Instruments
Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessments (ASEBA)
The Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessments (ASEBA) is a comprehensive assessment system designed to assess competencies, strengths, adaptive functioning, and behavioral, emotional and social problems in individuals 1.5 to 90 years of age. The ASEBA is used widely used in the following settings: mental health services, schools, medical settings, child and family services, multicultural assessments, public health agencies and additionally in similar settings.
Category: Student Well-Being
Sub-Category: Social-Emotional Competence
Grades: < 3 Years, Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade, Post secondary
Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ)
The Ages & Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) is a screening instrument that measures developmental performance in young children aged 1 month-5.5 years. Early childhood educators and healthcare professionals use ASQ to collect information from parents on children’s development in five domains: communication, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, problem solving, and personal-social skills.
The most recent version of ASQ as of 2022 is ASQ-3, the third edition of the instrument. ASQ-3 offers 21 parent/caregiver questionnaires that are used depending on the child's age.
Category: Student Well-Being
Sub-Category: Child Development
Grades: < 3 Years, Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten
Autism Program Environment Rating Scale (APERS)
The Autism Program Environment Rating Scale (APERS) is an environmental assessment instrument measuring the quality of programs for students with autistic spectrum disorders for the purposes of program improvement and/or research. There are two versions of APERS: for preschool/elementary grades (APERS-PE) and middle/high school grades (APERS-MH). Both versions focus on program ecology, interdisciplinary teaming, and family participation.
The complete version of APERS must be completed by certified raters external to schools. The assessment includes a review of student records, interviews with school staff and parents, observations, and the completion of an electronic scoring tool. A shorter APERS self-assessment companion tool can be completed by teachers and used in combination with the full APERS evaluation by a certified rater.
Category: Student Well-Being
Sub-Category: Neurodiversity
Grades: Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
Behavior Assessment System for Children, 3rd Edition (BASC-3)
The Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC), which is sold by Pearson, aims to measure adaptive behaviors, problem behaviors, and individual thoughts and feelings. It contains multiple evaluation forms: Teacher Rating Scales (TRS) and the Student Observation System (SOS) to be completed by a teacher; Parent Rating Scales (PRS), the Parenting Relationship Questionnaire (PRQ), and the Structured Developmental History (SDH) to be completed by a parent, and the Self-Report of Personality (SRP) to be completed by the student. Each form can be completed separately or in combination.
Category: Student Well-Being
Sub-Category: Mental Health, Social-Emotional Competence
Grades: Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade, Post secondary
Behavioral Observation of Students in Schools (BOSS)
The Behavioral Observation of Students in Schools (BOSS) is an observation-based system for coding classroom behavior. BOSS is also useful for measuring ADHD symptoms as it has been shown to differentiate between children with ADHD and typically developing children. BOSS allows systematic recording of children's behaviors in the following domains: active engaged time, passive engagement time, off-task motor activity, off-task verbal behavior, off-task passive behaviors, and teacher-directed instruction.
Category: Student Well-Being
Sub-Category: Neurodiversity
Grades: Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
Child Engagement Questionnaire (CEQ)
The Child Engagement Questionnaire (CEQ) measures the engagement of young children. Adults who know the child well complete the questionnaire. CEQ has 32 items on a four-point scale (1 not at all typical, 2 somewhat typical, 3 typical, 4 very typical). CEQ focuses on four domains: competence, persistence, undifferentiated behavior, and attention.
Category: Student Well-Being
Sub-Category: Belonging
Grades: Pre-Kindergarten
Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS)
The Classroom Assessment Scoring System™ (CLASS™) is an observational instrument developed to assess instructional quality in PK-12 classrooms. It is a tool for analyzing the quality of teacher-student interactions in the classroom by capturing multiple dimensions of teaching that are linked to student achievement and development. It produces qualitative ratings of teacher performance on a scale from 1-7 across three broad domains: emotional support, classroom organization, and instructional support.
Category: Schooling
Sub-Category: Teaching
Grades: Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
Classroom Observation of Early Mathematics - Environment and Teaching (COEMET)
COEMET is a classroom observation instrument that evaluates classroom culture and the use of specific math activities. It includes questions about how actively the teacher interacts with the children, how the teacher uses teachable math moments, how math is displayed in the physical environment of the room, how confident the teacher appears about math, etc. The specific math activities measured are not connected to a specific curriculum.
Category: Schooling
Sub-Category: Teaching
Grades: Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade
Classroom Practices Inventory (CPI)
The Classroom Practices Inventory is a classroom observation measure for early childhood classrooms. It is designed to assess the developmental appropriateness of classroom and curricular practices, teachers actions, children's activities, and teacher-child interactions.
Category: Schooling
Sub-Category: Teaching
Grades: < 3 Years, Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten
Early Childhood Classroom Observation Measure (ECCOM)
The Early Childhood Classroom Observation Measure (ECCOM) is a classroom observation instrument that rates the nature and quality of academic instruction and the overall learning environment. The instrument is based on social-constructivist learning theory, such that in high-scoring classrooms teachers are identified as actively guiding and supporting children's learning efforts and the development of their social skills.
Category: Schooling
Sub-Category: Teaching
Grades: Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade
Early Childhood Ecology Scale
Using the frameworks of cultural responsiveness and classroom management, the Early Childhood Ecology Scale (ECES) is developed to be an observation and reflective tool to examine teacher candidates' notions of classroom ecology. It includes five sub-domains to measure teacher's interaction with diverse students. These subdomains are sociocognitive, sociocultural, sociolinguistic, socioemotional, and sociophysical.
Category: Schooling
Sub-Category: Teaching
Grades: Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade
Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS)
The Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS) is an assessment of classroom quality measuring environmental provisions and teacher-child interactions affecting the developmental needs of preschool- and kindergarten-aged children. The third edition of the assessment, ECERS-3, includes 35 items focusing on the following six domains: space and furnishings, personal care routines, language and literacy, learning activities, interaction, and program structure. ECERS may be used to evaluate inclusive and culturally diverse educational settings.
Category: Student Well-Being
Sub-Category: Child Development
Grades: Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten
Indicators of Individual Growth and Development for Infants and Toddlers (IGDI)
Indicators of Individual Growth and Development for Infants and Toddlers (IGDI) measure development outcomes for children between 6 and 42 months. IGDI assessments are evaluations of 6-minute play sessions with the child and require the use of a set of toys in addition to administration materials. IGDI assessments can be conducted live during the play session, based on a video recording of the play session, or by observing the play session virtually.
Category: Student Well-Being
Sub-Category: Child Development
Grades: < 3 Years, Pre-Kindergarten
Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement, 3rd Edition (KTEA-3) - Math
The KTEA-3 is an individually adminstered battery sold by Pearson. Within the battery is an assessment developed to be aligned with the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics standards and also mapped to the Common Core State Standards.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: Math
Grades: Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade, Post secondary
Maslach Burnout Inventory: Educators Survey (MBI-ES)
The Maslach Burnout Inventory: Educators Survey (MBI-ES) is a version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory measuring professional burnout among educators (teachers, staff, and volunteers). It contains 22 items examining emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from “never” to “every day.”
Category: Schooling
Sub-Category: Teaching
Grades: Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade, Post secondary
Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS)
The Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS) is a tool that focuses on fundamental literacy skills. The assessment offers instruments for PreK-3, with a Spanish version available as well. PALS is the state-provided screening assessment for Virginia's Early Intervention Reading Initiative (EIRI). PALS Plus can be used for grades 4-8.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade
Predictive Assessment of Reading (PAR)
The Predictive Assessment of Reading (PAR) can be used to measure a student's reading level, identify skills in need of intervention, monitor progress, and predict future reading achievement. The assessment contains four reading subtests that can be administered to special needs, gifted, ELL students, and developing students in grades PreK-3.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade
Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales - 2nd Edition (PKBS-2)
The Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales-Second Edition (PKBS-2) is a behavior rating scale designed for use with children ages 3 through 6 years. This unique behavior rating scale is easy to use, very practical, and based on a solid foundation of research. With 76 items on two separate scales, it provides an integrated and functional appraisal of the social skills and problem behaviors of young children. The scales can be completed by a variety of behavioral informants, such as parents, teachers, and other caregivers.
Category: Student Well-Being
Sub-Category: Social-Emotional Competence
Grades: Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade
Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation‐30 (SCBE-30)
The Social Competence and Behavioral Evaluation - 30 (SCBE-30) is a short version of an 80 item Likert measure for parents and teachers to assess social-emotional competence, internalizing behaviors, and externalizing behaviors in preschool children. It was formerly sold by WPS Publishing but no longer is. It has been translated into many languages and is used in cross-national comparisons.
Category: Student Well-Being
Sub-Category: Mental Health, Social-Emotional Competence
Grades: Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade
Social Responsiveness Scale-2 (SRS-2)
The Social Responsiveness Scale-2 (SRS-2) measures the presence and severity of social impairment within the autism spectrum. Parents, teachers, or other observers evaluate social ability in various natural settings for children between 2.5 and 18 years using age-appropriate forms with 65 Likert-scale items. Four forms are available: pre-school (2.5-4.5 years), school-age (4-18 years), adult (19+), and adult self-report. SRS-2 has 5 subscales: social awareness, social cognition, social communication, social motivation, restricted interests, and repetitive behavior. The total continuous score indicates the severity of social deficits in the autism spectrum.
Category: Student Well-Being
Sub-Category: Neurodiversity
Grades: < 3 Years, Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade, Post secondary
The Scale for Teachers' Assessment of Routines Engagement (STARE)
The Scale for Teachers’ Assessment of Routines Engagement (STARE) documents teachers’ perspectives of a child’s engagement in classroom activities. Suitable for both typically developing children and children with disabilities, STARE focuses on how much time the child was engaged with adults, peers, and materials (toys, art supplies, environment in general). In addition, STARE explores how complex the engagement was. STARE is completed after a specific classroom activity and takes about 20 seconds. The STARE can be completed as frequently as necessary.
Category: Student Well-Being
Sub-Category: Belonging
Grades: < 3 Years, Pre-Kindergarten
Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales Third Edition (Vineland-3)
Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales Third Edition (Vineland-3) is an instrument for diagnosing intellectual and developmental disabilities and planning treatment. Vineland-3 focuses on the following domains of adaptive behavior: 1) communication, 2) daily living skills, and 3) socialization. Vineland-3 offers the Survey Interview Form for conducting semi-structured interviews with parents or caregivers, the Parent/Caregiver Rating Forms questionnaire (can be used for all ages), and the Teacher Rating Form (can be used for ages 3-21).
Category: Student Well-Being
Sub-Category: Neurodiversity
Grades: < 3 Years, Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade, Post secondary
Woodcock-Johnson IV - ELA
The Woodcock-Johnson IV contains three co-normed batteries that measure strengths and weaknesses and diagnose learning abilities. The WJ IV is an individually-administered comprehensive assessment suite that can identify patterns of strength and weaknesses in cognitive, language, and academic abilities. In addition to oral language, reading, and writing, the WJ IV also assesses mathematics.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade, Post secondary
Woodcock-Johnson IV - Math
Woodcock-Johnson IV, sold by Riverside Insights, includes individually-adminstered tests of achievement designed to measure strengths and weaknesses and diagnose learning abilities. In addition to mathematics, the WJ IV assesses oral language, reading, and writing.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: Math
Grades: < 3 Years, Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade, Post secondary
Zarit Burden Inventory (ZBI)
The Zarit Burden Inventory (ZBI) is a self-report instrument that measures the level of burden that principal caregivers experience. Originally developed for caregivers of persons with dementia, ZBI is now used with various types of caregivers, including parents of children with health, behavioral, and developmental problems. The current full version, ZBI-22, has 22 items, each using a 5-point Likert-type scale. Shorter versions exist; see Yu et al. (2019) in the psychometric references below.
Category: Home and Community
Sub-Category: Parenting
Grades: < 3 Years, Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade, Post secondary