When to test with LASS 8-11
When in the school year?
LASS 8-11 can be used at any time in the school year as soon as concerns arise.
It can also be used after using Rapid, with automatic integration of Rapid test results into LASS analysis. Rapid can be administered as a general screener, and LASS can then be used for a more detailed picture of the learning profile of individual students.
The program can be used as many times as required for different students without the recurrent expense of test booklets.
Timing of the session/s
The entire suite of tests takes an estimated 30-45 minutes to complete. However, a satisfactory test result cannot be obtained if students are not attending to the tasks and attempting to do their best. The LASS 8-11 subtests are mentally demanding and students can easily become mentally fatigued after a few subtests. Consequently, it is recommended that not more than three or four subtests are given to a student in a continuous session. This may vary according to the concentration level of the student and other factors. The teacher should use their discretion.
It is sometimes preferable to spread administration of the subtests over a number of days. This avoids the situation where results may be grossly distorted because a student has an ‘off day’ through illness or some other idiosyncratic reason. Where any individual subtest result appears anomalous or unrepresentative the subtest may be re-administered after a suitable time period has elapsed.
Problems of time-shortage for testing
In cases where teachers wish to administer all the subtests in the LASS suite but are prevented from doing so due to lack of time, there are some useful strategies in the User Manual available here.
Retesting with LASS 8-11
If the teacher has good reason to believe that a given result is not truly indicative of a student’s ability because of some hindrance factor, then retesting can be carried out as soon as is convenient.
If the teacher wishes to see if the student has improved as a result of some intervention, then a sensible interval should be allowed before retesting. In general, four months would be recommended as the minimum interval, but this could be less if the teacher had good reason for doing so.
Continuous or repeated retesting at short intervals is not advisable since practice effect would likely improve results independent of abilities.