(TOPA-2+) Test of Phonological Awareness, Second Edition Plus

BY JOSEPH K. TORGESON AND BRIAN R. BRYANT

Like the original Test of Phonological Awareness, the TOPA-2+ tells you how well young children can isolate phonemes in spoken words. Unlike the original, it also tells you how well children understand the relationship between letters and phonemes in English. This added information accounts for the PLUS in the test's title.

Two versions of the TOPA-2+ are provided--Kindergarten and Early Elementary. Both include two subtests:

Phonemic Awareness (20 items)

Items on the Kindergarten version present a target word and ask children to choose which of three other words begins with the same sound, and then which of four other words begins with a different sound. Items on the Early Elementary version are similar in format, but require children to identify final sounds, which is more difficult.

Letter/Sounds (15 items)

Items on the Kindergarten version ask children to identify from a set of four letters the one that corresponds to a specific phoneme. Those on the Early Elementary version ask children to spell one-syllable "pseudo-words," ranging from two to five phonemes in length.

Correct answers are totaled, and results are reported as standard scores, normal curve equivalents, and percentile ranks.

Brief, flexible, easily administered to groups, and free of cultural, racial, and gender bias, the TOPA-2+ is an excellent way to screen for early signs of reading difficulty.