Each year, teachers must complete or update each student’s First Contact Survey. It is important to update this information annually to ensure students’ strengths and needs are accurately considered for instruction and testing.
The First Contact Survey is a series of items that goes beyond basic demographics and covers a variety of areas, including communication, academic skills, and attention. The test administrator enters the responses for each eligible student on their rosters.
Responses to the survey items are used to provide an optimal system match between the student and linkage level for each Essential Element in the blueprint for each subject being tested. The items are categorized into the following sections:
- Special Education
- Sensory Capabilities
- Motor Capabilities and Health
- Computer Instruction
- Communication (Expressive and Receptive)
- Language
- Academics
Questions in the First Contact Survey can be found in Appendix A of the Test Administration Manual, located on each state’s webpage.
A video that demonstrates how to complete the First Contact Survey, as well as the Personal Needs and Preferences (PNP) Profile, is also available on the DLM website.