| JOST (Junior Oral Language Screening Tool) | |
|---|---|
| Assessment Area | English-Speaking |
| Year level | 0-2 |
| NZ origin? | Yes |
| Standardised? | No , although most items have been based on normed tests in the 4.6 - 5.6 year level. |
| Administration to individual or group? | Individual , suggested for use with children whose oral language is of concern and/or who score poorly on the Record of Oral Language. |
| What does it assess? | Oral language development |
| Purpose | To give teachers useful information around which they can build a programme, group children appropriately for language groups, and make decisions about referral to a Speech-Language Therapist. |
| Validity | No information available. |
| Reliability | No information available. |
| What measures does it give? | Measures development in vocabulary, pragmatics (social language), and grammar. The main focus is on expressive language. Speech sounds are not included. |
| How long does it take to administer? | Untimed, varies according to the student. |
| How much training is needed? | Reading of the instructions. |
| Scoring and data analysis | Recording sheet highlights areas for remediation. |
| Does it provide 'what next' strategies? | No |
| Is it available in te reo Maori? | No |
| Cost? | No cost |
| Author, date of publication and publisher | Judy Keaney, Angela Britain, Margaret Hunt, adapted for reprint 2003, for the Ministry of Education |
| Availability | Download the PDF: |
| Further Information | There are three sections:
Speech sounds are not included. The main focus is on expressive language, as understanding of concepts such as colour, shape and size will be evident through other curriculum activities. This information should be considered together with the results from the J.O.S.T. Information gained should be useful for planning further classroom activities. |