PALS Mid-Year

What is PALS Mid-Year?

PALS Mid-Year (Form C) is equivalent to fall and spring PALS assessments, using the same tasks, but with different task items.  The same score entry options are available, but with more flexibility — teachers/schools may choose to administer only certain tasks to progress monitor.

Note that for PALS Plus, the full diagnostic sequence must be administered to generate reading/spelling stage diagnosis and make the grouping function available.

* NEW FEATURE! *

In response to your requests, we have added a new level of guidance to the PALS Online System for Mid-Year! The word “RECOMMENDED” will appear next to tasks that we recommend you administer in order to generate a full set of diagnostic data. For PALS Plus, this includes the full sequence that must be administered in order to generate reading/spelling stage diagnosis and make the grouping function available.

The mid-year assessments are designed to use for progress monitoring, rather than for screening purposes.  While new diagnostic information will be provided, the identification status of each student will not change based on the mid-year assessment.

Why assess at mid-year?

PALS data overall, and Mid-Year assessment results in particular, are teaching tools. Instructional planning for the winter and early spring should be based on current/recent data about students, not based on old fall scores.

Mid-Year serves as a diagnostic and progress monitoring window, for gathering current information about students’ progress, and needs and strengths in each literacy skill area. Best practice dictates using current information about students in order to plan targeted reading and spelling instruction.  Mid-year is a good time to gather more information while there is still plenty of time in the school year to make a difference.

What’s the mid-year assessment process?

  1. Download and print the mid-year assessment from the Materials page in your PALS Online account.
  2. Administer the assessment and enter scores during the recommended window in January or February.
  3. Click on “Reports” to view results.  Look for areas where growth has occurred, where instruction may need to continue or be intensified, and that indicate the need for adjustments to small-groups for targeted literacy instruction.  

To view the mid-year ranges by assessment, please choose the assessment you’re giving from the “Assessments” menu above, and click on one of the links for the “Benchmarks and Mid-Year Ranges” charts.

*Please note that there are no PALS benchmarks for mid-year.  Refer to the “Understanding Mid-Year Ranges” link above for guidance about how to evaluate student progress using PALS Mid-Year scores.