PKS
Pre-Kindergarten Screener
ADMINISTERED IN 10-15 MINUTES
PKS Overview
 Purpose: differentiate between children who are likely to
encounter failure during their early school years and those who will
probably progress appropriately
 Focus: child’s readiness to participate fully and without specialized
assistance in the regular kindergarten educational program or
curriculum
 Key Skill Areas: read, write, and count; sit and listen; follow
directions; and interact in socially appropriate ways with peers and
teachers
PKS Materials
 Manual
 Record form
 Wire-bound stimulus cards
 Pencil
 Box of eight crayons
 6-foot length of tape or ribbon
 Small treats
 Clean cloth or napkin to hold treats
Administration
Standardized italicized print instructions should be
presented to the child EXACTLY as shown in the
administration section! (pg 12)
 Slight modifications may be necessary if child is:
• Very young
• Or has specific cognitive or behavioral deficits
Document the above modifications under comments in the
scoring guide
Description of Nine PKS Subtests (1-4)
 Subtest A: Gross Motor Skills (pg 13 PKS Manual)

6 tasks measuring balance and movement
 Subtest B: Fine Motor Skills (pg 13-14 PKS Manual)

pencil grip, copy geometric forms and E
 Subtest C: Following Directions (pg 14-15 PKS Manual)

one-step through three-step directions, auditory memory span
 Subtest D: Block Tapping (pg 15 PKS Manual)

Reproduce motor sequences presented visually, without language
Description of Nine PKS Subtests (5-9)
 Subtest E: Visual Matching (pg 15 PKS Manual)

view a visual shape or letter, select it from a set of similar shapes
 Subtest F: Visual Memory (pg 16 PKS Manual)

view visual configurations briefly then identify the previously viewed configuration
 Subtest G: Imitation (pg 16 PKS Manual)

Mimic several hand and finger pattern sequences
 Subtest H: Basic Academic Skills (pg 17-18 PKS Manual)

Identify eight basic colors, recognize/recite alphabet, print name, count from 1-40 by ones
 Subtest I: Delayed Gratification (pg 18 PKS Manual)

Postpone taking a treat for an unknown time period
Scoring
 Total Raw Score:
Sum of the child’s scores for each of the nine subtests
 Calculate the probability of the child’s being at risk of failure

 Norms Tables—

Conversion of Raw Scores to Standard Scores and Percentiles (pg 41)
 Standard Scores
Between 82-90 (monitored)
 Below 82 (further testing)
