By Elizabeth Carrow-Woolfolk, Ph.D.
Unlike other language assessments, the OWLS offers a comprehensive sampling of language tasks over a wide age range. These tasks address vocabulary, grammar, pragmatic structures, and higher order (supralinguistic) thinking, providing a clear picture of an individual's ability to understand and produce connected language, both spoken and written. The OWLS includes a Listening Comprehension Scale and an Oral Expression Scale, which are packaged together, and a Written Expression Scale, which is provided separately. This packaging reflects the fact that oral and written language skills are often assessed independently. All OWLS scales are normed on the same population. Ages 3 to 21 years.