Features of the test
Thinking Skills
Language Skills
Number Skills
Who gets the test and when?
Feedback
Scoring and Technical Information
The Test Kit
Cost and Ordering
About the author
For more information
Early Childhood Education Literature
The Test of Early Learning Skills
(TELS) assesses the learning skills which children bring to preschool and
kindergarten. This test differs from others at this level in its focus on
cognitive development rather than on motor, social or psychological development.
The test reflects the emphasis
placed on cognitive development in the early years by contemporary educators.
The test consists of 18 items in each of the following three domains:
TELS Home Page
Number Skills
Sample item
Look at these pictures of fish and birds.
Are there more fish or more birds?
...........
Counting, and knowing numerals
Comparing and matching sets on
number property
Understanding relational and comparative
terms, e.g.,more, less, longer
Comparing length; Conserving number
Solving problems involving addition,
subtraction, and division
TELS is designed for children between the ages of 3 1/2
to 5 1/2 years of age. It may be administered at the time
of entry or during preschool or kindergarten. It is individually
administered and takes approximately
30 minutes.
Performance in the test will enable the teacher in the
classroom, the special education
teacher, or resource
teacher to identify educational
needs and develop
programs for individual pupils or groups.. Since the
focus is on teachable skills, the
test serves as an instructional aid.
Scoring and Technical Information
Scoring the test consists of counting the number correct in
each subtest and converting the raw score into a
Developmental Age. The items were field tested and
calibrated on pupils in Canada and the United States.
The manual describes the norming sample and provides
evidence of reliability and validity.
A Test Kit contains the following:
I test booklet, I manual, 20 response forms, and manipulatives
3 green circles, I green semicircle, 4 colored sticks,
2 blue triangles, 5 red blocks,2
green rectangles and 1 pointer
Complete kit: $95.00
Additional Pkg. of 20 response forms $15.00
(Shipping, handling and taxes are extra)
Order by e-mail: jsomwaru@hotmail.com, or jsomwaru @ idirect.com, or by regular mail to address given below .
Pay, when ordering, by cheque,
money order, or School Purchase Order
to Dr. J. Somwaru, 139 Bernard Avenue, Richmond Hill,
Ont. L4C 9Z6, Canada
Dr. Jwalla P. Somwaru previously served as Coordinator of Research and Evaluation for the Etobicoke Board of Education in Canada, and as an Assessment Specialist for the Minnesota Department of Education. In these positions he gave leadership in the design and development of tests for students. He continues to provide consultation in test design and development in Canada.
He authored the
Assessment of Basic Competencies,
a psychoeducational battery of tests for children from preschool to Grade
9. He has had prior experience in both elementary and secondary education,
in the training of teachers, and in lecturing at university.
1. Test of Early Learning Skills ( TELSIntro)
2.
Survey of Basic Competencies (SURVEYIntro)
3. Assessment of Basic Competencies (ABCReview)
Move down to the next page: Early Childhood Education Literature
Links to related Early Childhood Education Literature
1. TELSIntro:
This paper gives an introduction to the content, rationale, and
develppment of the
Test of Early Learning Skills. If you wish
to
read it now, click
on the line below and you will be taken to the site.
http://webhome.idirect.com/~jsomwaru/TELSIntro.htm
If you prefer to read it later, return to this site and click the underline above.
Somwaru, J. P. Assessment of Cognitive Development in Early Childhood
Education.
2. ABCReview:
This paper gives a professional review of the Assessment of Basic
Competencies (ABC).This
is the parent test battery within which the Test of
Early Learning Skills
was developed. The Assessment of Basic Competencies
is a psychoeducational
battery of eleven tests in the following three domains:
Information Processing:
Observing, Organizing, and Relating
Language: Understanding
Words, Comprehending Expressions,
Producing Expressions, Reading, and Decoding
Mathematics:
Number and Operations, Understanding Concepts,
and Solving Problems
This review
was published in the Alberta School Psychologist.
It is
approximately eight pages in length. If you wish
to read
it now, click the line below, and you will be taken to the site.
http://webhome.idirect.com/~jsomwaru/ABCReview.htm
If you
wish to read it later, return to this site and click the underlined title
above.
Source:
Somwaru, J.P.:
Assessment of Basic Competencies: An Alternative
to Intelligence Tests.