FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. Why are the DTEL and the DTEN being redeveloped?
The ERC’s existing screening and diagnostic tests of early literacy (DTEL) and early numeracy (DTEN) are now about 15 years old. Tests tend to become easier the longer that they are in use, as the content becomes more familiar. We also know that, since the existing tests were developed, the average age at which children start school has increased. Moreover, literacy and numeracy standards in Irish primary schools have improved overall. Putting these facts together, it is likely that the existing tests, which use a previous population as their reference point, are no longer identifying all the pupils who should be flagged as likely to be at risk of literacy/numeracy difficulties.
In 2023, the ERC carried out a survey of teachers who had used the existing tests. While feedback was broadly positive, teachers identified a number of needs and wishes for a future version of the tests, including:
- That tests should be developed in Irish as well as in English.
- That parallel forms of the screening tests would be available, to minimise copying and to minimise practice effects if a child needs to be re-tested.
- That improved materials for communicating test results and associated recommendations to parents/guardians would be provided for this age group.
- That tests should reflect current curricula, be attractive and engaging for children, and reflect the population of schools today.
In redeveloping the tests, the ERC’s aim is to produce instruments that are up-to-date, that fulfil these needs and wishes, align with current curricula, are attractive and engaging for children, and reflect the diverse population of primary classrooms today. We will collect feedback from children and teachers following the pilot study and will ensure that their voices are reflected in the subsequent development process.
2. Why has my school been asked to participate in the pilot study?
The main purpose of a pilot study is to check whether test items (questions) work well. For example, are they too difficult/too easy? Do they give us good information about whether a child has high or low overall proficiency in the construct assessed? Are there unexpected ambiguities in the phrasing of the items? Do different groups of children interact differently with the items – for example, are there some items that disproportionately advantage girls over boys or vice versa?
Usually, some test items don’t work in the way we hoped. Therefore, we pilot more material than we will need so that we can discard the items that are least useful.
To get reliable information about the items, we need a substantial number of children to respond to each item. To ensure that the items work similarly across different contexts, we also need to make sure that these children are appropriately representative of the target population.
With these things in mind, a random sample of 100 pilot schools (50 Irish-medium schools and 50 English-medium schools) has been drawn, including your school. As well as medium of instruction, the pilot sample takes account of school-level characteristics including DEIS status, gender intake, school size, and (for the Irish-medium schools) whether a school is based in a Gaeltacht region or is a Gaelscoil. The sample also has a broad geographical distribution, with most counties in Ireland represented.
We hope that your school will participate in the study as the validity of the data depends in part on the representativeness of the sample of children that take the test.
3. What does the role of the school contact involve?
The school contact is a member of school staff who liaises with the ERC about the pilot study. Their role will involve:
- Providing a list of pupils in the sampled class(es) (September).
- Viewing an online webinar about the new tests and how to administer them, and sharing learning with colleagues as needed (September).
- Receiving test materials from the ERC, checking them, and storing them securely (September – October).
- Distributing letters provided by the ERC to parents/guardians, collecting any withdrawal slips, and informing the ERC of withdrawals (September – October).
- Planning and coordinating the administration of the screening and diagnostic tests (October – November).
- Where agreed with certain schools, facilitating ERC visits to observe testing and gather feedback from children and teachers about the tests (October – November).
- Collecting all test materials and returning them to the ERC using the postage label provided (October – November).
- Liaising with the ERC throughout as queries arise for either party.
4. How are classes selected to participate?
In the Participation Form available here, you are asked to list the Senior Infants class groups in your school by providing a class identifier that makes sense to you (e.g. Ms Murphy / Seomra Buí) and the number of pupils in the class.
If you have more than one class group at this grade level, there is an option to indicate whether you would prefer to test two class groups rather than one.
Within each participating school, either one or (in a few cases) two class groups will be randomly sampled. You will be informed of the sampled class(es) in March and pupil details will be requested at that stage.
5. Can pupils be exempted from the tests?
Yes. Pupils may be exempted if, in the professional opinion of school staff, they are unable to engage meaningfully with the screening test due to a disability/ies, and/or due to very limited familiarity with the language of the test.
6. What is involved in administering the tests?
Screening tests – administered to small groups of pupils (8 or fewer)
- The screening test for literacy consists of two sections, which are administered on sequential days:
- Day 1: Oral language (administration time is expected to be approx. 45 minutes).
- Day 2: Reading (administration time is expected to be approx. 88 minutes, but note that this includes two breaks accounting for about 23 minutes, or longer if desired). If preferred, this can be administered across Day 2 and a third Day 3.
- The screening test for numeracy consists of two sections (each with an administration time expected to be approx. 20 minutes). The sections can be administered on the same day, with a break of at least 15 minutes. A longer break can be given if needed, depending on the classroom context. Alternatively, the two sections can be administered on consecutive days.
Diagnostic tests – administered individually (to some pupils only)
- The diagnostic test for literacy is expected to take about 50-60 minutes to administer. It can be administered with additional breaks or over multiple days if preferred (e.g. if the child struggles to maintain attention).
- The diagnostic test for numeracy is expected to take about 50-60 minutes to administer in one sitting, including breaks. However, as with literacy, the test can be administered with additional breaks or over multiple days.
7. Do the tests in Irish and English have the same content?
The literacy tests in Irish and English assess the same strands and learning outcomes and are broadly similar in structure. However, they contain different content which reflects the specific ways in which literacy skills are applied within the language of the test.
The numeracy tests contain the same content in Irish and English – i.e., they are direct translations.
8. Which language will the pilot tests be in for my school?
You are asked to administer the pilot tests in the Language 1 of your school. In Gaeltacht schools and Gaelscoileanna, we may discuss with you the option of some follow-up administration of the English-language tests as well. This would be valuable as it would help us to understand how bilingual children may interact differently with the tests in their two languages.
If you are have a concern about administering the tests in the L1 of your school, please get in touch with our Test Development team (see Question 14 for contact information).
9. Who will correct the pilot tests?
The pilot tests will be scored by the Educational Research Centre. Teachers in participating schools are not required to correct any of these tests.
10. Will I receive results for my pupils?
As the tests are at pilot stage and their content is not yet finalised, we will not be able to provide individual results for your pupils. However, we will provide participating schools with some aggregated data from the pilot study – for example, how difficult the test items were overall, on average.
We appreciate the generosity of schools that participate in our pilot studies, especially given that individual results will not be available. As a gesture of gratitude, we are offering your school free screening test booklets in both subject areas once the tests are released (expected to be 2027).
11. How are parents informed about the study?
When the test materials are sent to your school, a letter for each child’s parent/guardian will be included. We will ask the school contact to ensure that these letters are distributed at least one week in advance of testing. The letter will explain the purpose of the study, describe how their children’s data will be used, and provide a mechanism for parents/guardians to withdraw their children from the study if they wish to do so. They can do this by completing a withdrawal slip and returning it to the school contact.
Parents will be directed to additional information about the ERC’s data protection policy on the ERC website, and will be provided with direct lines of contact for the ERC Test Development team in case they have any questions.
12. How do I claim free screening test booklets when the tests are released?
We are offering free DTEL and DTEN screening test booklets to pilot schools when the new tests are launched, as a token of appreciation. When you are completing the Participation Form, you will see an explanation about the free tests and a question asking, “Would you avail of this offer?” Please select Yes to ensure that your school’s roll number is registered to receive the free tests in 2026.
The number of DTEN and DTEL screening test booklets you will receive in each subject will be equivalent to the number of pupils in your school that are sampled for the pilot. For example, if two classes with 20 pupils in each participate in the pilot, you will be entitled to 40 DTEL screening booklets and 40 DTEN screening booklets when the finalised tests are released.
If you have already submitted your form and did not select the option to avail of free tests, don’t worry. Please email us at development@erc.ie and we will update your preference.
13. When will the new DTEL and DTEN be ready for schools to use?
Test development is a lengthy process. After the pilot studies in 2024 and 2025, the test content will be refined based on item statistics and feedback from pupils and teachers. In 2025 and 2026, we will conduct a larger validation study in which the finalised instruments are presented to a representative sample of pupils nationally at the target grades. Data from the validation study will be used to determine the cut points that indicate whether or not a child is deemed to be at risk of difficulties in a given subject area.
Following the validation study, finalised manuals and interpretation guides will be developed, including explanatory materials for parents. It is expected that the tests will be released for use in 2027.
14. Who can I contact for more information?
Members of the DTEL-DTEN team are listed below. The development@erc.ie email address will reach the whole team, is monitored Mon-Fri, and will generally be responded to quickly.
Several team members are available to take calls if you would prefer to discuss your query over the phone – see numbers listed below. In general, you should contact Helena Nic An Fhailí as project manager in the first instance.
Coordination
Project Oversight: Emer Delaney – 01 8065 238
Project Manager: Helena Nic An Fhailí – 01 8065 202
Literacy Team Numeracy Team
Helena Nic An Fhailí (number as above) Rachel Cunningham
Muireann Bergin Keishia Taylor – 01 8065 249
