Transcript Document

Child Assessment
Cognitive & Language Development
The options are in 2 major categories
1) Parent report (e.g. PARCA)
2) Researcher administered (e.g.
BAS, Bracken WPPSI)
CHILD DEVELOPMENT – TED MELHUISH & JAY BELSKY
SURE START EVALUATION
Parent report measures have 2
major disadvantages:
1) Predictive validity not as good as
researcher administered assessments
1) Biases related to parental education
(and possibly ethnicity) resulting in
differential validity
Researcher Administered
Assessment – Alternatives
British Ability Scales (BAS): Verbal, Nonverbal
and General Cognitive
Bracken Basic Concepts Scale (BBCS): Verbal
reception and Nonverbal
WPPSI: Verbal Nonverbal and General
Cognitive
BPVS (EPVT): Verbal reception
This is a selection from the range of instruments
available
NESS Currently Uses
British Ability Scales
4 subtests:
1) Block Building – Visuo-Motor
2) Picture Similarities – Visual Concepts
3) Naming Vocabulary – Verbal Production
4) Verbal Comprehension – Verbal Reception
These 4 subtests can be combined to give:
 Verbal Score
 NonVerbal Score
 Total Score – General Cognitive Ability
Which Assessment to Use?
Once you decide on researcher
administration several assessments are
available and all have good reliability and
validity.
Choice depends on:
 Cost
 Ease of training
 Which are the most important constructs to
measure (i.e. subtests)