Opplha updated 9 27-11-v2

Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. or its affiliate(s). All rights reserved.

Preschool Language Scales-5Spanish Assessing Children from Birth through 7

Alexander Quiros, Ph.D.

OPPLHAOctober 7&8, 2011


Agenda• PLS-5 Spanish vs. PLS-4 Spanish

–Start points–Age level placements–Scoring

• PLS-5 Research Studies–Development–Minimizing Bias–Standardization–Reliability & Validity

• Q & A


What is new?

• Current norms for a wider age range: based on the 2008 update of the U.S. Census for children birth through 7:11

• Streamlined administration, with new suggested start points and test items that involve manipulatives grouped for smoother transitions during testing

• New test items in the areas of play, understanding false beliefs, and literacy

• New Growth Scale Values, Evidence-based scores you can use to track progress


Based on the performance of children in standardization…• New ceiling rule

–Basal: 3 consecutive correct responses–Ceiling: 6 (not 7) consecutive errors

–Because PLS-5 tests a variety of skills, a child could obtain one or more score points if you discontinue testing earlier


Score multiple test items with one procedure


New test items• For ages 18-24 months–additional items assessing play

• For ages 3 through 4 years–new items assessing book handling and concept ofprint

• For ages 5 through 7 years–new items testing

– Theory of Mind– Integrated language skills such as use of synonyms– Emergent literacy skills such as naming letters and

understanding prefixes


New item: Uses synonyms


New Practice item: Uses Possessive Pronouns: hers, his


Items integrating Theory of Mind concepts• Some items requiring that the child make

inferences about another’s feelings or intentions


Understanding false beliefs


What is different?

• Revised test items, based on clinicians’ and reviewers’ feedback

• Updated Articulation Screener with picture stimuli

• Start points

• Age level placements of certain developmental skills

• Normative scores


Revised Test Items


Modified Articulation Screener


Frequently Asked Questions


Why is “discriminates one sound from another” [now “responds to a new sound”] at 6-8 months instead of 3-5 months?

“Start Points” are not developmental age levels


“Start Points” are not developmental age levels


Why are there some PLS-5 Spanish test items appear at later age levels than PLS-4 Spanish?

• Some clinicians are confusing the Start Points with Developmental Levels

• Criterion change for item placement



Why do some of the PLS-5 Spanish test items appear at later age levels than PLS-4 Spanish?

• Some clinicians are confusing the Start Points with Developmental Levels

• Criterion change for item placement at developmental levels

• The items were modified in some way– The task is different (administration directions are different)– Sub-items are different– The number of sub-items has changed– The pass criterion has changed


Some children are scoring higher on the PLS-5 Spanish. I’m concerned that children will no longer qualify for services.

• PLS-4/PLS-5 Spanish correlational study– N = 134– Average change:

○ AC: 1 point lower than PLS-4 Spanish○ EC: 1.5 points lower than PLS-4 Spanish○ Total Language: 1 point lower

– Range of score change for individuals higher

• Protocols we’ve reviewed after publication• Scores sometimes higher, sometimes lower• Performance differences• Item criterion differences• No change in eligibility unless a child qualified with a 77 on

PLS-4


On the EC scale, the child hardly needs to talk at all at age 2:0!• At age 2:0, 64-71% of the normative sample

–Used words more than gestures to communicate–Used words for a variety of pragmatic functions–Used different word combinations

That means 29-36% of children did not…

• By age 2:6 to 2:11, the majority of the children in the sample met criterion for these behaviors


Standardization Research

• Over 1800 children were tested for standardization and related reliability and validity studies from December 2009 through August 2010

• The standardization sample was collected by 189 clinicians in 42 states in the United States


Technical Information– Demographic Information– Validity Studies

– Clinical studies○ Ages 1-2:11 language delay study○ Ages 3:0-7:11 language disorder study○ Sensitivity/specificity: At -1 SD

» Sensitivity .77» Specificity .83

– Correlations with other assessments○ PLS-4 Spanish:

» AC .69; EC .71; Total .81 ○ CELF Preschool-2 Spanish

» Receptive/AC: .76; Expressive/EC: .70; Core/Total: .68

– Reliability Studies– Internal consistency: typical

○ .80-.96– Internal consistency: disorder

○ .98 to .99– Test retest: .85-.92


PLS-4/PLS-5 Average Score Differences

•Auditory Comprehension–Mean for PLS-4 Spanish 98.2–Mean for PLS-5 Spanish 101.7

•Expressive Communication–Mean for PLS-4 Spanish 99.1–Mean for PLS-5 Spanish 101.4

•Total Language–Mean for PLS-4 Spanish 97.9–Mean for PLS-5 Spanish 101.2


PLS-5 Spanish Standardization Sample: Level of Spanish/English Ability

MonolingualSpanish 67%

Primarily Spanish17%

Bilingual 16%


PLS-5 Spanish Standardization Sample

Families' Country of Origin

Central America7.2%

Cuba 2.7%

DominicanRepublic 1.2%

Mexico 53%

Puerto Rico 29.4%

South America6.6%



Caregiver Education Level

Grade 11 or Less 36%

High School Graduateor GED 31%

1–3 Years of Collegeor Tech School 21%

4 or More Years ofCollege 12%



Where was testing conducted?

Puerto Rico 28%

US: Northeast 3%

US: Midwest 2%

US: South 49%

US: West 17%


Minimizing Bias

• Current literature review • Clinician surveys• Research studies

–Pilot–Tryout –Standardization

• Expert review


Bias Reviewers (all CCC-SLP)

Mary Ann Acevedo, Ph.D.Our Lady of the Lake UniversitySan Antonio, TX

Alejandro Brice, Ph.D.University of South Florida St. PetersburgSt. Petersburg, Florida

Maria Bustillo-Formosa, M.S.Carlos Albizu UniversitySan Juan, PR

Alina de la Paz, MS The Center for Bilingual Speech and Language Disorders, Inc.

Miami, Florida

Donna Jackson-Maldonado, Ph.D.Universidad Autonoma de QueretaroJurica, Queretaro, Mexico

Hortencia Kayser, Ph.D.Saint Louis UniversitySt. Louis, Missouri

Adelaida Restrepo, Ph.D.University of ArizonaTempe, Arizona

Albert Villanueva-Reyes, EdDUniversity of Puerto RicoSan Juan, Puerto Rico


Questions related to the kit

1. Do I need to purchase the manipulatives or can I collect my own?

2. Why can’t we have a Picture Manual we can wipe clean?


Dual Language Score

• Receptive/Expressive Picture Vocabulary Test offers a bilingual score for vocabulary

• Pearson, B. Z., Fernandez, S., & Oller, D. K. (1993) describe conceptual scoring as scoring the meaning of a response regardless of the language in which it is produced.


Dual Language Scoring

• Testing in English, monolingual and conceptual scores were similar

• Bilingual children benefit from conceptual scoring, especially when tested in SpanishBedore, Peña, Garcia, & Cortez (2005)


Dual Language Scoring

• PLS-5 Spanish is the first assessment for Spanish-English speaking children incorporating dual language scoring for semantics, morphology, and syntax


Dual Language Record Form


Administer only in Spanish or Spanish & English• One set of norms• Current research:

– Insufficient changes in scores between monolingual and bilingual Spanish speakers

–Typically developing children: increase of 3-8 score points

–Children with disorders: typically no difference in scores or score increase of 1-2 standard score points


Questions?


Sensitivity/Specificity

Cut Score SD Auditory Comprehension

Expressive Communication

Total Language

-1 SDSensitivity .77 .73 .85

Specificity .83 .87 .88

-1.5 SDSensitivity .55 .46 .60


-2 SDSensitivity .38 .28 .36



Where Children in the PLS-5 Spanish Sample Spend the Majority of their Day

Child's Learning Environment

Home w/Family 56.4%

Home w/Sitter 2.9%

Day Care 16.4%

Preschool 6.7%

Kinder

Grades 1-2

Other/NR


Are children with disabilities or special classifications included in the PLS-5 Spanish sample?

Educational Placement/Classification

% in Sample

Autism 0.1%

Developmental Delay 0.4%

Speech/Language Disorder

4.3%

Motor Impairment 0.2%

ADHD 0.1%

English As a 2nd Language 2.4%

Opplha updated 9 27-11-v2

Education

pearson education

years new items

testing new test items

revised test items

multiple test items

new suggested start

months additional items

new practice item