Got questions?

How will Alpaca help me?

ALPACA helps to regularly monitor the progress of pupils who are receiving instruction in phonemic awareness and letter knowledge. It facilitates teachers to identify pupils’ foundational literacy skills and inform the instruction required to teach successful readers.

What is a universal screener?

A screener is a short and concise assessment that typically takes between 15 to 25 minutes. Its main purpose is to identify individuals who may require additional support or intervention. It's important to note that while a screener can help flag potential areas of concern, it's not intended to prescribe a specific course of action or support.

Why is early identification and intervention important?

Catching and addressing difficulties with phonemic awareness and letter knowledge early on can significantly simplify the journey towards long-term improvement for a child. The earlier a child is identified and provided with appropriate support, the greater their chances of achieving success in their educational journey.

What areas does the assessment cover?

Different areas are assessed at different times of the year. These include Rhyme Awareness, Initial Phoneme Matching, Phoneme Blending, Phoneme Deletion, Letter-Name Knowledge, Letter-Sound Knowledge, Word Recognition, and Nonword Recognition.

Why is Phonological awareness important?

Phonological awareness helps advance a child's reading development from an early age. If difficulties are detected, early intervention can prevent longer-term reading issues.

What happens after the assessment?

After the assessment, children identified by the screener should be monitored and/or given a diagnostic assessment. This helps identify knowledge or skill gaps and can inform instructional pacing, intensity, differentiation, and targeted intervention.

Why should I consider ALPACA?

ALPACA's efficiency enables early planning and targeted interventions in children's reading development. The Teacher Dashboard automatically displays individual results, providing crucial insights about the progress each child is making, as well as helping to establish a performance baseline for your class. It can also assist in communicating a child's progress to parents and facilitate early intervention, which is super important!

What equipment is required to use ALPACA?

To administer the ALPACA assessment, you'll need a set of 5-6 tablets, with iPads currently providing the best experience. You will also need a strong internet connection and good-quality headphones for each little learner.

Who is the ALPACA assessment for?

Every child in the class should take the screener, allowing a comparison of performance among peers and ensuring no child is overlooked. This includes children who are English Language Learners or those who speak a different dialect.

How often should I administer the assessment?

The assessment should be given three times per year: in late September - early October (lasting 20-25 mins), mid - late January (20-25 mins), and mid - late May (20 mins).

Who are ALPACA's primary users?

ALPACA is useful for teachers, SEN teachers, and SENCOs alike, assisting all the people that help little learners within your school. It works best when supported by a team in different teaching roles!

How tech-savvy do I need to be to use ALPACA?

Don't worry! ALPACA is very user-friendly and intuitive, requiring no crazy tech experience to administer or analyse assessments!