Summary_of_Dst-S_Test

Name of Test: Dyslexia Screening Test - Secondary The Dyslexia Screening Test is a thirty minute nationally-normed screening test designed by Dr. Angela Fawcett and Professor Rod Nicolson of the University of Sheffield, and was first published in 1996 . Client Group (including age range): The DST-S (Dyslexia Screening Test - Secondary) is the Second Edition (2004) and is designed for testing in secondary school age (11:6 to 16:5 year old) children . Brief Summary of Use: It is intended for use by education professionals, and provides an overall 'At Risk' index for likely literacy difficulties , together with a 'profile' of scores on a range of skills that provide a basis for identifying appropriate support strategies or for referral for further testing by an appropriately qualified Educational Psychologist. Brief Opinion about the DST-S’s (apparent) usefulness: It is important to, firstly, realise that the Dyslexia Screening Test - Secondary enables a score which is a ‘snapshot’ of the individual’s performance at a particular time on a particular day. Performance can vary as a function of time of day, illness, confidence and, indeed, other factors . There are, also, systematic variations in all performance indicators in terms of the child’s and the school’s general background and resources . In general one might expect the average performance of children from a disadvantaged background to be slightly below the norms here. Of course, the key point is that performance should improve following appropriate support, and this screening test is intended to provide useful information on how this can best be done. Bibliography Boyle, J. & Fisher, S., (2007), Educational Testing: A Competence-Based Approach, London: Wiley-Blackwell Fawcett, A.J. & Nicolson, R., (1998), Dyslexia Adult Screening Test: DAST, London: Psychological Corporation Fawcett, A.J. & Nicolson, R., (1996), The Dyslexia Screening Test: DST, London: Harcourt Assessment Nicolson, R. & Fawcett, A.J., (2008), Dyslexia, Learning and the Brain, Boston MA: MIT Press Real Group (UK) Limited, (2008), Course Manual: Certificate of Competence in Educational Testing (Level A), Canterbury: Real Group (UK) Limited Turner, M., (1997), Psychological Assessment of Dyslexia, London: Whurr Turner, M., Sercombe, L. & Cuffe-Fuller, A., Dyslexia and Crime, Dyslexia Review: Vol. 12(1), pp. 4-5 (Autumn 2000)