THE CONSTRUCTION OF A TEST TO IDENTIFY DEFECTIVE ARTICULATION IN FIRST-GRADE CHILDREN WAS REPORTED. THE "EMPIRICAL SCALE DERIVATION METHOD" WAS SELECTED AS THE MOST APPROPRIATE TECHNIQUE TO SEEK TEST ITEMS FOR THE PREDICTION OF ARTICULATORY MATUARATION. AFTER SELECTION AND REDUCTION TO 135 TEST ITEMS, AN EXPERIMENTAL ITEM POOL WAS ADMINISTERED TO 167 BEGINNING FIRST-GRADE CHILDREN. THESE SUBJECTS HAD BEEN DIAGNOSED TO HAVE FUNCTIONALLY DEFECTIVE ARTICULATION. REQUESTS WERE MADE THAT NONE OF THE SUBJECTS RECEIVE THERAPY DURING THE STUDY PERIOD. THE SUBJECTS WERE CLASSIFIED IN THE BEGINNING OF THE SECOND GRADE AS HAVING STILL DEFECTIVE OR NORMAL ARTICULATION. THIS WAS DONE ALSO AT THE THIRD-GRADE LEVEL WITH THOSE SUBJECTS STILL AVAILABLE. ITEM ANALYSES WERE PERFORMED TO IDENTIFY ITEMS WHICH DIFFERENTIATED THE GROUPS. A RESPONSE RECORD SHEET WAS INDIVIDUALLY SCORED WITH THE KEYS DERIVED EMPIRICALLY. THE RESULTANT FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTIONS OF SCORES WERE ANALYZED AND POSSIBLE CUT-OFF SCORES ESTABLISHED. (RS)