Benjamin Sarah XXXXX XXXX
Assesses broad language skills for ages 3 to 21 years and specifically in the following areas:
Listening Comprehension Scale Oral Expression Scale Written Expression
Items are typical of classroom tasks
Each form of communication is processed differently Modular Theory
Each module develops independently Language and cognition interact with each other
Linguistic module
Syntax Semantics? (Schlesinger)
Cognitive/conceptual module
Supralinguistics Semantics? (Chomsky)
Pragmatic module Semantics module? (Carrow-Woolfolk)
Separate test for each language process
Reading is not included because of the plethora
of other assessments
Skills are assessed separately because of the Language Processing Theory
Each language process has different but related
demands on a persons ability to communicate
Know the test Follow general standardized test procedures Suggested order:
Listening Comprehension Written Expression Oral Expression
111 items and 3 training items Examiner reads each item once
Student points to or verbalizes response
10 seconds for a response
No probes are allowed
Basal: 7 consecutive items correct Ceiling: 5 of 7 consecutive items incorrect
No training items provided Administer entire item set that corresponds to clients age Follow prompts on the administration card
e.g., when to repeat stimuli, prompting
96 items and 2 training items Examiner reads stimulus and shows pictures
Student verbalizes a response Repeat once if requested or if he gives no
response after 10 seconds
Basal: 7 consecutive items correct Ceiling: 6 of 7 consecutive items incorrect
Most items are scored 1 or 0
Oral and Written Expression subtests have multi-
point scoring
Add item scores to obtain raw score Raw scores may be converted to
Standard Scores Percentile Rank Normal Curve Equivalents / Stanines Age / Grade Equivalents
Non-linguistic skills may have an impact on the students results
Attention Arousal Impulsivity Processing Problem solving
National standardization occurred in 1992-1993
1,795 subjects selected by gender, geography, race,
ethnicity, and SES (mothers education level) Subjects were concentrated in the north central and northeast portions of the U.S.
Internal Reliability: .91 Test-Retest Reliability: .85 Interrater Reliability: .95 Validity
Moderate correlations between subtest scales Moderate correlations between OWLS and many
other linguistic, cognitive, and academic achievement assessments
STRENGTHS Assesses three components of language Assesses a range of skill levels in each language component Easy comparison of scores from each subtest
WEAKNESSES No reading subtest Scoring is variable and somewhat confusing No basal or ceiling for Written Expression subtest
Available through AGS Pearson Assessments
Entire Test Kit = $380 Entire Test Kit with 2 ASSISTS = $599 http://ags.pearsonassessments.com/group.asp?
nGroupInfoID=a3160
13;5 years old - in 8th grade Has difficulty with language tasks
Excels in mathematical calculations but
struggles with group math work Uses concepts correctly in class but has difficulty with written work, especially essays Behaves well except during expressive language tasks
Listening Comprehension
Raw score: 84 Standard score: 100 Percentile: 50
Oral Expression
Raw score: 59 Standard score: ...