Why a New Tool?
The RISE Tool centers teacher-informed and community-validated measures to better reflect the full diversity of children’s expressive abilities in preschool classrooms.
Why a New Tool?
Many existing screeners:
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Lack sensitivity to cultural, linguistic, and dialectal variation – Are based on outdated developmental models
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Focus narrowly on deficits rather than strengths
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Are difficult to implement within busy classroom settings
The RISE Tool addresses these limitations by integrating ecologically valid, strengths-based, and bias-aware design principles.
Planned Features
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Uses a 5-level scoring system aligned with classroom expectations across ages 3–5.
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Cultural and Linguistic Responsiveness: Includes example prompts and scoring supports for Mainstream American English (MAE), African American English (AAE), and Spanish Heritage English Learners (SHL-ELL). We will continue to add multiple varieties of English and languages as this project develops.
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Strength-Based Design: Screens for what children can do, not just what they cannot.
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Educator-Driven: Items are developed in partnership with preschool teachers, caregivers, and clinicians.
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Technology-Enabled: Digital version with auto-scoring, classroom integration, and AI-powered analytics.