CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia, Aug. 12, 2014 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — PALS Marketplace, a division of CaseNEX, LLC proudly announces the release of PALS espanol. The PALS espanol assessments measure the fundamental components of Spanish literacy development for kindergarten and grades 1-3. Funded by the United States Department of Education’s Institute for Education Sciences (IES) grant, PALS espanol was developed through rigorous research led by Dr. Karen Ford, a bilingual reading researcher at the University of Virginia, alongside PALS original author, Dr. Marcia Invernizzi, UVA’s Henderson Professor of Education.

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To ensure fidelity to the Spanish language, an advisory board consisting of experts in bilingual literacy and native Spanish speakers from a variety of Spanish-speaking countries conducted thorough reviews of all tasks and items. Both assessments have been field-tested with thousands of students across the United States and show strong technical adequacy. 

PALS espanol will identify students’ literacy strengths in their native Spanish language in order to accelerate English reading and spelling development. Designed to reflect the stages of Spanish literacy development, PALS espanol will distinguish between students who simply have English oral language delays and those who have actual reading difficulties. Early assessment with PALS espanol helps teachers:

• Identify students’ literacy strengths in their native Spanish.
• Individualize instruction to accelerate reading development in both English and Spanish.
• Identify students with reading difficulties without waiting until they are ready to be assessed in English.

Teachers can use PALS espanol with confidence to track their students’ progress in developing essential literacy skills. PALS espanol will be available on August 25, 2014. 

ABOUT PALS: PALS was developed by Marcia Invernizzi, Ph.D., and colleagues at the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education in response to the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Early Intervention Reading Initiative (EIRI). PALS is utilized for early identification and intervention in all 50 states, as well as many foreign countries. PALS has remained the universal screening tool for Virginia public schools for over 15 years and has recently been mandated by the state of Wisconsin as the state’s universal screening tool for Kindergarten through second grade students.

ABOUT CASENEX: As a leader in the education technology industry for over 15 years, CaseNEX is now used in all 50 states and consists of two additional divisions: DataCation and PALS Marketplace. CaseNEX offers pioneering case method professional development along with an array of tools to help schools break down complex student data to inform and support instruction.

Media contact: Anna Fox, +1-866-817-0726 x 107, afox@casenex.com