Progressive Achievement Test (PAT): Listening Comprehension

PAT: Listening provides information about students' ability to focus their listening and to make meaning from texts that are read to them.

The test assesses a student's comprehension of texts read to them. It uses short stories, extracts from novels, poems and nonfiction items. Because the student is listening rather than reading, their response provides information about meaning making that is independent of their ability to decode text.

The test includes content which assesses a student’s ability to understand that more than one meaning can be made of a piece of text. It also tests their understanding of the patterns of stress and intonation in language, known as prosodic features. As with PAT: Reading Comprehension (2008), the large majority of questions require students to infer as opposed to simply recall information. Placed alongside PAT:Reading Comprehension, it will give teachers a better understanding of their students’ thinking about texts.

Features

• Aimed at Years 3–10. There are 8 tests, one for each year level
• Multiple-choice for easy and accurate marking
• Professional sound recordings of texts, questions and each multiple-choice answer on CD
• User-friendly layout of teacher and student booklets
• Able to be marked by NZCER's marking service
• Progress over time can be tracked on a scale

Administration and Marking

The test is administered by the teacher. The instructions, texts and questions are read to students on CD. The teacher script provides the test administrator with advice, instructions on what to say between test items and the CD track numbers. You’ll also find detailed information in the teacher manual.

The test time is 40 minutes, or approximately 50 minutes when tasks such as distribution of materials and explanations are included.

What's New

• All new and up-to-date texts
• A revamped look and feel that is more user-friendly.
• All texts and questions recorded on CDs and read by professional actors.
• Questions printed in the student booklets so comprehension is not so reliant on memory.

Go to the PAT: Listening Comprehension page of the NZCER website for further details and ordering.