15 August 2012

Introducing: Common Core Early Language Screener App

Smarty Ears has done it again!  They developed an app perfect for SLPs!  With the new push for common core curriculum and RTI (response to intervention) many SLPs are challenged to test or screen large amounts of students (with limited time).  There are few ready to use protocols for screening especially designed with the common core in mind.

This app is easy to use and navigate.  You can create a profile for all students you must assess.  You can input in "settings" your name and school if that is always going to remain the same.


This app is designed for students entering, in, and graduating from kindergarten.  However, if you have students functioning at that that level, you can use this app to get baseline functioning as well.

How to use it?  The app will give you prompts for you to say to the student.  The student will have to respond, select, or repeat depending on the task.  This demonstrates receptive language, expressive language, and memory skills.  For each task, you must count or keep track in your head (or can jot down) as students respond correctly and give them a score accordingly.  You may want to hide the scoring from them which may be easier on some tasks then others.

Examples of tasks and skills assessed:
  • Basic vocabulary: shapes, colors, numbers, letters
  • Sight word reading
  • Rhyming and other phonological awareness skills
  • Following one and two step directions
  • Spatial concepts
  • Describing
  • Labeling and naming pictures
  • Pronouns
  • Repeating sentences
  • Answering basic information questions about self
  • Grammar and punctuation






You can complete an assessment in one sitting or over time since assessments are stored and can be retrieved.  Once completed, you can review score reports, print and/or email reports.


What I like about this app:
  • Functional
  • Get great great baseline data
  • Can help generate goals for IEPs or RTI
  • Not many assessments or apps like this out there
  • Easy to use and navigate
  • Since on the iPad, easy for traveling SLPs
Things I would like to see in an update:
  • The app to provide the verbal cues for tasks to assist the therapist and score automatically
  • Allow you to input older grade levels even to assess the same common core skills
  • Another app for assessing older elementary students
Overall, I think this app is great and one should consider it for future purchase orders of assessment materials.  For $29.99, it is a lot cheaper than many out there! Learn more at iTunes!

Smarty Ears was extremely generous and provided me with two codes to giveaway!!!  Enter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

22 comments:

  1. I am for them. They see broad enough that they are very workable.

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  2. Common core learning atandards...I support the use of common core standards.

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  3. I am ambivalent so far. They are very similar to the standards we were already using in Indiana, at least from my perspective, so not much will change for me.

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  4. This looks fantastic! As an itinerant slp, I am always looking for material that are functional, easy to carry, and yet interesting. My caseload consists mainly of kids with significant communication needs, so an early skills screen is useful even with my older students!

    As for common core standards, they are a good starting point as long as schools don't get stuck looking only at a narrow band of skills. I really appreciate having common core standards as a guideline for my students' language goals.

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  5. Undecided. Our school district hasn't directly addressed this yet.

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  7. I'm in Texas, and Texas didn't accept Common Core. Thanks for the review. Looks like a very functional app that would be great for our team to review. I appreciate the pros and cons.


    Oh, How Pintearesting!

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  8. I wish I could say that I was more familiar with common core, but in my district, specialists often do not receive the same training as teachers

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  9. I am for them it helps gets the kids ready for kg.

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  10. I am for them as then expectations will be the same across school districts. I have worked in a very transient school district so kids may have had different skill expectations in the district they came from compared to ours.

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  11. I am a private SLP, so only vaguely aware of the Common Core Standards.

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  12. For...nice to have something consistent from state to state.

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  13. For, I think it is good to have something that is consistent across the board; there is already a lot of variation when it comes to how things work not only at that state level, but district level - whether those differences are positive or negative, some consistency is a positive for everyone.

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  14. I think common core standards are great in that it helps both parents and educators stay on the same page when it comes to what to expect from schools and the kind of support families can give to the child at home.

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  15. I'm in Texas as well, so I'm not as familiar with common core standards. But they do look as though they could provide a good starting point for establishing goals and objectives.

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  16. I really like the CCLS and find it easy to state how my therapy goals relate to them. Would love to see SmartyEars follow your suggestion and create apps for older lementary grades too. Screening tools is something we are in deparate need of.

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  17. Common core is a step in the right direction...will be curious to see how it all plays out.

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  18. learning about them and this app does look great

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  19. I would love to have a screener like this to use!

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