Suggestions for Pre-K English language assessment tools

Although the State of Missouri does not recognize or require a single assessment tool to evaluate the English language proficiency of pre-K learners, the question does come up from early childhood educators in Missouri.  A recent poll from MELL Specialists across the state, enabled me to curate a worthy list of pre-K assessment tools that MO districts might want to consider.  Please note that tools listed below do not represent an endorsement of their effectiveness:

MO DESE Early Learning Section recommends (not requires) The Desired Results Developmental Profile which has a section specifically for English Language Learners, more commonly known as the DRDP (2015).

The Bilingual Early Language Assessment (BELA) was recommended in a book called “One Child Two Languages”.  It was developed at Harvard and used in the Cambridge Public Schools:  BELA Toolkit

The State of Illinois uses (actually requires) the Pre-IPT

Many states use the Pre-LAS

A speech pathologist working in education in Seattle recommended Pre-school Language Scales, 5th Edition (Spanish)

The Texas pre-K language assessment was recommended as being especially helpful for students from migrant families.

If you are using a specific pre-K language assessment not included on this list, I’d love to hear from you.  Leave a comment with your recommendation, why you find it reliable, and provide a link if possible.

Thanks for reading and sharing!