Dynamic Assessment and Response to Intervention

If you think about it, Dynamic Assessments are very similar to Response to Interventio n.

Both are fluid ways to see if a child makes progress on a skill within a determined period of time. Students that make adequate progress are most likely have typical language learning abilities. Students that make very little progress, regardless of their home language, are more likely to have a language disaiblity.

Elizabeth Pena, PhD, describes a Dynamic Assessment as one in which the child is actively engaged, the materials are fluid and adjustable based on the student’s needs, and descriptive information can be obtained from the assessment.

Dynamic Assessment and Response to Intervention both involve three parts:

Pre-test
Teaching or Intervention
Post-test (comparing to the pre-test and determining transfer of strategies)

I have struggled with Dynamic Assessments (and now RTI) for years, because I never felt like I had a good set of materials, ideas, and probes to use. This weekend, however, I plopped myself down on and spent most of the weekend developing a set to use (and you can use it too!).

For this unit, I used the Jack and the Beanstalk fairytale. I wrote my own version of the fairytale myself. And although I admit that I am a very “creative” writer (see here and here), I did not take a single English class in college for a reason. 😉

I hope that this unit increases your effectiveness as a therapist, both for your English Language Learners, but also for any child you suspect may need a speech intervention!

Click on the link below or the one after the descriptions of the unit to get from my TpT store.

Jack and the Beanstalk
(A Speech/Language Dynamic Assessment and Response to Intervention Unit)

Jack and the Beanstalk story (Level 1)
Jack and the Beanstalk story (Level 2/3)
15 Pictures to go with the story

Narrative Dynamic Assessment Pre/Post-Test Directions
Transcription page
Story Comprehension Questions
Story Retelling Rubric

Vocabulary Dynamic Assessment Pre/Post-Test Directions
Expressive Vocabulary (Level 1)
Receptive Vocabulary (Antonyms) (Level 1)
Antonyms picture cards (Level 1)
Expressive Vocabulary ( Level 2/3
Receptive Vocabulary (Antonyms) (Level 2/3)
Antonyms picture cards (Level 2/3)

Narrative Interventions Directions
Story Map
Sequencing Pictures
Story Comprehension Cube Game

Vocabulary Interventions Directions
Describing Game (Level 1)
Describing Game (Level 2/3)
Vocabulary Grid Activity
Antonym Matching Game (use the cards from the pre-test)

Scores and considerations

Click here to get this unit for yourself!