ELOM-R (v1) Technical Manual 2: Language Assessment

This manual provides a detailed account of how the ELOM-R Language Assessment measures core developmental skills that support early literacy readiness, communication, and learning engagement in Grade R. It describes the theoretical basis for selecting each task and outlines how the assessment was adapted across South Africa’s diverse linguistic landscape to ensure cultural and conceptual relevance.

A central component of this manual is the full psychometric validation of the assessment. It presents comprehensive analyses demonstrating strong scale reliability, measurement equivalence, and the absence of bias across eight South African languages included in this validation phase. This ensures that results can be interpreted fairly and compared meaningfully across linguistic groups.

The manual also includes established performance norms and classification bands, which indicate whether groups of children are On Track for Grade 1 or may need additional language support. These benchmarks enable programme teams, researchers, and system planners to understand where to focus learning support and how to monitor progress over time.

What’s Inside

• Language constructs measured and why they are foundational for early learning success.
• Cross-language adaptation process ensuring conceptual alignment across eight language versions.
• Psychometric evidence demonstrating scale reliability, equivalence, and fairness across languages.
• National norms and “On Track” readiness benchmarks to guide interpretation and planning.
• Guidance for using group results to prioritise support and strengthen learning environments.

Why It Matters

Language is the heartbeat of learning. When assessments misrepresent children’s language development, they misrepresent their potential.

Use group language outcomes to directly shape instructional planning, coaching priorities, and targeted language-rich learning support in classrooms and programmes.

DOWNLOAD THE FULL MANUAL HERE

Title: ELOM-R (v1) Technical Manual 2: Language Assessment

Author(s): Matthew Kleineibst (Psychology Department, University of Cape Town and AX consultgroup), Jürgen Becker (Industrial Psychology Department, University of the Western Cape and AX consultgroup) and Andrew Dawes (Psychology Department, University of Cape Town and DataDrive2030)

Published: June 2025