identification of children at-risk for reading difficulties (Carson, Gillon, & Boustead, 2011). The purpose of the current study is to investigate the predictive validity of a time-efficient computer-based PA screen- ing and monitoring assessment (Com-PASMA) in supporting the early identification of reading difficulties in the classroom. Phonological awareness and reading development Learning to read fluently and effortlessly is a complex process that relies on the development and integration of a number of linguistic and cognitive processes (Invernizzi & Hayes, 2011). PA is an important pre-requisite for reading proficiency because it helps supports word-recognition develo- pment, which in turn supports reading comprehen- sion (Justice, Gillon, McNeill, & Scheule, 2013). PA is defined as a conscious ability to attend to and manipulate the sound structure of spoken words and can occur at three levels of awareness: syllables, rhyme, and phonemes (Gillon, 2004). The more sen- sitive children are to the sound structure of spoken Introduction Children approach beginning literacy instruction with diverse skills ranging from those who will learn to read with relative ease to those who will experi- ence significant difficulties (Shapiro & Solity, 2008). Children who struggle with reading acquisition are at serious risk for falling behind their typically- developing counterparts, and are more likely to experience significant inequalities in educational outcomes (Morgan, Farakas, & Hibel, 2008). Inter- national reports on reading achievement indicate that as many as one in three children struggle in the attainment of basic literacy skills, and that large discrepancies exist between children of typical deve- lopment and bottom-end achievers (UNICEF, 2010). Phonological awareness (PA) is widely recog- nized as a powerful predictor for identifying reading difficulties in the early school years (Ehri, Nunes, Willows, Schuster, Yaghoub-Zadeh, & Shanahan, 2001; Shapiro & Solity, 2008). Equipping teachers with highly predictive PA screening and monitoring tools that are cognisant to the time demands of the classroom may support educators in the early Correspondence: Dr Karyn Carson, School of Education, Faculty of Education, Humanities, and Law, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide 5001, South Australia. Tel: + 61405250606. E-mail: karyn.carson@flinders.edu.au International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 2013; Early Online: 1–10 ISSN 1754-9507 print/ISSN 1754-9515 online © 2013 The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Limited Published by Informa UK, Ltd. DOI: 10.3109/17549507.2013.855261 Predicting reading outcomes in the classroom using a computer-based phonological awareness screening and monitoring assessment (Com-PASMA) KARYN CARSON 1 , THERESE BOUSTEAD 2 & GAIL GILLON 2 1 Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, and 2 University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand Abstract The screening and monitoring of phonological awareness (PA) in the classroom is of great importance to the early identification and prevention of reading disorder. This study investigated whether a time-efficient computer-based PA screening and monitoring assessment (Com-PASMA) could accurately predict end-of-year reading outcomes for 5-year-old children in the first year of schooling. A longitudinal design was employed where the Com-PASMA was used to measure the PA ability of 95 5-year-old children at the start, middle, and end of the first year of school. Of this group, 21 children presented with spoken language impairment. Reading outcomes were formally measured after 1 year of schooling. School-entry measures of PA using the Com-PASMA (p  .001), in conjunction with language ability (p = .004), accounted for 68.9% of the variance in end-of-year word decoding ability. Sensitivity and specificity calculations demonstrated that the Com-PASMA was 92% accurate at school-entry, and 94% accurate by the middle of the school year in predict- ing reading outcomes at 6-years of age. Results suggest that a time-efficient computer-based method of screening and monitoring PA can support the early identification of reading difficulties in the first year of schooling. Keywords: Phonological awareness, assessment, reading outcomes, classroom. Int J Speech Lang Pathol Downloaded from informahealthcare.com by Flinders University of South Australia on 11/25/13 For personal use only.