The article emphasises selecting appropriately targeted tests to accurately assess students' abilities. PAT Early Literacy offers Phonics and Related Skills tests with three levels suited for different year groups, focusing on individual student ability rather than uniform testing. Listening and Reading Comprehension assessments use adaptive, two-stage tests with adjustable entry levels to better match student skills.
The following topics are covered here:
- Importance of choosing the right test
- Phonics and Related Skills
- Listening Comprehension and Reading Comprehension
- PAT Early Literacy vs PAT Early Years Reading FAQs
Importance of choosing the right test
For an assessment to produce valuable information about students’ abilities, it needs to be appropriately targeted to uncover what students can do and understand, as well as what they cannot yet do and understand.
So, when a student responds correctly to approximately 50% of questions, the test is well targeted and provides the maximum information about the skills a student is demonstrating, and those they are still developing.
Phonics and Related Skills
PAT Early Literacy Phonics and Related Skills comprises 3 linear test forms. The difficulty of each test form and your knowledge of a student should be taken into consideration when selecting an appropriate level.
To make decisions about which test is most appropriate for a particular student or group of students, it is essential that you preview the test content within your account:
- Click Students
- Click Tests
- Click Preview
The difficulty of a test and your knowledge of each student should be taken into consideration when selecting an appropriate test form. Curriculum appropriateness and the context of the classroom also need to be taken into account when making this decision.
There is often a wide range of ability within the classroom, so it is not necessary to provide all students in a class with the same test. Instead, the focus should always be on each student’s ability at the time of the assessment, not where they are expected to be.
| Test level | Generally suitable for | No. of items | Recommended time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Test 1 | Foundation | 46* | 30 minutes |
| Test 2 | Foundation and Year 1 | 48* | |
| Test 3 | Year 1 | 49* | |
| *Some paired items are scored as one, so item counts shown in reports will be lower. | |||
Listening Comprehension and Reading Comprehension adaptive test forms
PAT Early Literacy Listening Comprehension and Reading Comprehension are two-stage adaptive assessments. For each assessment, one of two entry levels will be automatically assigned to students according to their year level and/or previous results. In-test branching further supports accurate targeting of test content to student ability.
In some cases, for example, where a student has not previously completed a PAT test, but you know their ability is relatively high or low compared with the 'average' for the year level, you may decide to override the automatically assigned entry level:
- Select the student’s name from the Students page
- Click Tests
- Click Edit starting level next to the assigned test
To edit students' starting levels in bulk:
- Click the checkboxes next to students' names to select your students
- Click Tests
- Click Edit starting level
- Select the starting level for these students
PAT Early Literacy vs PAT Early Years Reading FAQs
What is the relationship between PAT Early Years Reading and PAT Early Literacy?
PAT Early Literacy builds on the foundations of PAT Early Years Reading while providing a more comprehensive and diagnostic assessment experience.
The new assessment program includes richer reporting, greater diagnostic insight, dedicated Listening Comprehension assessment, adaptive assessment design and stronger links to the broader PAT ecosystem.
Are the same skills assessed?
Many of the same foundational literacy skills are assessed.
The key difference is that PAT Early Literacy provides greater depth and breadth of assessment and richer reporting across phonics and related skills, listening comprehension and reading comprehension.
Should schools continue using PAT Early Years Reading?
PAT Early Literacy is the recommended assessment program for new implementation and future use.
Schools currently using PAT Early Years Reading are encouraged to explore PAT Early Literacy and consider transitioning when appropriate for their assessment program.
Will PAT Early Years Reading remain available?
PAT Early Years Reading will remain available during a transition period of around 18 months.
Support will continue over this period, and ACER will communicate clearly with schools about timelines and any changes to product availability.
Can historical PAT Reading results be compared directly with PAT Early Literacy results?
PAT Early Literacy Reading Comprehension student results are reported on the PAT Reading achievement scale, enabling meaningful comparison with results from PAT Early Years Reading (End Year 1), PAT Reading 5th Edition and PAT Reading Adaptive assessments.
Why is PAT Early Literacy reported differently to PAT Early Years Reading?
PAT Early Literacy is reported in the ACER Data Explorer, which facilitates flexible and interactive reporting of new and historical results. It allows you to view and analyse your students' results in one location.
Reports are centred around the achievement scales and described achievement bands for each domain or learning area, placing the focus on where each student currently is in their learning progress and how to support their next steps.
As students completing PAT Early Literacy Listening Comprehension or Reading Comprehension will not all see the same set of items in their tests, the Item Performance report allows you to analyse your students' results on each test item to identify strengths and weaknesses within the group.