Beginning-of-Year Assessment Protocol for Students Who Are Deaf/Hard of Hearing — Oral/Listening (LSL) Mode, Self-Contained Classroom (Grades K–5)

Purpose: Establish present levels of performance (PLOP) and measurable annual IEP goals across auditory, speech, language, and academic-linguistic domains for students using spoken language as their primary communication mode, in a self-contained setting.

Your current toolkit: PLS-5, CELF-5, CASLLS, GFTA-3, Ling (6/10) Sound Check - this protocol is built around these, with one addition (FLE) to account for the acoustic realities of a self-contained room.

Before you start, pull for each student:

• Current audiogram / most recent audiological evaluation
• Device info: HA/CI make, model, program(s), FM/DM system, and last function check date
• Confirm mode: Listening & Spoken Language (LSL) / oral-only - no sign support expected during testing unless the student uses natural gesture incidentally
• Last year's IEP goals and progress data (for continuity/comparison)
• Note whether family/program follows an Auditory-Verbal (AVT) approach - if so, present test items auditory-only (cover your mouth/use audio-only presentation) wherever the test format allows, and note in your report if the standardized administration required visual cues

1.   Timeline Overview

Phase	Window	What Happens
BOY Screening/ Assessment	First 2-4 weeks of school (align with district IEP timelines)	Full battery below; establishes PLOP for new IEP or annual review
Device/Ling-6 Check	Daily (teacher/aide), Weekly (SLP spot-check), Formally documented monthly	Confirms access to auditory info before any language testing is valid
Progress Monitoring	Quarterly (aligned to report card periods)	Repeat curriculum-based measures + 1-2 targeted formal probes tied to each goal
Mid-Year Check	January	Re-administer Ling-6, FLE/LIFE-R or CHILD, and any goal-specific probes
EOY Assessment	Last 4-6 weeks	Repeat BOY battery for growth data and next year's PLOP
Triennial Comprehensive Reevaluation	Every 3 years	Full norm-referenced battery across all domains (required for eligibility)

2. Domain-by-Domain Protocol

A. Auditory Access & Device Function (do this FIRST - always)

Language/speech scores are invalid if the child isn't accessing sound.

 

Tool	What it Measures	Frequency
Ling 6 (7) Sound Test	Detection/discrimination of speech sounds across frequency range with current devices	Daily (classroom staff), formally logged by SLP/ed. audiologist weekly x first month, then monthly
Listening Check/Device Function Check (visual inspection, listening check with stethometer)	HA/CI/FM hardware working, batteries, mapping current	Daily by teacher; SLP verifies at BOY, each quarter
Functional Listening Evaluation (FLE) (Johnson, or Anderson's version)	Speech perception in quiet vs. noise, at distance, with/without FM, across the sound field	BOY, EOY (and after any device change)

Why FLE matters here specifically: a self-contained D/HH classroom often has more competing voices (multiple students with devices), more distance variability, and different acoustics than a mainstream room. FLE tells you what's actually working in that room, not just in a quiet test booth - and it directly informs seating, FM use, and classroom acoustic accommodations you write into the IEP.

B. Auditory Skill Development

Tool	What it Measures	When to Use
CASLLS (Cottage Acquisition Scales for Listening, Language, and Speech)	Developmental checklist across auditory perception, receptive/expressive language, and speech — built specifically for LSL programming	BOY as an ongoing curriculum-referenced tracker; update each quarter rather than fully re-administering
CID SPICE (Speech Perception Instructional Curriculum and Evaluation)	Hierarchical auditory skill levels: detection → discrimination → identification → comprehension	BOY for students still developing basic auditory skills
ESP (Early Speech Perception Test) or GASP (Glendonald Auditory Screening Procedure)	Closed-set word/pattern perception, open-set sentence perception	For students with more limited auditory access or to establish an "auditory age" baseline
Auditory Skills Checklist (Rhoades)	Fine-grained sequence of listening milestones used widely in AVT/LSL practice	BOY, especially for students with recent device changes (new CI, re-mapping)
LIFE-R (Listening Inventory for Education -Revised) or CHILD (Children's Home Inventory for Listening Difficulties)	Self- and teacher-report of functional listening across settings	BOY and mid-year (January) - captures real classroom/home listening difficulty
SIFTER (Screening Instrument For Targeting Educational Risk) elementary or secondary version by grade	Teacher-rated risk across academics, attention, communication, class participation, school behavior for students in general ed classrooms	BOY for any student in a mainstream classroom; repeat EOY to show impact of supports

C. Speech Production/Intelligibility

 

Tool	What it Measures	When to Use
GFTA-3 (Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation, 3rd ed.)	Single-word and connected-speech articulation	BOY for all students with spoken output goals; annually
Speech Intelligibility Rating/Index (informal connected-speech sample, rated by familiar/unfamiliar listener)	Real-world intelligibility beyond isolated sounds	BOY, EOY - good functional data point for PLOP narrative

D. Receptive & Expressive Language

Use norm-referenced tools cautiously - both PLS-5 and CELF-5 are normed on hearing peers, so report standard scores and describe how hearing loss may affect performance validity in the IEP.

Decision rule — PLS-5 vs. CELF-5:

 

Use PLS-5 when...	Use CELF-5 when...
Student is chronologically 7;11 or younger (covers most 1st, some 2nd graders)	Student is age 5-21 and functioning at or near age-appropriate sentence/discourse level
Student - regardless of grade - is functioning at an early-language level (single words/early phrases, per CASLLS Level 1 data)	You need subtests targeting syntax, semantics, pragmatics, and word structure at a school-age level
You need a tool that won't ceiling out for a student working on foundational vocabulary/early syntax	Student is 3rd-5th grade and functioning within a typical school-age language range
Note: PLS-5 will likely ceiling for students above early-language levels, even if young - don't force it if CASLLS data already shows Level 2+ skills	If time-limited, administer the CELF-5 Screening Test first to confirm the full battery is warranted

Because your classroom is self-contained, expect a real spread - some students may need PLS-5 regardless of grade, others CELF-5. Use last year's CASLLS level as your first clue on which to pick before you sit down to test, so you're not guessing mid-session.

Tool	What it Measures	Notes
PLS-5 (Preschool Language Scale, 5th ed.)	Auditory comprehension, expressive communication	Norms to 7;11 — see decision rule above
CELF-5 (Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals, 5th ed.)	Core language, receptive/expressive, semantics, syntax, pragmatics composite	Primary comprehensive tool for school-age range
CASLLS	Cross-reference here too - its Language strand (receptive/expressive) gives you a criterion-referenced check against the norm-referenced PLS-5/CELF-5 scores, and is what should drive which formal test you pick	Update quarterly (see Section B)

Administration note for LSL students: since PLS-5 and CELF-5 are normed on hearing peers, present items auditory-only when the format allows (no visual/lipreading cues) if that matches the student's typical listening condition, and document exactly how each subtest was presented - this affects how you interpret and report standard scores.

E. Phonological Awareness & Literacy

D/HH students are at elevated risk for reading delays - this domain is often where the most instructionally relevant goals come from.

 

Tool	What it Measures	When to Use
CTOPP-2 (Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing, 2nd ed.)	Phonological awareness, memory, rapid naming	BOY, especially grades 1-3
Curriculum-Based Measures (CBM) - e.g., DIBELS, AIMSweb, or district universal screener	Oral reading fluency, decoding, comprehension benchmarks	BOY, and each subsequent benchmark window (typically fall/winter/spring) - coordinate with reading specialist/classroom teacher rather than duplicating
GFTA-3 speech-sound data (cross-reference)	Speech-sound errors that may reflect/compound phonological awareness weaknesses	Cross-reference with (C) above

F. Pragmatics / Social Communication

 

Tool	What it Measures	When to Use
TOPL-2 (Test of Pragmatic Language, 2nd ed.)	Social language use, inferencing, perspective-taking	BOY for students grades 3-5 or with known social communication concerns (not in your current toolkit - flag if pragmatics is a recurring concern and worth requesting)
CASLLS pragmatics-related items (embedded in Language strand)	Conversational turn-taking, topic maintenance at a developmental level	Cross-reference during quarterly CASLLS updates
Speech/language sample (see Section 6 below)	Real-world conversational pragmatics, repair strategies, topic maintenance	BOY, EOY - no additional materials needed beyond what's below
Classroom observation + teacher interview	Real-world communication breakdowns, repair strategies, turn-taking, group participation	BOY, ongoing informally

G. Self-Advocacy (add for grades 3–5 in particular)

 

Tool	What it Measures	When to Use
Self-Advocacy Checklist / Deaf/HH Self-Advocacy Rating Scale (informal or district-adopted)	Understanding of own hearing loss, device use, ability to request accommodations/repairs	BOY, EOY - increasingly important as students move toward middle school

3. Suggested BOY Testing Order (efficiency + validity)

1. Device/Ling-6(10) check (must pass before proceeding)
2. FLE (establish access in typical self-contained classroom conditions - quiet, noise, distance, with/without FM)
3. Connected speech/language sample (see Section 6) - collect this early; it feeds your GFTA-3 connected-speech comparison, CASLLS update, and pragmatics notes all at once
4. GFTA-3 (single-word articulation)
5. CASLLS review/update using observation + speech sample + classroom data (do this before deciding PLS-5 vs. CELF-5 - see decision rule in Section D)
6. PLS-5 or CELF-5 (per decision rule)
7. CTOPP-2, if available and literacy concern flagged (not currently in your toolkit - note as a gap if reading delays are a concern)
8. LIFE-R/CHILD and SIFTER questionnaires (send to teacher/family concurrently - doesn't require 1:1 time)

Time-budgeting tip: Not every student needs every tool every year. Use last year's data + teacher/parent input to decide which domains need full formal re-testing vs. brief progress-monitoring probes only.

4. Turning Results into Measurable Annual Goals

For each domain tested, write goals with:

• Baseline (current standard score/percentile or % accuracy from above tools)
• Condition (e.g., "in structured conversation," "with hearing devices at optimal function," "in a quiet 1:1 setting")
• Target criterion (e.g., "80% accuracy across 3 consecutive data collection sessions")
• Measurement tool matching the goal (use the same tool or a parallel probe from the domain above for progress monitoring, so quarterly data is comparable to BOY baseline)

Example: "By [date], given a classroom listening activity in the presence of background noise (FLE Condition 3), [Student] will correctly repeat 4/5 key words with hearing devices on, as measured by SLP data collection, in 3 of 4 consecutive trials."

5. Quick-Reference Frequency Summary

 

Assessment Type	Frequency
Ling 6/10 sound check	Daily (staff) / Weekly-monthly formal log (SLP)
FLE	BOY, EOY, after any device change
Speech/language sample	BOY, EOY (mid-year optional if a goal needs interim data)
CASLLS	BOY baseline, update quarterly
PLS-5 or CELF-5	Annually (BOY); full re-test EOY or at triennial
GFTA-3	Annually (BOY)
LIFE-R / CHILD	BOY, mid-year (Jan)
SIFTER	BOY, EOY (mainstreamed portions of the day, e.g., specials/lunch/recess)
CTOPP-2 (gap - not in current toolkit)	Flag if reading delays are a recurring concern
CBM reading benchmarks	3x/year (fall/winter/spring), coordinate with general ed/reading teacher
Comprehensive triennial battery	Every 3 years
Grammar structure probes (cloze/morpheme analysis)	BOY, EOY, plus each progress-monitoring cycle for any active grammar goal
Pragmatics probes (inferencing/idiom/repair)	BOY, EOY, plus each progress-monitoring cycle for any active pragmatics goal

6. Speech/Language Sample: Elicitation Guide

A connected-speech/language sample does triple duty: it gives you real intelligibility data (beyond GFTA-3's single words), functional grammar/syntax data to cross-check against PLS-5/CELF-5, and pragmatic/conversational data you won't get from any standardized test. Aim for at least 50–100 utterances, recorded (audio, with consent per district policy) so you can transcribe and analyze later - trying to transcribe live is unreliable, and you'll miss errors.

What to capture/analyze from the sample:

• Mean Length of Utterance (MLU) - especially useful for your PLS-5-level students
• Grammatical morphemes used/omitted (plurals, past tense, articles, pronouns - commonly delayed in D/HH populations even with excellent access)
• Word-finding/vocabulary diversity (informal type-token ratio, or just note circumlocutions/fillers)
• Articulation errors in connected speech vs. single words (compare to GFTA-3 - connected speech is often less accurate)
• Overall speech intelligibility rating (familiar vs. unfamiliar listener - rate independently)
• Pragmatics: topic maintenance, turn-taking, repair strategies when misunderstood, appropriate questions/comments
• Auditory-only vs. visual cues needed to maintain the conversation (note this - it's useful FLE cross-reference data)

Elicitation Prompts by Language Level

Because your classroom spans a range of levels, pick prompts matched to where CASLLS data suggests each student is functioning — don't use the same prompt set for every student.

Tier 1 - Emerging/Early Language (CASLLS Level 1, likely PLS-5 candidates) Use play-based and labeling contexts rather than pure conversation; single words and early combinations are the goal, not narrative.

• Present toys/objects during play: "What is this? What's happening? Where did it go?"
• Simple picture book, one page at a time: "What do you see? What is [character] doing?"
• Snack/routine-based: "What do you want? More or all done?"
• Barrier-game with basic objects (each of you has a matching set, hidden from the other): "Give me the ___. Put it on/in/under the ___." - great for eliciting spontaneous requests and basic prepositions.

Tier 2 - Developing Sentence-Level Language (CASLLS Level 2, early CELF-5 range)

• "Tell me about your weekend — what did you do?"
• "What's your favorite game to play at recess? How do you play it?"
• Sequencing cards (3-4 step everyday routine, e.g., making a sandwich, getting ready for school): "Tell me what's happening in each picture."
• Wordless picture book retell (e.g., a simple Frog, Where Are You?-style book): read through once together, then "Now you tell me the story using the pictures."
• "What do you do when you get home from school?" (procedural/sequential language)

Tier 3 - Complex Sentence/Discourse Level (CELF-5 range, grades 3-5 functioning at or near age level)

• Personal narrative: "Tell me about a time something funny/scary/exciting happened to you."
• Hypothetical/reasoning: "What would you do if you lost your hearing aid/processor at school?" (also doubles as informal self-advocacy data)
• Explain a process: "How do you play your favorite video game?" or "How would you teach a new student the rules of [game]?"
• Opinion/justification: "What's the best part of this school? Why?"
• Retell a recent classroom read-aloud or lesson: "Tell me what that story was about." (gives you a comprehension cross-check too)
• Conversational repair probe: deliberately mishear or ask "What did you say?" once or twice mid-sample to see how the student repairs (rephrases vs. repeats verbatim vs. gives up) - directly useful for self-advocacy and pragmatics goals.

General tips:

• Avoid yes/no questions as your main driver — they collapse language output. Use "wh-" questions and open prompts instead.
• If a student is having an off day acoustically (device issue, illness), note it - don't treat that day's sample as representative.
• Collect the sample in more than one context if possible (1:1 with you vs. small group/recess observation) - self-contained students sometimes perform very differently one-on-one vs. in a group, and that gap itself is useful IEP data.

7. High-Vulnerability Domains: Grammar & Pragmatics

These two domains are where D/HH students most often look stronger on a single standardized score than they perform functionally - worth deliberate, separate attention rather than folding into general language testing.

A. Grammar — Specific Structures to Target

Morphemes/structures known to be disproportionately difficult for D/HH learners (low acoustic salience, low stress, high speed in connected speech):

 

Structure	Example	Why it's vulnerable
Regular past tense -ed	"walked," "jumped"	Brief, often devoiced/unstressed final consonant
3rd person singular -s	"he runs," "she likes"	High-frequency /s/ or /z/, easily missed
Plural -s / possessive 's	"dogs," "the dog's bone"	Same acoustic issue; also, semantically redundant with a number word nearby, so easy to "get away without" using it
Auxiliary/copula "be"	"is," "are," "was," "were"	Short, unstressed, frequently contracted in natural speech
Articles	"a," "the"	Extremely short, low information load
Pronouns (esp. gendered)	"he/she," "him/her"	No acoustic distinction issue, but require tracking referents across a sentence — a language-processing load issue, not just audibility
Complex syntax: relative clauses, passive voice, subordinating conjunctions	"The boy who was late..."; "because," "although," "if"	Require holding more linguistic structure in working memory

How to probe grammar (beyond standardized scores):

• Language sample morpheme analysis: From your Section 6 sample, calculate % correct usage in obligatory contexts for each structure above (a simplified Brown's-morphemes approach). This gives you a concrete baseline number per structure — much more goal-writable than a single composite standard score.
• Cloze/sentence-completion probes (quick, no materials needed): "Every day I walk to school. Yesterday I ___ to school." / "This is one dog. Here are two ___." / "The boy ___ (is/are) happy." Run 5-10 items per structure; track % correct.
• CELF-5 subtests to prioritize (since you already own it): Word Structure, Formulated Sentences, Recalling Sentences, and Sentence Assembly - this isolates morphology/syntax more precisely than the Core Language composite alone. Pull these out and report them individually in the PLOP, not just the composite score.
• Gap to flag if grammar is a major concern: SPELT-3 (Structured Photographic Expressive Language Test) is built specifically to elicit target grammatical structures one at a time - worth requesting if grammar goals are a recurring theme across your caseload.

B. Pragmatics - Specific Skills to Target

 

Skill	Why it's vulnerable
Inferencing/"reading between the lines"	Often taught incidentally through overheard talk; reduced exposure = reduced incidental learning
Figurative language/idioms	Rarely explicit in instruction; highly reliant on cultural exposure through conversation
Perspective-taking/theory of mind	Associated in the literature with delayed early language access, independent of current hearing status
Topic maintenance & shifts in conversation	Requires tracking rapid, often overlapping speech - harder even with good audibility
Requesting clarification/conversational repair	Many D/HH students under-request clarification because it's socially effortful, leading to guessing/bluffing instead
Understanding humor, sarcasm	Heavily prosody-dependent (tone shifts that carry the "real" meaning)

How to probe pragmatics:

• From your Section 6 speech sample: you already built in a conversational repair probe (deliberately mishearing) - score exactly how the student repairs (asks for repetition vs. rephrases vs. guesses/bluffs vs. gives up). Bluffing/guessing is common and easy to miss unless you're watching for it specifically.
• Idiom/figurative language probe (informal, quick): give 8-10 common idioms in context ("It's raining cats and dogs," "That test was a piece of cake") and ask the student to explain the meaning. Track literal vs. figurative interpretation.
• Inferencing probe: read a short scenario aloud and ask an inference question, e.g., "Sara opened her umbrella before she left the house. What was the weather probably like?" Do 5–6 of these; score plausibility/accuracy of inference.
• Gaps worth requesting given how central this is for your population:
• Social Language Development Test-Elementary (SLDT-E) - built for ages 6-11, directly targets perspective-taking, interpreting social language, problem-solving, and making inferences. Strong fit for your grade range if pragmatics keeps surfacing as a concern.
• TOPL-2 (already flagged in Section F) - broader pragmatic judgment measure.
• CELF-5 Pragmatics Profile - if it's part of your CELF-5 kit, it's a ready-made teacher/parent/clinician rating checklist across pragmatic categories (rapport-building, conversational skills, nonverbal cues) - no extra purchase needed; worth checking whether you already have access to it.
• Video self-review (grades 3-5): record a short peer interaction, then watch it back with the student and ask them to identify moments of misunderstanding or missed turns. This doubles as a self-advocacy-building activity, not just an assessment.

C. Writing Goals in These Domains

Because both areas are prone to "passing" a composite score while still being functionally weak, write goals from the specific structure/skill level, not the composite:

Grammar example: "By [date], during a structured language sample, [Student] will correctly produce regular past tense -ed in 8/10 obligatory contexts, in 3 of 4 consecutive data collection sessions."

Pragmatics example: "By [date], when a communication breakdown occurs during a conversational task, [Student] will independently request clarification (rather than guess or disengage) in 4/5 opportunities, as measured by SLP observation, in 3 of 4 consecutive sessions."