Student Language Scale (SLS)

USER’S MANUAL

Excerpted from Student Language Scale (SLS) User's Manual by Nickola Wolf Nelson, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, BCS-CL, Barbara M. Howes, Ph.D., LMSW, & Michele A. Anderson, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

Contents

About the Authors ... vii

About the Contributors ... ix

Acknowledgments ... xi

1 Overview of the Student Language Scale ... 1
Three Purposes ... 1
Purpose 1: Screening ... 1
Purpose 2: Gathering Input for Evaluation and Planning ... 1
Purpose 3: School–Home Communication ... 1
Outline for Realizing the Three Purposes ... 2
Organization ... 2
Section 1: Rating Scale ... 2
Section 2: Ability Checklist ... 5
Section 3: Priority Question ... 6

2 How to Administer the Student Language Scale ... 7
Using the Student Language Scale with Teachers ... 7
Using the Student Language Scale with Parents ... 8
Using the Student Language Scale with Students ... 8
Section 1: Rating Scale ... 8
Section 2: Ability Checklist ... 9
Section 3: Priority Question ... 9

3 Using the Student Language Scale for Three Primary Purposes ... 11
Purpose 1: Screening ... 11
Purpose 2: Gathering Input for Evaluation and Planning ... 13
Purpose 3: School–Home Communication ... 14

4 Reliability and Validity of the Student Language Scale ... 17
Scientific Methods ... 17
Theoretical Models and Expert Consultation ... 17
Data Gathering ... 18
Identifying Student Participants’ Status ... 18
Criteria for Normal Language Group ... 19
Criteria for Language Learning Disabilities Group ... 19
Criteria for Language and Literacy Risk Group ... 19
Three Additional Groups of Students in Special Populations ... 19
Construct and Content Validity: Focus Groups and Factor Analysis ... 19
Focus Groups ... 20
Factor Analysis ... 20
Sensitivity and Specificity Evidence Supporting Validity for Screening ... 21

5 Student Examples ... 31
Student Example 1: Screening and Evaluation Input ... 31
Student Example 2: Early Identification and Individualized Planning ... 41
Student Example 3: Prioritizing Concerns ... 50

Addendum

About the Authors

Nickola Wolf Nelson, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, BCS-CL

Professor Emerita, Department of Language, Speech, and Hearing Sciences, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan

Barbara M. Howes, Ph.D., LMSW

Private Consultant, Cassopolis, Michigan

Michele A. Anderson, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

Research Affiliate, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan

About the Contributors

E. Brooks Applegate, Ph.D.

Professor, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan

Elena Plante, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

Professor, Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona

CHAPTER 4

Reliability and Validity of the Student Language Scale

In evaluating assessment instruments, evidence is needed to determine whether a tool is reliable in its consistency and valid for its stated purposes. In this section, we describe evidence that the Student Language Scale (SLS) measures the constructs and content it purports to measure (validity) and does so consistently (reliability).

SCIENTIFIC METHODS

First, we summarize methods used to evaluate the scientific evidence for reliability and validity of the SLS. According to traditional test theory, establishing validity of an assessment instrument includes procedures for identifying the constructs the tool will measure and the content for doing so.

Data Gathering

Following try-outs with multiple preliminary versions of the SLS, we gathered quantitative data for analyzing the validity and reliability of the standardization version of the tool. This work occurred in conjunction with standardization research on the TILLS.

Identifying Student Participants’ Status

Identifying the sensitivity and specificity of a new assessment tool for screening purposes requires the independent establishment of each person’s status with regard to the condition of concern: in this case, language/literacy disorder.

Criteria for Normal Language Group

Criteria for inclusion in the group of students with “normal language” (NL) were met if a student was progressing through school on time.

Criteria for Language Learning Disabilities Group

Criteria for inclusion in the group of students with language learning disabilities (LLD) were met if the parent checked yes for any of the following from a list of diagnosed disabilities.

Criteria for Language and Literacy Risk Group

Criteria for inclusion in the group of students with language and literacy risk (LLR) were met if a parent indicated that a student had been tested previously or received any services for concerns about learning to use language or to read and write.

Summary of Evidence

In summary, the scientific evidence supporting the SLS indicates that ratings provided by teachers and parents using this tool are valid for the purposes of screening for language/literacy disorder and describing a student’s language strengths and weaknesses.

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