Accounting for Dialect on PLS-5

Question

When administering the PLS-5, if a child makes a dialectical error, do you count the item as correct?

Answer

Appendix E in the PLS-5 Administration and Scoring manual lists responses typical of children who speak a dialectical variation from Mainstream American English. If you feel that a child's response is influenced by dialect, you can refer to Appendix E and see if it matches the criterion for passing.  Responses are listed for African‑American English, Appalachian English, English influenced by Chinese languages, English influenced by Spanish, and Southern English. Credit is given if the child follows the rules from that dialect. 

Nancy Castilleja is Senior Product Manager for Speech and Language products at Pearson Assessment. Prior to this role, Nancy developed many assessments with The Psychological Corporation and Harcourt Assessment, including PLS English and Spanish editions, Boehm-3, and CELF-4 Spanish. Nancy has 8 years of clinical experience working with infants, school-age children, adolescents, and adults in school and community settings.