CDI445 Final3

What is the purpose of assessment in language disorders?

Assessment helps determine whether a child is developing language at a typical rate and whether there is a concern or need for services.

What is a broad-based assessment?

A broad-based assessment covers a variety of areas to give an overall view of a child’s language abilities.

What language components should an assessment include?

Form, content, and use.

What does 'form' refer to in language?

Form refers to the structure of language, including phonology, morphology, and syntax.

What does 'content' refer to in language?

Content refers to the meaning of language, including vocabulary and semantics.

What does 'use' refer to in language?

Use refers to pragmatics, or how language is used socially.

What is a norm-referenced assessment?

A norm-referenced assessment compares a client’s current abilities to same-age peers.

What are norm-referenced assessments also called?

Standardized tests or formal tests.

What is the purpose of a norm-referenced assessment?

To determine whether a client is functioning below, within, or above the level of same-age peers.

What are examples of norm-referenced assessments?

IQ tests and the CELF-5.

How often do school SLPs report using norm-referenced assessments?

About 80% of the time.

What is a criterion-referenced assessment?

A criterion-referenced assessment compares a client’s performance to a pre-specified standard or specific skill.

What question does a criterion-referenced assessment answer?

'How does this child perform a particular communicative or academic skill?'

How are criterion-referenced assessments often organized?

In a developmental sequence.

What are examples of criterion-referenced assessments?

A CDI 445 test or a language sample.

What is a static assessment?

A static assessment gives a snapshot of an individual’s performance at one moment in time.

What types of assessments can be static?

Both norm-referenced and criterion-referenced assessments.

What is dynamic assessment?

Dynamic assessment is a process-oriented measure that evaluates a child’s ability to learn.

How is dynamic assessment completed?

Through a test-teach-retest method.

What question does dynamic assessment answer?

'Given exposure and opportunity, can the child perform a language or academic task?'

Dynamic assessment is especially useful for which group of children?

Children from non-majority cultures.

What are advantages of norm-referenced assessments?

They are efficient and clear, compute standard scores, and are often considered the 'gold standard' in educational settings.

What are disadvantages of norm-referenced assessments?

They provide only a snapshot, are often given in an unfamiliar environment, may over-identify children from minority cultures, and may only include a few items for each language target.

What are advantages of criterion-referenced assessments?

They help identify targets for intervention, use simple raw-score scoring, and can be more natural.

What are disadvantages of criterion-referenced assessments?

They also provide only a snapshot of ability and may have an unclear assessment protocol.

What are advantages of dynamic assessment?

It is useful for students from minority cultures and gives children a chance to learn new skills and show their ability to retain new knowledge.

What are disadvantages of dynamic assessment?

It has no clear protocol and does not compute standardized scores.

What is validity?

Validity is the degree to which a test accurately measures what it is designed to measure.

What is construct validity?

Construct validity refers to the underlying theory on which an assessment instrument is based.

What must a test clearly note for construct validity?

The logical theory it follows.

What is content validity?

Content validity is the degree to which test items represent a defined domain.

How do you examine content validity?

By checking whether there are enough items to represent a specific domain.

What is criterion-related validity?

Criterion-related validity is the degree to which results on one test align with results from another test measuring the same construct.

What is predictive validity?

Predictive validity is how well a test score predicts a student’s future performance on a criterion-referenced task.

What is reliability?

Reliability is the degree to which a test is free from measurement errors across forms, raters, and time.

What is reliability based on?

Correlation.

What is interrater reliability?

Interrater reliability means different assessors give the same test and get similar results.

What is test-retest reliability?

Test-retest reliability means the same test is given to the same individual on different occasions and produces similar results.

What may need to happen before a full assessment?

A screening may be completed to determine whether a full assessment is needed.

What are the major steps in the assessment process?

Case history, screening other areas, language evaluation/assessment, scoring, and giving results.

What is screening?

Screening is done before a full assessment to help determine whether a child needs further evaluation.

What does screening help differentiate?

Children who need a full assessment from those who do not.

Can screenings be performed individually or in groups?

Yes, screenings can be done individually or in groups.

What is RTI?

RTI stands for Response to Intervention and is used in school systems.

Why is case history important?

It is critical for understanding the child’s language environment and background.

Who can provide case history information?

Parents, teachers, or both.

What should an SLP prepare for a case history interview?

Questions to ask during the evaluation.

What samples can be obtained from parents or teachers?

Work samples.

What other evaluations should be reviewed during case history?

Evaluations from other disciplines such as OT, PT, or an educational psychologist.

Why should SLPs avoid jargon during case history?

To clearly understand what the parent is communicating and avoid confusion.

Why should an SLP be prepared to adjust the assessment plan?

Because information from the parent interview may change what needs to be assessed.

What other areas should be screened during a language assessment process?

Hearing, oral motor, articulation, phonology, fluency, voice, early literacy skills, cognition, and behavior observations.

Why should hearing be screened?

Because hearing difficulties can affect language development and communication.

Why are behavior observations important?

They help the SLP understand how the child participates, attends, interacts, and communicates during assessment.

What should an SLP consider when choosing a language assessment?

The child’s age, test publication date, time constraints, and language subdomains that need to be tested.

Why does the age range of an assessment matter?

The assessment must be appropriate for the child’s age.

Why should the publication date of a test be considered?

Older tests may have outdated norms or content.

Why should an SLP consider time constraints?

Some assessments take longer than others, so the SLP must choose a test that fits the available time.

What should SLPs usually start with during language assessment?

Broad-based assessments.

Why do SLPs begin with broad-based assessments?

They provide a starting point before moving into more detailed tests of specific subdomains.

What do broad-based assessments test?

They test all language domains using a few test items in each domain.

What is a basal?

A basal is the starting point on a test where the child answers a predetermined number of items correctly.

What happens to items below the basal?

They are considered mastered.

What is a ceiling?

A ceiling is the endpoint of testing after the child makes a predetermined number of errors.

What happens to items after the ceiling?

They are considered unknown.

What makes norm-referenced assessments standardized?

They have specific properties and compare scores to a normative sample.

How are standardized test scores usually distributed?

Along a bell-shaped curve.

What is a normal distribution?

A pattern where scores cluster around the mean.

What is a raw score?

The number of items completed correctly on an assessment.

What is a standard score?

A transformed raw score measured in standard deviation units.

What does a standard score of 100 usually represent?

The mean, or average score.

What is the average range for standard scores?

85 to 115.

What does a higher standard score mean?

It may indicate above-average ability.

What does a lower standard score mean?

It may indicate a possible deficit.

What is percentile rank?

The percentage of scores in a distribution that are equal to or lower than a given score.

What does a percentile rank of 20 mean?

The child scored the same as or better than 20% of others who took the same test.

What is standard deviation?

Standard deviation is the spread of scores around the mean.

In a traditional standard score system, what is one standard deviation above and below the mean?

15 points above or below 100.

What standard score range is considered average?

85–115.

What score range may indicate language impairment?

Scores around 80 or below, which is about 1.25 standard deviations below the mean.

What percentage of the population is typically considered language impaired based on low scores?

The lowest 10% of the population.

A 14-year-old female has an OWLS-II Oral Expression standard score of 116 and percentile rank of 86. How would you interpret this?

She is slightly above the average range, since 116 is just above the typical average range of 85–115. Her percentile rank means she scored the same as or better than 86% of peers.

A 14-year-old female has a raw score of 95 on the OWLS-II. What does the raw score mean?

It means she answered 95 items correctly or earned 95 raw points before conversion to a standard score.

A 4-year-old male has a DAYC-2 Expressive Language standard score of 67 and percentile rank of 1. How would you interpret this?

This score is significantly below average and may indicate a language concern or disorder. A percentile rank of 1 means he scored the same as or better than only 1% of peers.

A 3-year-old male has a DAYC-2 Receptive Language standard score of 97 and percentile rank of 42. How would you interpret this?

His score is within the average range. A percentile rank of 42 means he scored the same as or better than 42% of peers.

Which assessment compares a child to same-age peers?

Norm-referenced assessment.

Which assessment compares a child to a specific skill or standard?

Criterion-referenced assessment.

Which assessment uses test-teach-retest?

Dynamic assessment.

Which assessment gives a snapshot of performance at one moment in time?

Static assessment.

Which assessment is especially helpful for children from non-majority cultures?

Dynamic assessment.

Which psychometric feature asks, 'Does this test measure what it is supposed to measure?'

Validity.

Which psychometric feature asks, 'Are the test results consistent?'

Reliability.

Which reliability type involves different assessors getting similar results?

Interrater reliability.

Which reliability type involves giving the same test more than once and getting similar results?

Test-retest reliability.

What are the two scoring rules used to start and stop standardized testing?

Basal and ceiling.

What is the mean standard score on many standardized tests?

100.

What is the typical average standard score range?

85–115.

What does a percentile rank tell you?

It tells the percentage of people in the norm group who scored the same as or lower than the student.

What should an SLP do after scoring an assessment?

Give results and explain what the scores mean.