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

Student Language Scale (SLS)

USER’S MANUAL

by

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

Kalamazoo

Barbara M. Howes, Ph.D., LMSW Private Consultant

Cassopolis, Michigan

and

Michele A. Anderson, Ph.D., CCC-SLP Western Michigan University

Kalamazoo

with contributions from

E. Brooks Applegate, Ph.D. Western Michigan University

Kalamazoo

and

Elena Plante, Ph.D., CCC-SLP The University of Arizona

Tucson

Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co. Post Office Box 10624 Baltimore, Maryland 21285-0624 USA www.brookespublishing.com

Copyright © 2018 by Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., Inc. All rights reserved.

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
Evidence Supporting Validity for Gathering Multi-Informant Input ... 26

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

Afterword ... 59

References ... 61

Appendix Scientific, Technical, and Parent Consultants ... 63

Index ... 65

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

Dr. Nelson was awarded the status of Professor Emerita in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences in 2016 after 35 years as faculty at Western Michigan University (WMU). During some of her years at WMU, she served as Associate Dean for Research and Director of the Ph.D. program in Interdisciplinary Health Sciences in the College of Health and Human Services. Dr. Nelson continues to conduct research and publish regarding language/literacy development and disorders. She is the first author of the Test of Integrated Language and Literacy Skills (TILLS; Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., 2016), is Editor of Topics in Language Disorders, and is a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the International Academy for Research in Learning Disabilities. Dr. Nelson received the American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation’s Frank R. Kleffner Lifetime Clinical Career Award and Honors of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

Barbara M. Howes, Ph.D., LMSW, Private Consultant, Cassopolis, Michigan

For the past 20 years, Dr. Howes has served in the social work field to assist overburdened families. She is Program Coordinator for a number of problem-solving courts and an adjunct faculty member in the Western Michigan University School of Social Work. Her research interests lie in the study of interdisciplinary practice.

Michele A. Anderson, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Research Affiliate, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan

Dr. Anderson served as coordinator for the national, multiyear norming and validation study of the Test of Integrated Language and Literacy Skills (TILLS; Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., 2016). She earned her Ph.D. from Western Michigan University. Her research interests include language and literacy assessment as well as work in adult neurorehabilitation.

About the Contributors

E. Brooks Applegate, Ph.D., Professor, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan

Dr. Applegate is the program director for the graduate programs in Evaluation, Research and Measurement at Western Michigan University. Dr. Applegate has extensive experience in research design, measurement, and applied statistics. He teaches graduate courses in psychometrics, structural equation modeling, and research methodology. Dr. Applegate actively participates in funded research and evaluation projects nationally and internationally. He has authored and coauthored more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and more than 85 peer-reviewed presentations.

Elena Plante, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Professor, Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona

Inspired by her clinical experiences as a speech-language pathologist, Dr. Plante’s research has focused on the assessment and treatment of specific language impairment and language-based learning disabilities. She also has contributed knowledge concerning the neurobiology of such disorders as specific language impairment, dyslexia, and auditory processing disorder. She is coauthor of the Pediatric Test of Brain Injury (PTBI; with G. Hotz, N. Helm-Estabrooks, & N. W. Nelson; Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., 2010) and the Test of Integrated Language and Literacy Skills (TILLS; 2016; Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.). Dr. Plante also coauthored a widely used textbook on communication disorders and more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles, three of which have won editors’ awards.

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 conducted from 2010 to 2015. We tested more than 1,900 students from age 6 through 18 years with TILLS. In addition, we gathered information from parents and students using the SLS for the majority of this sample.

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 regarding the condition of concern: in this case, language/literacy disorder. A set of procedures has been approved for establishing eligibility under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA 2004). Criteria for assigning students to different language status groups are outlined for each participant group.

Criteria for Normal Language Group

Criteria for inclusion in the group of students with “normal language” (NL):

• Progressing through school on time (i.e., had not repeated a grade).
• Never had language intervention.
• Not diagnosed with disability (with few minor exceptions).

Criteria for Language Learning Disabilities Group

Criteria for inclusion in the group of students with language learning disabilities (LLD):

• Parent checked yes for any of the following diagnosed disabilities: language impairment, reading impairment, or learning disability.

Criteria for Language and Literacy Risk Group

Criteria for inclusion in the group of students with language and literacy risk (LLR):

• 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 for describing a student’s language strengths and weaknesses. Multi-informant input also can facilitate school–home communication regarding points of disagreement as well as points of agreement. Scientifically, evidence supports SLS reliability in terms of internal consistency, consistency of repeated ratings by the same informants, and relationship to performance data, particularly for ratings provided by teachers and parents.