QUILS Remote Testing Guidance

Quick Interactive Language Screener™ (QUILS™)

Remote Screening Guidance

During this period of closures related to COVID-19, the QUILS™ team is working to support screening efforts, while balancing the need to ensure the integrity of the QUILS tool. We have developed the following guidance on how to administer the QUILS over a web conferencing platform, to help practitioners and researchers continue their important work in these unique times.

While the QUILS is a web-based screening, it is designed to be administered individually in person. The norming data were collected in circumstances where the practitioner or researcher was in the same room as the child. Also of note, children in the norming study completed the QUILS on touchscreen tablets. During the period of closures, it may be necessary to screen remotely using a device that the family already has available (e.g., a computer with a mouse, a smartphone with smaller image size). These factors may impact results.

Please be sure to consult your school or program, your professional organizations, licensing boards, insurance providers, and state laws and regulations regarding remote screening and other telepractice issues. Use your clinical judgment to determine if remote screening is appropriate for each student and in your practice generally. Be sure to document all considerations, observations, and procedures, as dictated by professional best practice and ethical codes.

While the directions that follow are specific to Zoom, they can be adapted for use across web conferencing and telepractice platforms that have remote control functionality. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the platform and practice the steps below, before screening a student. To get started:

Review the Technical Requirements:

  1. Ensure that up-to-date antivirus software and a personal firewall are installed on your computer. Ensure your computer has the latest security patches and updates applied to the operating system.
  2. Confirm that you have a strong Wi-Fi connection (a minimum of 10–15 MB/s downloading speed) prior to screening sessions. You can check using a speed test found here: http://speedtest.xfinity.com/ or http://beta.speedtest.net. The Demo Mode of QUILS can be run prior to testing sessions to confirm connectivity as well.
  3. Familiarize yourself with the QUILS website and screener. Should a technology breakdown disrupt the screening, be sure that you know how to pause or exit the screener, and resume once it is resolved.

Schedule Students:

  1. Ask parents if they have a touchscreen tablet or iPad for use in screening. If not, students who are experienced mouse users can be tested by responding with mouse clicks on a computer. Please note, the remote control feature in Zoom is required to screen remotely; this feature is not compatible with iPhones.
  2. Ask parents to run a speed test, to confirm that the household has a strong Wi-Fi connection (see #2 above under Review the Technical Requirements).
  3. Instruct parents ahead of time to provide only technical assistance as necessary, and to avoid providing any feedback on the QUILS items.
  4. Determine a time that will work for the family and set up a Zoom meeting. Ask the parent to download the Zoom app before the meeting. Make sure the Zoom meeting is secure by generating a new Meeting ID for each testing session, utilizing the waiting room feature, and/or requiring a meeting password.

Conduct Screening:

  1. Prior to the start of Zoom video chat, prepare your laptop or desktop computer by navigating to the QUILS website (my.quilscreener.com), adding the Student Record, and closing all other web browser tabs. If needed, refer to Chapter 5 in the User’s Manual for a reminder of how to set up a Student Record.
  2. Start the Zoom video chat with the parent and student. Introduce the screener to the student (see the Quick Start Guide or the User’s Manual for more details).
  3. Click Share Screen, then on the next window, select the web browser with the QUILS. At the bottom of that window, check the box next to “Share computer sound.” (This allows the parent and student to hear the QUILS audio on their device). After you check the box, click Share.
  4. If there are concerns about the participant's Wi-Fi connection, test it using the Demo Mode, which can be accessed from the Home page, to ensure the connection is strong enough to run QUILS.
  5. On the black controls bar at the top of your screen (if you can’t see it, navigate your mouse to the top of the screen and it will expand), click Remote Control. In the dropdown that appears, select the name of the student’s device to provide remote access of the shared screen to the family's device.
  6. On the participant’s screen, an icon will appear with instruction to “Tap here to control screen remotely” (On a computer, it might say “Click to start the mouse/keyboard control of the shared screen”). Instruct the parent to click or tap that message. Ask the parent to test that they now have remote control by moving the cursor.
  7. Prompt the student to begin the screening. The student can now listen to each prompt and select answers accordingly.
  8. You should observe the student via video while he or she completes the chat. Intervene if necessary, to pause/exit the screening or to provide encouragement to the student.
  9. Once the student completes all items and arrives on the final screen that reads “Good job! You’re all done!”, click the red Stop Share button. Wrap up with the student and parent, before you navigate to viewing the student’s results in the Student Record.

We would welcome the opportunity to learn more about how remote screening worked for your program. Please email [email protected] with comments or input. For questions, please visit and complete the Help Desk Contact Form on the QUILS website (https://my.quilscreener.com/index.php/help-desk-contact-form/).