NYCDOE Preschool Evaluations Fall 2011 Memo
This document presents why a shift in approach to disability evaluation of preschoolers from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds is needed.
Guidelines for NYSED Preschool Evaluations June 2013
This memo outlines current issues in the speech and language evaluation process in New York.
(Spaulding, Swartwout Szulga, & Figueroa, 2012) Using Norm-Referenced Tests to Determine Severity of Language Impairment in Children: Disconnect Between U.S. Policy Makers and Test Developers
This study has exposed the disconnect between research, state and federal law, and clinical practice.
(Kapantzoglou, Restrepo, & Thompson, 2012) Dynamic Assessment of Word Learning Skills: Identifying Language Impairment in Bilingual Children
The purpose of this article was to determine whether dynamic assessment (DA) of word learning was accurate in identifying the presence of language impairment (LI) in preschool-age bilingual children who are often misidentified as language impaired under current assessment practices due to flawed assessment procedures.
Knowledge and Skills Needed by Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists to Provide Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services
This is a policy document published by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) establishing its position on what skills are needed by speech language pathologists in order to work competently with culturally and linguistically diverse clients.
(Vance & Plante, 1994) Selection of Preschool Language Tests: A Data-Based Approach
This article demonstrated that despite the 10 years that had passed between the publication of McCauley and Swisher (1984) and this article, the vast majority of commercially available norm-referenced tests did not provide psychometric measures deemed necessary in order to establish a test as valid.
(McCauley & Swisher, 1984) Psychometric Review of Language and Articulation Tests for Preschool Children
This was one of the first of many articles publishing research demonstrating the severe limitations of using commercially available child language tests when assessing children for speech and language disability.
(Spaulding, Plante, & Farinella, 2006) Eligibility Criteria for Language Impairment: Is the Low End of Normal Always Appropriate?
This article demonstrates how many standardized tests do not even provide information about validity and reliability.
Understanding Assessment: Problems with Percentile Rank and Age Equivalency
The percentile rank of a score is percentage of total scores from the normative sample that were equal or lesser than the value of the score and can be plotted on the bell curve of a normal distribution.
Understanding Assessments: Reliability of Tests
Reliability is the degree of consistency of measurement in a test. A test has a high degree of reliability if it produces similar results consistently under similar conditions.
