How does the BAS 2 Literacy Skills Scale relate to the National Literacy Strategy?
The National Literacy Strategy (NLS), which was introduced in 1998, breaks down the English curriculum and includes fine detail on what children should know at each stage of the learning process. Any tests of children’s ability, therefore, need to relate their choice of vocabulary closely to the NLS. BAS 2 has two Literacy Skills scales: Spelling and Word Reading. Like most of the BAS 2 scales, each of these comprises a single set of items (words) ordered in increasing difficulty, with different starting points for different age bands. A child who succeeds on most of the items in their initial block will be given progressively harder items until they reach a point where they are failing 8 out of 10 items. The scales have both been analysed and compared with the NLS in order to establish the relationship between the two in terms of vocabulary. This analysis was made on a word-by-word basis for the primary age range and slightly above. The older age range falls mainly outside the scope o
