The Oral and Written Language Scales, Second Edition (OWLS-II) has four scales that can be used individually or in combination to provide a comprehensive assessment of an individual’s language abilities. These scales include Reading Comprehension (RC), Listening Comprehension (LC), Written Expression (WE), Oral Expression (OE).
Oral language skills can be assessed in students ages 3 through 21 and written language skills can be measured in ages 5 through 21. This revision of the original OWLS assessment includes updated scales to make it more effective while retaining the strongest aspects of the original.
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The Reading Comprehension Scale
The Reading Comprehension scale measures the student’s ability to read and comprehend written language. The examinee is asked to read a written prompt and then indicate which one of four responses is correct either orally or by pointing to it.
This scale takes 10 to 30 minutes to administer and it can be administered to students ages five years to 21 years, 11 months.
Materials required for this scale are the RC/WE manual, the RC/WE record form, and the RC easel. You can find these materials in the RC/WE manual and in chapter 2.
The Listening Comprehension Scale
The Listening Comprehension scale measures the student’s ability to listen to and comprehend spoken language. The examiner reads a stimulus word aloud and the examinee is asked to point to one of the four pictures provided that best demonstrates the meaning of the word.
This scale takes 10 to 20 minutes to administer and it can be administered to students ages three years to 21 years, 11 months.
Materials required for this scale are the LC/OE manual, the LC/OE record form, and the LC easel. You can find these materials in the LC/OE manual and in chapter 2.
The Written Expression Scale
The Written Expression scale measures the student’s ability to write. The examiner presents the examinee with a written, oral, or picture prompt, and the examinee is asked to write his or her answer in a response booklet.
This scale takes 15 to 30 minutes to administer and it can be administered to students ages five years to 21 years, 11 months.
Materials required for this scale are the RC/WE manual, the RC/WE record form, and the WE easel. You can find these materials in the RC/WE manual and in chapters two and three.
The Oral Expression Scale
The Oral Expression scale measures the student’s ability to speak. The examinee is asked to give spoken answers to oral and picture prompts. This scale takes 10 to 30 minutes to administer and it can be administered to students ages three years to 21 years, 11 months.
Materials required for this scale are the LC/OE manual, the LC/OE record form, and the OE easel. You can find these materials in the LC/OE manual and in chapters two and three.
The OWLS-II assessment is a trusted tool to measure oral and written language skills in children and young adults. A licensed professional can use it to guide and direct intervention, create treatment plans, and continue measuring improvements.
