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TOOL NAME
Test of Integrated Language and Literacy Skills
USED TO EVALUATE
Identify and diagnose language and literacy disorders, including dyslexia, document patterns of relative strengths and weaknesses, track changes in language and literacy skills over time
AGE RANGE
6–18 years
COMPLETED BY
TILLS can be administered by speech-language pathologists, special educators, reading specialists, learning disability specialists, neuropsychologists, educational psychologists, and other educational specialists trained in individualized test administration
TIME COMMITMENT
You should be able to administer all 15 subtests in one 70- to 90-minute session or two 45-minute sessions. If shorter sessions are required, they should be completed in no more than 4 weeks
ABOUT
The TILLS Examiner's Kit is the reliable, valid, and comprehensive test kit you need to:
- identify and diagnose language and literacy disorders, including dyslexia
- document patterns of relative strengths and weaknesses
- track changes in language and literacy skills over time
Through 15 subtests measuring key skills, you'll assess and compare the full range of students' oral and written language and literacy skills. The resulting scores and the clear, at-a-glance TILLS Profile help you identify and track a student's strengths and weaknesses—information you'll use as you develop custom-tailored interventions.
One test kit. That's all you need to screen with the Student Language Scale, diagnose disorders, and monitor progress.
Description
Essential for effective use of the Test of Integrated Language & Literacy Skills (TILLS), this in-depth Examiners Manual walks professionals through administration and scoring of the assessment. With this start-to-finish manual, TILLS examiners will:
- review the purposes, uses, background, and components of TILLS
- get comprehensive instructions on administering all 15 TILLS subtests
- find answers to frequently asked questions about TILLS
- learn specific considerations for testing students with previously identified special needs
- get the normative data tables needed to complete TILLS scoring
- understand how to interpret scores with the help of sample profiles for different types of students
The manual also includes the detailed instructions examiners need to complete the four charts of the Examiner Record Form:
- Scoring Chart. Calculate subtest scores and enter corresponding standard scores and percentile ranks, four composites based on subtest standard scores, and the students identification core score.
- Identification Chart. Identify when a students score is consistent with a language/literacy disorder.
- Profile Chart. Produce a visual display of patterns of relative strengths and weaknesses based on standard scores and graph your selected confidence interval.
- Tracking Chart. Document changes in language and literacy skills over time.
Clear and comprehensive, this indispensable guide helps professionals administer and score TILLS accurately and use the results to inform next steps.
For every subtest, TILLS examiners get:
- explicit, precise instructions on how to orally administer the test
- guidelines for following start rules, basal rules, ceiling rules, and probe rules
- detailed directions for recording and scoring student responses
- a tip box for helping them score the subtest and resolve challenging issues
- helpful completed examples with explanatory narratives
About TILLS
TEST OF INTEGRATED LANGUAGE AND LITERACY SKILLS (TILLS) is the reliable, valid assessment professionals need to test oral and written language skills in students ages 6–18 years. TILLS is a comprehensive, norm-referenced test that has been standardized for three purposes:
- To identify language and literacy disorders
- To document patterns of relative strengths and weaknesses
- To track changes in language and literacy skills over time
To achieve these purposes, TILLS is constructed to allow you to derive scores for identifying, tracking, and profiling a students strengths and weaknesses and interpreting the results to support decisions about what to do next.
All SLS Products
All TILLS Products
Table of Contents
Key Project Staff
About the Authors
Acknowledgments
I. Overview of the Test of Integrated Language and Literacy Skills (TILLS)
The TILLS Model of Language and Literacy Skills
Purpose
Target Population
Examiners
Administration Time
Overview of the Subtests
Subtest 1: Vocabulary Awareness (VA)
Subtest 2: Phonemic Awareness (PA)
Subtest 3: Story Retelling (SR)
Subtest 4: Nonword Repetition (NWRep)
Subtest 5: Nonword Spelling (NWSpell)
Subtest 6: Listening Comprehension (LC)
Subtest 7: Reading Comprehension (RC)
Subtest 8: Following Directions (FD)
Subtest 9: Delayed Story Retelling (DSR)
Subtest 10: Nonword Reading (NWRead)
Subtest 11: Reading Fluency (RF)
Subtest 12: Written Expression (WE)
Subtest 13: Social Communication (SC)
Subtest 14: Digit Span Forward (DSF)
Subtest 15: Digit Span Backward (DSB)
The TILLS Conceptual Model
Test Materials
Examiners Manual
Technical Manual
Quick Start Guide
Stimulus Book
Digital Audio Files
Examiner Record Form
Student Response Form
Examiners Practice Workbook
Easy-Score
Student Language Scale (SLS)
Items to be Supplied by the Examiner
Frequently Asked Questions
II. Administering the TILLS SubtestsIndividual TILLS Subtests
SUBTEST 1: Vocabulary Awareness (VA)
SUBTEST 2: Phonemic Awareness (PA)
SUBTEST 3: Story Retelling (SR)
SUBTEST 4: Nonword Repetition (NWRep)
SUBTEST 5: Nonword Spelling (NWSpell)
SUBTEST 6: Listening Comprehension (LC)
SUBTEST 7: Reading Comprehension (RC)
SUBTEST 8: Following Directions (FD)
SUBTEST 9: Delayed Story Retelling (DSR)
SUBTEST 10: Nonword Reading (NWRead)
SUBTEST 11: Reading Fluency (RF)
SUBTEST 12: Written Expression (WE)
SUBTEST 13: Social Communication (SC)
SUBTEST 14: Digit Span Forward (DSF)
SUBTEST 15: Digit Span Backward (DSB)
Considerations for Testing Students with Previously Identified Special Needs
Modifying Start and Stop Rules when Testing Students with Special Needs
Testing Students with Hearing Loss
Signs that a Student with Special Needs May Need to Take a Break or to
Stop Testing
Frequently Asked Questions
III. Scoring the TILLS and Using the Scores for Its Three Purposes
Steps for Calculating Standard Scores
Transforming TILLS Subtest Raw Scores to Standard Scores
Percentile Ranks
TILLS Identification Core Scores
TILLS Sound/Word, Sentence/Discourse, Oral, and Written Composite Scores
TILLS Total Standard Score
Confidence Intervals
How to Use TILLS Scores to Achieve the Tests Three Purposes
Purpose 1: To Identify Language and Literacy Disorders
Purpose 2: To Document Patterns of Relative Strengths and Weaknesses
Purpose 3: To Track Changes in Language and Literacy Skills over Time
Frequently Asked Questions
IV. Considering TILLS Profiles in Relation to Curricular Demands and Student NeedsStudents with Primary Language and Literacy Disorders
Example 1: Dawn
Example 2: Adam
Example 3: Calli
Example 4: Shaquela
Example 5: Robert
Students Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Example 6: Molly
Example 7: Jason
Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Example 8: Randy
Students with Intellectual Disability
Example 9: Ruth
References
Appendix Normative Tables
Subtest Standard Scores
Subtest Percentile Ranks
Standard Scores for the TILLS Total, Composite, and Identification Core Scores
Percentile Ranks for the TILLS Total, Composite, and Identification Core Scores
True Change Interval
Index