The Process Assessment of the Learner—Second Edition: Diagnostic Assessment for Reading and Writing (PAL–II) provides a research-based assessment and intervention tool that helps you assess and remediate the development of cognitive processes directly related to the acquisition of reading and writing skills. The PAL–II is a brief, customizable assessment tool that helps you understand why a student has difficulty in one or more of these domains. School psychologists, educational diagnosticians, special education instructors, and speech-language pathologists can use this measure to help students with suspected learning disabilities in reading and/or writing increase their proficiency and progress with these skills.

• Screen students to identify those at risk for reading and writing problems
• Clarify the nature of a problem during the identification phase of problem-solving consultation
• Design and evaluate interventions related to the nature of the problem identified
• Diagnose reading and writing disabilities

User Guide Software

• A user-friendly CD with easy-to-use navigation is included in every kit, expanding PAL–II's functionality
• Assists with assessment planning by guiding subtest selection through specific referral question(s)
• Explains the importance and specific construct measured by each subtest and how each construct affects the skill being measured
• Includes and provides guidance with the research-based (and grade-based) PAL–II Guides for Intervention to improve student performance
• Includes PAL–II Researched-Based Reading and Writing Lessons with instructions in writing, phonics, reading fluency, and reading comprehension
• Guides score interpretation
• Allows users to print unlimited quantities of Summary Score Sheets and downloadable interventions and lessons
• Offers easy access to technical information such as development of the test, reliability studies, and validity studies

PAL–II Guides for Intervention

School psychologists, special education teachers, reading specialists, general education teachers, and speech-language pathologists can use this tool to create positive learning outcomes for students with reading and writing difficulties.

• Includes creative approaches to develop functional reading and writing intervention programs
• Provides strategies developed through the author's research on reading and writing and 25 years of clinical and teaching experience
• Provides a thoughtful, systematic approach for both classroom and special educational settings
• Designed to take an interactive approach to help establishing effective IEPs
• Includes practical guidance, grounded in research, to help intervene early in the learning process
• Customizable to the needs and resources of schools
• Links intervention to PAL–II Reading and Writing results (see below)

PAL–II Reading and Writing Lessons: Research-Based Instruction

Appropriate for use by school psychologists, special education teachers, and speechlanguage pathologists, this instrument consists of research-supported reading and writing lesson plans and progress monitoring procedures.

• Based on balanced instruction in phonics, reading fluency, and reading comprehension as well as writing
• Includes 15 extensive lesson sets organized according to the underlying 3-tier model
• Each lesson set includes a series of detailed teaching instructions, a progress monitoring plan, and optional adaptations

Subtests

The PAL–II Reading and Writing assessment integrates listening, note-taking, and summary writing skills. Subtests include:

• Phonological processing
• Phonological decoding
• Orthographic coding
• Rapid automatic naming
• Word-specific representations
• Automating of alphabet-letter retrieval and production
• Executive functions

Three-Tier System

• Tier 1—Prevent reading and writing problems in beginning readers.
• Tier 2—Help struggling readers meet reading standards.
• Tier 3—Provide special instruction for students who are diagnosed as dyslexic or dysgraphic and are receiving special education services.

The PAL–II is more than an assessment—it's an intervention roadmap!

• Understand why a child is having difficulty
• Select the appropriate intervention strategies
• Tailor intervention based on test results

Two Stand-Alone Kits or One Comprehensive Assessment

The PAL–II provides you with an option to choose between a comprehensive assessment or its two stand-alone parts to be used independently when focusing on one evaluation area only:

• PAL–II: Diagnostic Assessment Kit for Reading and Writing
• PAL–II: Diagnostic Assessment Kit for Math