practice at home.

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  11. I think that I would use this app as a baseline and CBM for some of my students that are still working on basic concepts!! What a great idea!

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  12. I would use this to screen my preschool referrals, and would definitely use it during home visits!

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  13. Looks very useful!! Off to see if it designed to be used with preschoolers

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  14. I would use if with my preschoolers and kindergarteners to get baseline data.

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  15. I would love to use this app with several of my students who are working on learning concepts. It would be a great way to get baseline data and rescreen later to show progress.

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  16. I would use it to get baseline data for my students that have difficulty with basic concepts. It would also be great to use at a later date to document progress.

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  17. Thank you! I'm very excited to try this app out after reading your review about it. Thanks!

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