PPL reading prediction test (Luis Bravo et al.

Test objective:
Predicting reading performance in first-grade children.

This test has been the result of research workshops carried out with
postgraduate students in special education from the Pontifical Catholic
University of Chile.
They have aimed to generate instruments that facilitate preventive work
with children who are at greater risk of presenting future difficulties in
learning to read.

It is based on the fact that it has been proven that there is a relationship
between the degree of development of some verbal variables and success in
learning to read.
The quality of oral language and phonological processing are cognitive
variables that are frequently shown to have a significant relationship with
learning to read. These same variables are what discriminate between children
who succeed in this learning and those who fail in it.

A great difference has been found in verbal development and phonological

processing between children of different socioeconomic levels (SES)

It is an individual application test, of short duration (approximately 15

minutes) and easy to apply, for use by preschool educators and teachers of the
first years of basic education. It can be administered to children in
Kindergarten or First Year Basic, of any socioeconomic level.

Test preparation stage:

An investigation was carried out to determine which were the predictive
variables of reading learning that were found in kindergarten children.
Among the variables reviewed, the following skills were found that, according
to different researchers, are predictive of learning to read:
-Write your own name
-Phonemic segmentation, analysis and synthesis.
-Memory of sentences of different levels of complexity.
-Oral inversion of syllables or words.
-Inversion of sequences of two or three phonemes.

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-Know and name letters and geometric figures.
-Replace the initial phoneme of a word with another phoneme.
-Set rhymes
-Oral syntax

Because the application and evaluation of all these aspects would form a very
extensive test, four areas were selected, with items intended to evaluate
phonological, semantic and syntactic aspects of oral language.

Test description:

The four skills that the PPL evaluates are:

1. Isolate the first phoneme of a word
2. Do a phonemic analysis of a pseudo word
3. Determine verbal analogies
4. Order the words in a sentence

1. Isolate the first phoneme:

It evaluates an aspect of phonemic awareness that consists of determining

whether the child is aware that words are made up of sounds that can be
separated.
For correction, 1 point is awarded for each correct answer, considered as such
when the child is able to recognize the initial sound of each given word. It is
considered incorrect to give the name of the letter or pronounce the initial
syllable.
Maximum score: 8 points.

2. Phonemic analysis:

It evaluates the child's phonological mastery through his or her ability to

segment and sequence the phonemes that make up some pseudowords.
1 point is awarded for each correct answer. It is considered good when the
child is able to state the phonemes that make up the word and give them in
the corresponding sequence . It is incorrect when it does not separate all the
sounds, alter their sequence or name the letters.
Maximum score: 8 points.
These first two subtests aim to evaluate the degree of development of
phonological awareness achieved by children.

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3. Verbal analogies:

Evaluates a semantic aspect of language (meanings) The child must complete

a sentence, after finding the analogical relationship it has with another
previous sentence, which requires understanding the meaning of the meaning
of the first.
1 point is assigned for each correct answer
( maximum: 14 points)

4. Ordering a sentence:

Evaluates oral syntactic processing through sentence ordering.

The child must orderly sequence the words that make up a sentence, after
listening to them in a disorderly manner, which requires recognizing their
meaning, this involves the development of verbal thinking.
1 point is assigned for each correctly structured sentence. It is considered
incorrect when you omit a word or alter the sentence.
( maximum: 6 points)

Test results according to socioeconomic level and course:

The results obtained show that children of low SES have a markedly
decreased performance in relation to children of medium SES, except in the
verbal analogies subtest where the achievement percentages were similar.
Differences were also observed according to grades: phonological processing
tests were unattainable for low-SES Kindergarten children.

Comparison of averages by SES and grade:

1) Test: isolate phoneme:

Socioeconomic level Course Average
Low Kindergarte 0

3
 n
Low 1° 4,77
Half Kindergarte 5,20
n
Half 1° 7,57

2) Test: phonemic analysis:

Socioeconomic level Course Average
Low Kindergarte 0
n
Low 1° 2,45
Half Kindergarte 3,45
n
Half 1° 5,22

3) Test: verbal analogies:

Socioeconomic level Course Average
Low Kindergarte 6,56
n
Low 1° 6,57
Half Kindergarte 6,75
n
Half 1° 6,97

4) Test: order sentences:

Socioeconomic level Course Average
Low Kindergarte 0,64
n
Low 1° 2,42
Half Kindergarte 3,95
n
Half 1° 4,85

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Analysis of the results:

It is concluded that there is a great difference in the development of the verbal

skills evaluated between children of different socioeconomic levels, which
overcomes the differences in grade and age.

The phoneme isolation test discriminated both between socioeconomic levels

and between grades.
These differences in favor of the average SES may be the result of both prior
training in exercising these skills and the clearer expression of the language
spoken in their environment.

The phonemic analysis test also significantly discriminated between SES and
grades.
Low SES Kindergarten children obtained 0% achievement, which confirms a
lack of development of this skill.

The sentence ordering test also significantly discriminated between SES and
grades.
Kindergarten children of medium SES had higher performance than those in
First Grade of low SES.

The verbal analogies test was the only one that did not discriminate between
SES and courses. There was an even performance.

The differences in development, originating from the different SES,

appear to have greater weight on the psycholinguistic skills that are
determinants in reading learning, than the age or grade of the
children.

The benefit of this test is that it allows comparative evaluations of individual

or group performance in some fundamental cognitive processes for learning to
read.

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The success of its application will depend on the theoretical knowledge and
experience of the person who applies it, to be able to properly interpret its
results.

READING PREDICTION TEST (PPL)

Luis Bravo

Name:
Course:
Birthdate:
Examiner:
Date:

First subtest: initial sound. Second subtest: segmentation.

Examples: Examples:
Duck: Q Pel: Pel
Stuff: c Musi: Musi

Toad: Sil:
Table: Mer:
Pink: Ado:
Seal: Nalu:
Cat: Tigo:
Lemon: Pafi:
Shovel: Bujo:
Tuna: Resi:

Score: Score:
(maximum (maximum
8) 8)

Third subtest: verbal analogies

Examples:
The dad is a man, the mom is (woman).
The horse is big, the mouse is (small).

1.Bread is eaten, water is…

2.Lettuce is green, salt is…
3.Cotton is soft, iron is…
4.In the day the sun rises, at night...

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 5.The pencil is elongated, the ball
is…

6.In summer it is hot, in winter…

7.Dogs bark, canaries...
8.The book is for reading, the
clothes...
9.The teacher teaches, the student...
10. The fish swims, the bird…
11. The sheep has wool, the birds…
12. You live in houses, in cars...
13.Planes have pilots, cars...
14.Cats hunt mice, dogs...

Score:
(Maximum:14)

Fourth subtest: order sentences

Example:
dog was big: the dog was big

1. tall John is:

2.doll I have one
3.children play soccer
4. Roof to the cat goes
up my
5. She has nice shoes
6. Guitar plays one

Score:
(maximum
6)

Scores obtained:

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1st st. 2ndst. 3rd st. 4th st.