The goal of spoken language (SL) is to enable a child with hearing loss to develop spoken language skills comparable to their hearing peers by the time they enter first grade. This methodology combines early identification and intervention with appropriate hearing technologies to facilitate the acquisition of listening and speaking skills for children with hearing loss. This PA ECC content rubric relies heavily on the developmental benchmarks identified in the Cottage Acquisition Scales for Listening, Language, and Speech (CASLLS). The subskills in this content area focus exclusively on auditory-oral instruction. IEP team members responsible for the development of listening and spoken language are encouraged to reference the official CASLLS documents and checklists as well as the SPICE curriculum for more details. The CASLLS also outlines benchmarks in listening and spoken language prior to two years old and should be referenced for professionals providing birth-3 services. However, for this rubric (below), "Emerging" begins when the child is in the preschool years, i.e., 2 years old to 4 years old, and progresses with age. Typically, all listening and spoken language skills would be mastered by the age of 8 years**, to be comparable with the development of peers with typical hearing. If your student's progress is not commensurate with these subskills and age ranges, the IEP team should discuss ways to support language acquisition to prevent further delay. The subskills are listed according to a hierarchy of development. Students, including those identified later, may have learning gaps from earlier stages that require subskills to be addressed. Assessment of these subskills may be best monitored with the use of the Cottage Acquisition Scales for Listening, Language, and Speech (CASLLS) and/or the Speech Perception Instructional Curriculum and Evaluation (SPICE). See the ECC-DHH Assessment section for more suggestions.