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Getting Started With Multitudes - Training Guide - v6

The document is a training guide for the Multitudes platform, outlining the competencies required for administering universal screening for K-2 students. It includes a checklist for training completion, details on navigating the platform, administering assessments, and supporting multilingual learners. Additionally, it provides resources and guidelines for interpreting results and ensuring technical readiness.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
150 views42 pages

Getting Started With Multitudes - Training Guide - v6

The document is a training guide for the Multitudes platform, outlining the competencies required for administering universal screening for K-2 students. It includes a checklist for training completion, details on navigating the platform, administering assessments, and supporting multilingual learners. Additionally, it provides resources and guidelines for interpreting results and ensuring technical readiness.

Uploaded by

mlndbkr
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Getting Started with

Multitudes
Digital Training Guide
Training Certification Checklist

Name ______________________________________ Training Completion Date _______________________

Directions Check off each competency indicator as you demonstrate mastery.

Competency Area Training Options Competency Indicators


Foundational Asynchronous training: o I can explain the purpose and importance of
Screening 1) Multitudes platform and screening universal screening.
Knowledge overview
2) Why universal screening?
Administration Manual, Ch. 1
Getting Started with Multitudes training
Multitudes Screening Essentials PD series
The Multitudes Asynchronous training: o I successfully created my Multitudes account.
Platform 3) Registration and login o I can login to the Multitudes platform.
4) Class Dashboard o I can view assessment histories and initiate the
5) Results universal screener and follow-up assessments
6) Resources from the Class Dashboard.
Administration Manual, Ch. 1 o I can view class and individual student level
results, and identify which students need
Getting Started with Multitudes training support.
Multitudes Screening Essentials PD series o I can access training, professional
development, and instructional resources.
o I can locate and download/print the parent
communication letters.
Screening with Asynchronous training: o I can efficiently navigate through the
Multitudes 7) Navigating the screener Multitudes screener and appropriately use
8) Task demonstration videos (English features like Pause, Next, and Restart.
and Spanish) o I viewed the demonstration videos for the
Administration Manual, Ch. 1 and Ch. 2 universal screener and follow-up assessments
for the appropriate grades (K-2).
Screening FAQ o I can accurately and efficiently administer the
Getting Started with Multitudes training universal screener and follow-up assessments,
utilizing the correct administration procedures
Multitudes Screening Essentials PD series
and prompts.
o I reviewed and am familiar with the contents of
the Administration Manual, especially
Chapters 1 and 2.
Supporting Asynchronous training: o I can use the screener language matrix to
Multilingual and 9) Screening multilingual learners determine screening language(s).
Multidialectal Administration Manual, Ch. 1 o I can check for minimum language proficiency
Students using the pre-screening activity.
Getting Started with Multitudes training o I have studied the relevant language variation
Supporting Multilingual Learners PD series guides and feel prepared to provide fair,
unbiased screener administration to
multilingual and multidialectal students.
o I can interpret screening results in the context
of students’ language backgrounds.
Connecting Results Asynchronous training: o I can identify which students screened as “on
to Instruction 10) Connecting results to instruction target” and “support needed.”
Administration Manual, Ch. 3 and Ch. 4 o I understand how to administer follow-up
assessments to students who screen as
Getting Started with Multitudes training “support needed.”
Screening Results: From Analysis to Action o I can identify the domains in which my
PD series students need support.
Understanding Reading Difficulties PD series o I can identify relevant instructional resources
on the Multitudes platform to support my
students’ domains of need.
Technical Technical Readiness Guide o I can set up the testing environment properly.
Preparation Technical Difficulties FAQ o I can ensure adequate internet connectivity for
screening.
o I can troubleshoot basic technical issues.
o I know whom to contact for technical support.

Declaration
I certify that I have demonstrated competency in all required components of the Multitudes training program:
• Navigating the Multitudes platform,
• Administering the Multitudes universal screener with K-2 students,
• Administering follow-up assessments for students who screen as “Support Needed,”
• Supporting multilingual and multidialectal learners appropriately,
• Interpreting screening results,
• Maintaining technical requirements and proper testing conditions.

Signature: _______________________________________ Date: ____________

Next Steps
• Keep this completed checklist for your records.
• Share a copy with your supervisor/instructional leader.
• Access the Multitudes Resources page for ongoing support.
• Review training components as needed throughout the year.
Multitudes Self-Guided Training Overview

Welcome to Multitudes!

By completing these training activities, you will be prepared to:

• Administer the Multitudes universal screener with your kindergarten, first, and second grade students

• Administer additional assessments to students who screen as “Support needed”

• Understand the results of the universal screener and additional assessments, and

• Use these results to make instructional decisions for a class, group, or individual student

We recommend working through the following training components in order. Please feel free to

review them at any time!

Multitudes platform and screening overview

An overview of the complete Multitudes platform, including the basics and logistics of the

screener. (Time: 5 min, Format: video)

Why universal screening?

Learn about the purpose and importance of universal screening. 

(Time: 2 min, Format: video)

Multitudes platform: registration and login

How to register your personal Multitudes account, log in to the platform, and 

change or recover a lost password. (Time: 1 min, Format: video)

Multitudes platform: Class Dashboard

How to select and start the universal screener and additional assessments. 

(Time: 2 min, Format: video)

Multitudes platform: Results

An overview of the class and individual student results pages. 

(Time: 5 min, Format: video + document)

Multitudes platform: Resources

Multitudes training, professional learning, intervention, and parent/caregiver

support resources. (Time: 2 min, Format: video)


Navigating the screener

Tips for administering the screener fairly, effectively, and efficiently.

(Time: 3 min, Format: video)

Task demonstration videos: English and Spanish

Brief demonstration videos modeling the administration and scoring of each

Multitudes task. (Time: 4 min per video on average)

Screening multilingual learners

Important considerations for appropriate and accurate screening of multilingual and

multidialectal learners. (Time: 20+ min, Format: video, documents)

Connecting results to instruction

Initial considerations for interpreting children's Multitudes screening results and planning

instructional strategies to support their reading growth. (Time: 4 min, Format: video)

Additional resources

Multitudes Administration Manuals: English and Spanish

Parent/guardian communications

Technical readiness guide

Frequently asked questions

Oral Reading Fluency passages

Screening printables

Narrative Story Production translations

Semantic Mapping translations

Screening Multilingual Children

The goal of screening is to detect risk of reading difficulty as efficiently as possible. When
children are developing more than one language at home or school, screening them in
both languages gives educators and parents/guardians a fuller picture of their skills than
screening in just one language (Baker et al., 2022).

Multitudes is currently available in two languages: English and Spanish. Additionally, two
language tasks, Narrative Story Production and Semantic Mapping, are available in nine
additional languages: Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Korean, Punjabi, Russian, Tagalog,
Ukrainian, and Vietnamese. While Narrative Story Production or Semantic Mapping
alone can’t determine risk of reading difficulties, they provide valuable information about
a child’s language use and oral language skills that can be instructionally informative. For
administration and scoring directions in the languages specified above, please visit the
platform’s Resources page, Getting Started tab.

Choosing a Screening Language(s)


Deciding the right language or languages to screen a child in is very important. Consider
the child’s primary language (sometimes called their home or dominant language), as
well as the language used in their instructional program.

Start with the Screener Language Matrix below. Find the child’s primary language and
their language of instruction. Draw a line across from their primary language and down
from their instructional language. Where the lines meet shows the recommended
language(s) for screening.

Next, answer these two questions:


1) Does this child have the minimum language proficiency needed to be screened in
this language(s)? If you’re unsure, see the next section, Checking for Minimum
Language Proficiency.
2) Is there a trained and qualified test administrator available to give the screener in
that language(s)? If you’re unsure, refer to the Administration Manual section, Test
Administrator Qualifications.
Screener Language Matrix
CHILD’S
PRIMARY LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION
LANGUAGE

ENGLISH SPANISH SPANISH + OTHER +


ENGLISH ENGLISH

ENGLISH English English + English + English


Spanish Spanish + NSP + SMT
in language of
instruction, if
available .

SPANISH Spanish + Spanish Spanish + Spanish +


English English English
+ NSP + SMT
in language of
instruction, if
available .

OTHER English Spanish English + English


+ NSP + SMT + NSP + SMT Spanish + NSP + SMT
in primary in primary + NSP + SMT in primary
language, language, in primary language
if available if available language, or language of
if available instruction, if
available

● OTHER means any language other than English or Spanish


● Narrative Story Production (NSP), Semantic Mapping (SMT)
● NSP + SMT available in Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Korean, Punjabi, Russian, Tagalog, Ukrainian, +
Vietnamese
Examples

Elena is an emergent bilingual child whose parents speak Spanish at


home. Elena attends a dual language program, where 50% of their
instruction is in Spanish and 50% is in English.

1) First, identify Elena’s primary language, which is the language spoken at home –
Spanish.

2) Next, identify Elena’s language of instruction, which is the language used for
instruction in their classroom – both Spanish and English.

Using this information, we can see that Elena should be screened in both languages. It
is recommended that Elena take the Spanish Language Screener first, if that is her more
dominant language. Since Elena attends a dual language school, there will be test
administrators qualified to give both screeners in Spanish and English. If they are unsure
whether Elena has enough English proficiency to complete the English Language
Screener, they can check the next section Checking for Minimum Language Proficiency.
Ming is an emergent bilingual child who speaks Mandarin at home.
They attend a school where all instruction is provided in English.

1) First, identify Ming’s primary language, which is the language spoken at home –
Other.

2) Next, identify Ming’s language of instruction, which is the language used for
instruction in their classroom – English.

Using this information, we can see that Ming should be screened in English. If the test
administrator is unsure whether Ming has enough English proficiency to complete the
English Language Screener, they can check the next section Checking for Minimum
Language Proficiency. It is also recommended that Ming complete Narrative Story
Production and Semantic Mapping in Chinese, if a qualified test administrator is
available.
Checking for Minimum Language Proficiency

After using the Screener Language Matrix, a test administrator might be unsure whether
a child has the minimum language proficiency needed for screening in English. Children
must know enough of the language used in the screener (English or Spanish) for the
results to be valid and useful. Test administrators must be able to confidently say: “Yes,
this child has the minimum language proficiency to be screened in this language!”

First, check the child’s results on their state’s English language proficiency assessment,
if available. Alternatively, follow this simple sentence repetition protocol.

Sentence Repetition Protocol Directions


● Explain to the child that you will say some sentences, and you want them to repeat
exactly what they hear.
● Read the sentences one at a time.
● Did the child accurately repeat at least 3 of 5 sentences exactly as you said them?
Do not penalize for language variation or articulation differences.

YES Proceed to screening in this language.


NO Screening in this language is not appropriate at this time.

Sentences

ENGLISH SCREENER CHECK SPANISH SCREENER CHECK

The girl laughed. La noche estaba muy oscura.

I don’t like pizza. Nosotros éramos vecinos.

The phone rings. El agua está fría.

I played video games. Abrelo cuando llegue tu tío.

We watched a movie last night. La vaca mugía asustada.


Other Language Considerations

Dialectal Variability
Natural variability in children’s speech may be influenced by their geographical region
or the social and linguistic groups they belong to. While Multitudes tasks do not
specifically focus on speech or articulation, a general rule is to not penalize children for
how they speak.

For example, children in California are exposed to distinct regional language variations,
such as African American/Black English, English influenced by Spanish, or English
influenced by Mandarin, etc. based on their family background and community.

Multitudes was designed using sounds and sound combinations that are familiar across
many different linguistic communities. However, test administrators should still ensure
they score accurately when children use regional or community-based dialects. To assist
with this, Multitudes provides “Administrator Guides for Language Variation.” There are
five guides available for the English Language Screener, which can be found on the
platform’s Resources page.
● African American English / Black English
● Arabic / bilingual influence of English language production
● Mandarin/bilingual influence on English language production
● Spanish/bilingual influence on English language production
● Vietnamese/bilingual influence on English language production

Articulation Differences

It is expected that young children's articulation or production of speech sounds will vary.
Many tasks require children to say their responses aloud, and test administrators must
score those spoken responses. During conversation, administrators should pay attention
to any differences in how a child articulates sounds, as these may appear during
screening tasks.

If a child consistently makes a common articulation error, such as the ones listed below,
test administrators should score based on the sound they believe the child is trying to
produce. Common articulation error patterns in grades K-2 include:
● /d/, /f/ for /th/ (e.g. “dem” for them, “mouf” for mouth, “fank” for thank)
● /w/ for /l/ (e.g., “yewow” for yellow, “wuv” for love)
● /w/ for /r/ (e.g., “wabbit” for rabbit, “weady” for ready, “weally” for really)

These errors are not penalized during screening, but they should be noted and
monitored over time.

Speech or Language Delays + Disorders


Children with articulation or oral language disorders who participate in local screening
efforts can take the Multitudes screener, as long as their spoken responses can be
understood by a test administrator. Common communication disorders, such as speech
sound disorders or developmental language disorder (DLD), often occur alongside
language-based learning disabilities like dyslexia. Because of this high co-occurrence,
these children should still participate in screening.

The following Multitudes tasks do not require spoken responses: Elision-Receptive,


Listening Comprehension, Semantic Mapping, and Spelling.
Administrator Guide for Language Variation
Spanish/bilingual influence on English language production

Spanish phonology Possible Effects on English Possible Pronunciations


No short “i” vowel speakers may use the same bit as beet
vowel for “ee” and short “i”
No short “u” vowel speakers may produce “ah” but as baht
for short “u”
No /sh/ speakers may use “ch” sheep sounds like cheap
No /z/ speakers may use /s/ zoo as Sue; buzz as bus
No /v/ (“b” and “v” letters speakers may pronounce /b/ baby with hard or soft
are pronounced the same) and /v/ as a Spanish “b” Spanish “b”
No /th/ speakers may pronounce /th/ think as tink
as a soft /t/ sound
/gw/ and /w/ are speakers may pronounce why as gwy and/or
interchangeable “gu” and “w” segments guacamole as wacamole
interchangeably
Spanish “y” (written “y” or speakers may produce sound yes sounds like jes
“ll) is pronounced between between “j” and “y” and/or
English “j” and “y” Jack sounds like yak

No sp- st- sc- blends speakers may add “e” at the special as especial
start of the word
Word-final consonants other speakers may soften or even cupcake as cupcay
than /s, n, r, l, d/ are omit many word-final wind as win
infrequent consonants

Note: This list is meant to be a guide of the most common productions that may cause
differences in scoring, based on previous research and our own experience working
with bilinguals. It is not exhaustive and does not represent every speaker.
Administrator Guide for Language Variation
African American English/Black English

VERB DESCRIPTION EXAMPLES


MORPHOLOGY
Variable past tense The-ed marker is variably The cow jump_ over the
attached to verb forms in past moon.
tense contexts. He fix the broken car.
Variable plural The -s marker is variably attached She saw three cat in the
to nouns. window.
A girl puttin' some glass_ on
the table to drink.
Variable third The -s marker is variably included My friend want to buy some
person -s on the verb in third-person candy when we get to the
singular contexts. store.
Variable possessive The -s marker is variably included I rode in my uncle car.
to mark possession, and They waitin' for they car.
possessive pronouns are variably
marked.
SYNTAX DESCRIPTION EXAMPLES
Variable subject- Subject and verb do not agree in My friends was runnin' fast to
verb agreement tense and number. catch the bus.
Variable inclusion Main and auxiliary forms of the This __ my red car.
of to be in copula verb to be are variably included. They __ watchin' the girls
(linking) and jump
auxiliary forms rope.*
PHONOLOGY DESCRIPTION EXAMPLES
Consonant cluster Consonant clusters in the final col /cold
reduction position of words are reduced to fiel /field
one final consonant. cas/cast
Dropped "g" Variable inclusion of g in the final jumpin_/jumping
position of a word ending in -ing. waitin_/waiting
goin_ /going
Intervocalic and Following a vowel, voiceless (q) wif/with
postvocalic and voiced (ð) “th” sounds in wit/with
positions for f/0, medial and final positions of words bave/bathe
v/ö, and t/0 are replaced by /f/, /t/, or /v/.

Prevocalic positions Preceding a vowel, the voiced (ð) dis/this


for d/ö th sound in initial position of dem/them
words is replaced with /d/. dat/that
Consonant cluster The/sk/ consonant cluster is aks/ask
movement transposed, becoming /ks/. ekscape/escape

* These examples were taken from the transcripts of child speakers of African American
English (Washington & Seidenberg, 2021).
Administration Manual | English Version | Second Edition | Spring 2025 19 | 113

Using the Multitudes Platform

Everything you need to know in order to use the platform is explained in the Getting
Started section of the Resources page. Video tutorials explain how to log in, reset a
password, navigate the platform, launch a screening session, administer tasks, and more.
Here is some of what you’ll find there:

Accessing Multitudes

On the administrator’s device, open the application web site,


[Link] and select “Educator”

Log in. Forgot your password? Click “Forgot password?” to reset it.

©UCSF Multitudes 2025. All rights reserved.


Administration Manual | English Version | Second Edition | Spring 2025 20 | 113

On the child’s device, open the application web site, [Link] and
select “Student Device”

©UCSF Multitudes 2025. All rights reserved.


Administration Manual | English Version | Second Edition | Spring 2025 21 | 113

Starting an Assessment Session

When you log in, you will be taken to the Launch Screener page. You will see all the
students to whom you have access. You can filter by School, Class, and/or Grade.

Next, select the student you want to work with.

Selecting the Language(s) for Assessment


You can assess a child in English and/or Spanish. Select the language you want to use.
If assessing in both languages, select the language you want to use first. When you’re
done, you can come back here and select the other language.

©UCSF Multitudes 2025. All rights reserved.


Administration Manual | English Version | Second Edition | Spring 2025 22 | 113

Launching the Universal Screener

Select the Universal Screener.

Then, enter the 4-character code shown on the student’s device into your device. This
will pair the two devices. Finally, click Start Assessment to begin!

©UCSF Multitudes 2025. All rights reserved.


Administration Manual | English Version | Second Edition | Spring 2025 23 | 113

Launching Follow-up Assessment

After a child completes the universal screener, you can access even more assessment
tasks. Select Follow up Assessment.

Select the task(s) you want the student to do.

Then, enter the 4-character code shown on the student’s device into your device to pair
them. Finally, click Start Assessment to begin!

©UCSF Multitudes 2025. All rights reserved.


Administration Manual | English Version | Second Edition | Spring 2025 24 | 113

Pausing a Session

You can pause a screening session if needed, for example, if a student feels sick, has to
leave early, or if there’s an interruption like a fire drill.

If you pause during the universal screener, results will be saved for all tasks that were
completed before pausing. To resume, re-launch the universal screener. If a task was in
progress you paused, that task will restart from the beginning.

©UCSF Multitudes 2025. All rights reserved.


Administration Manual | English Version | Second Edition | Spring 2025 31 | 113

Test Administrator Responsibilities

Test administrators have important responsibilities for administration and scoring:

● Follow administration procedures for each task


● Evaluate and score children’s spoken responses
● Keep children engaged and motivated

The platform automatically presents directions, practice items, and assessment items
using audio and visual effects. It also automatically scores children’s responses for several
tasks and calculates all scores and results.

General Administration + Scoring Directions

● Sometimes, testing is interrupted by loud sounds, like a school bell or


announcement. If this happens while directions, practice items, or assessment
items are playing, wait for the noise to stop. Then, replay the interrupted directions
or item once.

● If a child doesn’t answer or says they don’t know an answer, encourage them to
answer one time before scoring or moving on.

● Language variation is normal and should not be penalized. Use the Administrator
Guides for Language Variation available in the platform’s Resources page to help
with scoring.

● Developmental articulation errors are common for young children. Consistent,


common errors should not be penalized.

● Self-corrections made within 3 seconds are considered correct responses.

For more details, please refer to Chapter 1.

Tasks

The rest of this chapter provides instructions for each task.

©UCSF Multitudes 2025. All rights reserved.


Administration Manual | English Version | Second Edition | Spring 2025 35 | 113

Expressive Vocabulary
LANGUAGE - VOCABULARY

Overview

DESCRIPTION Children are shown pictures and name them.

DURATION 3 minutes ON AVERAGE

Scoring

Says one of the answers on screen

Doesn't say one of the answers on screen

EXAMPLE CHILD SAYS SCENARIO HOW TO SCORE

Bus Big red bus Says answer with Score correct


additional words
Trophy I got a trophy at added
the game!

Cherries Cherry Singular vs. plural Score correct if the


and other variations response includes
Firewood Wood the root word

Rhinoceros Rhino

IF A CHILD… THEN…

Responds in another language Say: Can you tell me what this is called in
English?

Describes or discusses a picture but does Say: Thank you. And what is it called?
not name it

©UCSF Multitudes 2025. All rights reserved.


Administration Manual | English Version | Second Edition | Spring 2025 46 | 113

Rapid Automatized Naming - Objects


PROCESSING SPEED + AUTOMATICITY

Overview

DESCRIPTION Children are shown a page with 50 objects, consisting of five


unique objects repeated randomly across five rows. They
name all the objects on the page as quickly as possible.

DURATION 3 minutes ON AVERAGE

Practice
Can the child name all the objects independently?
YES NO

Proceed to the Correct any errors right away. Tell them the name of any they
assessment misnamed or didn’t name. After the child finishes the page say:
Tell me what all of these are one more time.

Names the 5 objects correctly. Proceed to the assessment.

Does not name the 5 objects correctly. Do not do the


assessment. Click End Current Task.

Can the child track left-to-right and top-to-bottom?


YES NO

Proceed to the Correct tracking errors right away and show them what to do.
assessment Then Proceed to the assessment.

©UCSF Multitudes 2025. All rights reserved.


Administration Manual | English Version | Second Edition | Spring 2025 47 | 113

Administration + Scoring
Press Start Timer. Objects will appear on the child’s screen, and they will name them as
quickly as they can.

Tap skipped or misnamed objects to mark incorrect

Tap again to unmark (e.g., if the child self-corrects)

Press Stop Timer when the child names the last object on the page. This will stop the
timer.

IF A CHILD… THEN…

Makes one tracking error DO NOT STOP THE TIMER.


Say: Let’s try this again.

Press Restart. This will replay the demo


video and give the child one more try.

Makes a second tracking error The timer will keep running. Interrupt and
quickly redirect them to the right spot.

Makes 3+ tracking errors Don’t redirect them. Score items


accordingly.

©UCSF Multitudes 2025. All rights reserved.


Administration Manual | English Version | Second Edition | Spring 2025 44 | 113

Rapid Automatized Naming - Letters


PROCESSING SPEED + AUTOMATICITY

Overview

DESCRIPTION Children are shown a page of 50 letters, consisting of five


unique letters repeated randomly across five rows. They name
all the letters on the page as quickly as possible.

DURATION 3 minutes ON AVERAGE

Practice
Can the child name all the letters independently?
YES NO

Proceed to the Correct any errors right away. Tell them the name of any they
assessment misnamed or didn’t name. After the child finishes the page say:
Tell me what all of these are one more time.

Names the 5 letters correctly. Proceed to the assessment.

Does not name the 5 letters correctly on their second try.


Do not do the assessment. Click End Current Task.

Can the child track left-to-right and top-to-bottom?


YES NO

Proceed to the Correct tracking errors right away and show them what to do.
assessment Then Proceed to the assessment.

©UCSF Multitudes 2025. All rights reserved.


Administration Manual | English Version | Second Edition | Spring 2025 45 | 113

Administration + Scoring
Press Start Timer. Letters will appear on the child’s screen, and they will name them as
quickly as they can.

Tap skipped or misnamed letters to mark incorrect

Tap again to unmark (e.g., if the child self-corrects)

Press Stop Timer when the child names the last letter on the page. This will stop the
timer.

IF A CHILD… THEN…

Makes one tracking error DO NOT STOP THE TIMER.


Say: Let’s try this again.

Press Restart. This will replay the demo


video and give the child one more try.

Makes a second tracking error The timer will keep running. Interrupt and
quickly redirect them to the right spot.

Makes 3+ tracking errors Don’t redirect them. Score items


accordingly.

©UCSF Multitudes 2025. All rights reserved.


Administration Manual | English Version | Second Edition | Spring 2025 36 | 113

Letter Naming Fluency


ALPHABETIC KNOWLEDGE

Overview

DESCRIPTION Children are shown a page of assorted lowercase and


uppercase letters, arranged in rows. They name as many letters
as they can until time expires.

DURATION 2 minutes ON AVERAGE

Administration + Scoring
Press Start Timer. Letters will appear on the child’s screen, and they will have 45 seconds
to name as many as they can.

Tap skipped or misnamed letters to mark incorrect

Tap again to unmark (e.g., if the child self-corrects)

The letters will disappear from the child’s screen when time runs out.

IF A CHILD… THEN…

Slows down or stops Encourage them. Say: Keep going!

Says a sound instead of a name Remind them once during the


assessment: Remember, tell me the
names.

Uses a different language Remind them once during the


assessment: Remember, say it in English.

Finishes in less than 45 seconds Press STOP TIMER. Select the last letter
they named.

©UCSF Multitudes 2025. All rights reserved.


Administration Manual | English Version | Second Edition | Spring 2025 37 | 113

Letter Sound Fluency


ALPHABETIC KNOWLEDGE

Overview

DESCRIPTION Children are shown a page of assorted lowercase and


uppercase letters, arranged into rows. They say the sounds of
as many letters as they can until time expires.

DURATION 2 minutes ON AVERAGE

Administration + Scoring
Press Start Timer. Letters will appear on the child’s screen, and they will have 45 seconds
to say the sounds of as many letters as they can.

Tap skipped or mis-sounded letters to mark incorrect

Tap again to unmark (e.g., if the child self-corrects)

The letters will disappear from the child’s screen when time runs out.

EXAMPLE CHILD SAYS SCENARIO HOW TO SCORE

/b/ buh Child added -uh to Score correct


the end of letter
sound

IF A CHILD… THEN…

Slows down or stops Encourage them. Say: Keep going!

Says the name instead of a sound Remind them once during the
assessment: Remember, tell me the
sounds.

Uses a different language Remind them once during the


assessment: Remember, say it in English.

Finishes in less than 45 seconds Press Stop Timer. Select the last letter
they named.

©UCSF Multitudes 2025. All rights reserved.


Administration Manual | English Version | Second Edition | Spring 2025 38 | 113

Guide for Letters with Multiple Sounds

LETTER SOUNDS IT CAN MAKE…

a /a/ hat hate

e /e/ get he

i /i/ bit bite

o /o/ got go

u /u/ hug rule, mule

c /k/ cat
/s/ nice

g /g/ goat
/j/ page

y /e/ happy yellow


/i/ cry gym

©UCSF Multitudes 2025. All rights reserved.


Administration Manual | English Version | Second Edition | Spring 2025 34 | 113

Elision - Receptive
PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS

Overview

DESCRIPTION Children are shown three pictures, which are named for them.
Then, they listen to a word. They take away part of the word
and choose the picture that shows what’s left.

DURATION 6 minutes ON AVERAGE

Scoring
Responses are automatically scored when a child taps a picture.

IF A CHILD… THEN…

Doesn’t respond or says: I don’t know Encourage them one time. If they still
don’t choose an answer, click

Asks to hear an item again or talks while Replay the item one time.
an item is playing

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Word Reading
READING + SPELLING - DECODING

Overview

DESCRIPTION Children read high-frequency words.

DURATION 2 minutes ON AVERAGE

Scoring
Reads the word smoothly and completely.
It’s okay if they sound it out first, as long as they eventually
read the whole word smoothly.

Doesn’t read the word smoothly and completely

IF A CHILD… THEN…

Uses letter-sound associations from a Ask once during the assessment: Can you
different language read it in English?

Sounds out the word but doesn’t ever say Ask once during the assessment: Can you
the whole word smoothly put it together?

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Spelling
READING + SPELLING - SPELLING

Overview

DESCRIPTION Children listen to a spoken word and spell it.

DURATION 6 minutes ON AVERAGE

Scoring
Responses are automatically scored when a child finishes spelling a word and taps the
arrow.

IF A CHILD… THEN…

Doesn’t respond or says: I don’t know Encourage them one time. If they still
don’t choose an answer, click

Asks to hear an item again or talks while Replay the item one time.
an item is playing

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Sentence Repetition
LANGUAGE - ORAL LANGUAGE

Overview

DESCRIPTION Children listen to sentences and repeat them verbatim.

DURATION 2.5 minutes ON AVERAGE

Scoring
Tap a word if child repeats that word, exactly as it appeared in
the sentence

EXAMPLE CHILD SAYS SCENARIO HOW TO SCORE

The goal was The blue team Transpositions Only tap words that
scored by the scored the goal. are repeated in the
blue team. correct order.
The _ _ scored _ _ _ _

Don’t tap on word(s)


that were repeated in a
different place than
they appeared in the
sentence.

My cousin asked My cousin asked if I Regional language Score correct. Word


if I would like would like more use substitutions that
more soda. pop. reflect dialectic use are
not considered errors.

The team that The team that win Change in verb Don’t tap on the
won was given a was given a trophy. tense. word(s) said in a
trophy. different tense.
Changes in verb tense
are considered
incorrect.

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IF A CHILD… THEN…

Doesn’t respond or says: I don’t know Encourage them. If they still don’t
choose an answer, click

Responds to or discusses the sentence, Remind them to repeat what they heard.
instead of repeating it Then, score whatever they can
remember.

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Viewing Results

Click on Results in the upper navigation bar. This will open to class-level results for the
universal screener, displaying one language at a time – English or Spanish.

You can filter by School, Class, and/or Language.

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To switch to a different language, click the dropdown menu next to Language.

To see student-level results, click on a student’s name. It will open to the English
Universal Screener results page for that student.

To switch the language, click the dropdown menu next to Language.

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To switch to follow-up assessment, click the dropdown menu next to Screener.

Downloading a Student’s Results Report

To download a PDF of a student’s results, click the Print PDF button.

Here, you will see the results for all tasks the student did, in any language. This
includes both the universal screener and any follow-up assessment. If you want to save
the file and share it via email, make sure to select Save as PDF as your destination.
Note that your print interface may look different from the one shown here.

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Tech Requirements

● School IT departments must ensure that certain web services (URLs) are enabled,
sometimes called “whitelisted.” If a critical service is blocked, test administrators
and children might experience issues, like images not showing up or audio not
playing. If this happens, please contact your school’s IT support for help.

● Wi-Fi strength can impact how quickly images load and audio plays. Test
administrators can do a test run of the Multitudes platform in the location(s) they
will be screening to make sure it works properly. A testing playground for
Multitudes is provided during account set up.

Platform Troubleshooting + Support

● Make sure all devices and Safari or Chrome web browsers are updated to the latest
versions.

● Avoid pressing buttons too quickly or repeatedly, as this can cause the platform to
freeze.

● If a page seems stuck, try refreshing your browser.

● Close any other open web pages or applications.

● Double-check that the web address (URL) is typed correctly:


[Link]

For additional technical support, click the Support button on the Multitudes platform.
You can send a message to the school success team and review additional trouble
shooting tips.

Data Privacy + Security

Student educational records are protected under FERPA. As an education and healthcare
institution, we comply with all FERPA requirements. The Multitudes web application
follows a security and data privacy plan approved by UCSF. Here are some key security

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requirements, as defined by the NIST Special Publication 800-171, that show how the
Multitudes platform protects children’s privacy and confidentiality:

● Access to the Multitudes platform is limited to authorized users and processes


acting on their behalf.

● Access requires user authentication.

● The flow of Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) follows approved


authorizations.

● Data is encrypted.

● Users of the platform cannot access backend systems or data storage.

● Multitudes maintains system audit logs and records to monitor, analyze,


investigate, and report any unlawful or unauthorized activity.

©UCSF Multitudes 2025. All rights reserved.

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