Kindergarten screenings: Round #1

Well, I just wrapped up day two of kindergarten screening at school #1. I have to help at 4 out of the 5 elementary schools this year. It's time to share some thoughts on the DIAL 4. The 4th Edition came out last year so this is my second year of giving this to little ones.

The Good:
It's fairly quick when "tag-teamed" and not too terrible when solo.
You can memorize it quickly.
It looks at a variety of readiness skills.
It gives a snapshot of the child and you can make comments to remind yourself of a child that might have some articulation errors.

The Bad:
I Spy- This is the section I HATE. I don't know why they decided to use a ton of blends (sh, br, fl) but kids bomb this part of the screener. They also don't have enough things in the picture containing the above sounds.
You have to constantly write in the hearing screen results on the front of the screen as there's nothing on the form for it.
Articulation- Twig? Really...all the kids call it a stick. Splash is also a frequently missed word. Water, anyone?
Name & Function- Tweezers. It gets them every time.

In the end, kindergarten screening can be a fun time though. I enjoy seeing all of the little ones and it gives a little bit of a glimpse into what next year holds. Some schools even turn the event into a really fun moment for the kids with themes like Hollywood.