Psychometric Analysis of the Diagnostic Evaluation of Language Variation–Screening Test: Extension to Low-Income African American Pre-Kindergarteners

2016 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 176-185
Author(s):  
Nicole P. Terry ◽  
Yaacov Petscher ◽  
Katherine T. Rhodes
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Screening Test ◽  
Language Variation ◽  
Kindergarten Children ◽  
Diagnostic Evaluation ◽  
Vertical Scaling ◽  
Second Grade ◽  
Present Sample ◽  
School Year

The purpose of this study was to extend a previous investigation of the psychometrics of the Diagnostic Evaluation of Language Variation–Screening Test (DELV-S) to include pre-kindergarten children (primarily African American and from low-income households). The previous study (Petscher, Connor, & Al Otaiba, 2012) included a racially and socioeconomically diverse sample of children in kindergarten through second grade. Similar to that study, two factors were found in the present study: one representing morphosyntactic ability and one representing nonword repetition ability. However, unlike the previous study, measurement invariance was not observed in the present sample. As a result, to allow for interpretation of performance in similar samples who would likely use the DELV-S, vertical scaling was used to create a new set of norms for ability scores and a new reference table for fall and spring of the pre-kindergarten school year.

scholarly journals Comparison of the Diagnostic Evaluation of Language Variation–Screening Test Risk Subtest to Two Other Screeners for Low-Income Prekindergartners Who Speak African American English and Live in the Urban South

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Christy Wynn Moland ◽  
Janna B. Oetting
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Screening Test ◽  
American English ◽  
Language Variation ◽  
African American English ◽  
Diagnostic Evaluation ◽  
Urban South ◽  
Test Order ◽  
Southern City

Purpose We compared the Risk subtest of the Diagnostic Evaluation of Language Variation–Screening Test (DELV–Screening Test Risk) with two other screeners when administered to low-income prekindergartners (pre-K) who spoke African American English (AAE) in the urban South. Method Participants were 73 children (six with a communication disorder and 67 without) enrolled in Head Start or a publicly funded pre-K in an urban Southern city. All children completed the DELV–Screening Test Risk, the Fluharty Preschool Speech and Language Screening Test–Second Edition (FLUHARTY-2), and the Washington and Craig Language Screener (WCLS). Test order was counterbalanced across participants. Results DELV–Screening Test Risk error scores were higher than those reported for its standardization sample, and scores on the other screeners were lower than their respective standardization/testing samples. The 52% fail rate of the DELV–Screening Test Risk did not differ significantly from the 48% rate of the WCLS. Fail rates of the FLUHARTY-2 ranged from 34% to 75%, depending on the quotient considered and whether scoring was modified for dialect. Although items and subtests assumed to measure similar constructs were correlated to each other, the three screeners led to inconsistent pass/fail outcomes for 44% of the children. Conclusions Like other screeners, the DELV–Screening Test Risk subtest may lead to high fail rates for low-income pre-K children who speak AAE in the urban South. Inconsistent outcomes across screeners underscore the critical need for more study and development of screeners within the field.

African American English and Early Literacy: A Comparison of Approaches to Quantifying Nonmainstream Dialect Use

2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 118-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary K. Maher ◽  
Michelle E. Erskine ◽  
Arynn S. Byrd ◽  
Jeffrey R. Harring ◽  
Jan R. Edwards
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Early Literacy ◽  
Screening Test ◽  
Alternative Assessment ◽  
American English ◽  
Language Variation ◽  
First Grade ◽  
African American English ◽  
Diagnostic Evaluation ◽  
School Year

Purpose Many studies have found a correlation between overall usage rates of nonmainstream forms and reading scores, but less is known about which dialect differences are most predictive. Here, we consider different methods of characterizing African American English use from existing assessments and examine which methods best predict literacy achievement. Method Kindergarten and first-grade students who speak African American English received two assessments of dialect use and two assessments of decoding at the beginning and end of the school year. Item-level analyses of the dialect-use assessments were used to compute measures of dialect usage: (a) an overall feature rate measure based on the Diagnostic Evaluation of Language Variation–Screening Test, (b) a subscore analysis of the Diagnostic Evaluation of Language Variation–Screening Test based on items that pattern together, (c) an alternative assessment where children repeat and translate sentences, and (d) “repertoire” measures based on a categorical distinction of whether a child used a particular feature of mainstream American English. Results Models using feature rate measures provided better data–model fit than those with repertoire measures, and baseline performance on a sentence repetition task was a positive predictor of reading score at the end of the school year. For phonological subscores, change from the beginning to end of the school year predicted reading at the end of the school year, whereas baseline scores were most predictive for grammatical subscores. Conclusions The addition of a sentence imitation task is useful for understanding a child's dialect and anticipating potential areas for support in early literacy. We observed some support for the idea that morphological dialect differences (i.e., irregular verb morphology) have a particularly close tie to later literacy, but future work will be necessary to confirm this finding. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.13425968

Test-Retest Comparisons Using the CELF-RST and BLT-2S With Kindergartners

1996 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 324-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia A. Summers ◽  
George W. Larson ◽  
Shirley A. Miguel ◽  
Sandra L. Terrell
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Evaluation ◽  
Screening Test ◽  
Kindergarten Children ◽  
The Other ◽  
Screening Tests ◽  
Language Test ◽  
School Year ◽  
Speech Language Pathologist

The purpose of this study was to explore the performance stability of 101 kindergarten children on two commonly used screening tests: the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-Revised Screening Test (CELF-RST) and the Bankson Language Test-Second Edition (BLT-2S). Both screening tests were administered at the beginning of the school year and again 7 months later. Several interesting findings emerged that may have significant implications for the speech-language pathologist working in the schools: (a) Children scored significantly higher on both tests during the second administration, despite the absence of any intervention from a speech-language pathologist; (b) almost one fourth of the children who failed the first test passed the second administration, despite the absence of intervention; and (3) approximately one-third of the kindergartners were inconsistently identified (i.e., passed one test but failed the other). Implications for the speech-language pathologist are discussed.

scholarly journals Performances of Low-Income, African American Preschool and Kindergarten Children on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised

1992 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 329-333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie A. Washington ◽  
Holly K. Craig
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Standard Deviation ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Kindergarten Children ◽  
Vocabulary Test ◽  
Peabody Picture Vocabulary ◽  
Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test ◽  
The Mean

This study examined test performances of 105 low-income, urban, African American preschool and kindergarten boys and girls on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R). Most children performed more than one standard deviation below the mean, and a scoring adjustment to the test failed to change this distribution substantially. The findings indicate that the PPVT-R is not appropriate for use with this population.

scholarly journals Low-Income Children's Literacy Interpretations in a Skills-Based and a Whole-Language Classroom

1995 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 505-533 ◽  
Author(s):  
Penny A. Freppon
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Whole Language ◽  
First Grade ◽  
Language Instruction ◽  
Second Grade ◽  
School Year ◽  
Transition Group ◽  
Field Notes ◽  
Children's Literacy

This descriptive study investigated two groups of low-income, urban children who had whole-language instruction during their kindergarten and first-grade years. These 17 children were studied previously for those 2 years in their separate schools. The current investigation focused on the general academic success of the two groups and on eight, focal learners' interpretations. In one school, a group of children made a transition to a skills-based/traditional second grade (the Transition Group). In a different school, a group of children continued in a whole-language second grade (the Continuing Group). The children were observed in their classrooms throughout the school year. Data collection included field notes, audio- and videotaping, teacher and parent interviews, and pre- and postmeasures. Findings indicated that the Transition Group had the academic skills necessary for success in the skills-based second grade and that the Continuing Group also succeeded in the whole-language second grade. Differences between the two groups showed that the focal children in the Transition Group experienced a change in their interpretations or sense making patterns and a loss of literate behaviors. Differences in writing favored the focal children in the Continuing Group. Generally, there were no between-group differences in reading growth and no statistical differences on pre- and posttests.

Screening Low-Income African American Children Using the BLT-2S and the SPELT-P

1999 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula M. Rhyner ◽  
Donna J. Kelly ◽  
Amy L. Brantley ◽  
Dawn M. Krueger
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Low Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Item Analysis ◽  
Kindergarten Children ◽  
Language Test ◽  
Scoring Method ◽  
American Children ◽  
Language Screening ◽  
Screening Measures

Screening the language abilities of African American kindergarten children with low socioeconomic status (SES) poses a major challenge for many speech-language pathologists. This article provides data on the effectiveness of two commonly used standardized screening measures: the screening version of the Bankson Language Test-2 (BLT-2S; Bankson, 1990a) and the Structured Photographic Expressive Language Test-Preschool (SPELT-P; Werner & Kresheck, 1983a). The results of the study provide information concerning the language screening failure rates for the two formal measures, the amount of correction achieved from using an alternative dialect-sensitive scoring method, and an item analysis of the children’s performance on these two measures. The findings presented here provide support for the need identified in the literature for alternatives to available formal language screening measures for use with low SES African American kindergarten children.

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