ESTA-L^® 

ESTA-L^® is an early literacy screening platform that has been developed by the Association of Independent Schools of NSW, to assist teachers to map students’ phonological and phonemic awareness and phonics skills. These constrained skills are fundamental to ensuring all children learn to read, particularly students in Kindergarten to Year 2.

The Association of Independent Schools of NSW will be discontinuing use of and support for ESTA-L^® at the close of 2023. 

As we move away from using ESTA-L^®, here are some suggestions for possible alternatives to support you in screening your students’ phonemic awareness and phonics skills. Throughout your transition away from ESTA-L^®, AISNSW will continue to assist you with any queries you may have. 

Universal screeners that include measures of phonemic awareness and phonics 

The list below outlines some alternative assessments that include screening measures for phonemic awareness and/or phonics skills. Please note that this list of screening assessments is not exhaustive. Inclusion in this platform is not an endorsement by the Association of Independent Schools of NSW. It is advised that schools consider their own context and requirements before selecting external assessment tools and programs.  

For all queries related to ESTA-L^® please email esta-l@aisnsw.edu.au.