This study documented the standardized tests and informal assessment techniques that school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) reported as most helpful for identifying vocabulary deficits and for monitoring progress. Speech-language pathologists (N = 142) working in U.S. public school settings completed an online survey that included multiple-choice, multiple-answer, and open-ended formats. Percentages and frequency counts were reported. For identifying vocabulary deficits, SLPs favored omnibus language tests over vocabulary-specific tests. The most frequently selected informal assessments for identifying vocabulary deficits were language samples and curricular-based measures. For monitoring progress, respondents favored creating their own tasks and using curricular-based measures. Minor differences were noted in the responses of elementary and middle-high school SLPs. Results were compared with evidence-based principles for vocabulary assessment.
AnglinJ. M. (1993). Vocabulary development: A morphological analysis. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 58(10), 1–166.
3.
BarrettM.ZachmanL.HuisinghR. (1988). ASSET: Assessing Semantic Skills Through Everyday Themes. LinguiSystems.
4.
BetzS. K.EickhoffJ. R.SullivanS. F. (2013). Factors influencing the selection of standardized tests for the diagnosis of specific language impairment. Language Speech and Hearing Services in Schools, 44, 133–146.
5.
BishopD. V. M.McDonaldD. (2009). Identifying language impairment in children: Combining language test scores with parental report. International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders, 44(5), 600–615.
6.
BoehmA. E. (2000). Boehm test of basic concepts (3rd ed.). The Psychological Corporation.
7.
BowersL.HuisinghR.LoGiudiceC. (2005). Test of problem solving-3: Elementary. LinguiSystems.
8.
BrackenB. A. (2006). Bracken Basic Concept Scale (3rd ed.). The Psychological Corporation.
9.
BrackenburyT.PyeC. (2005). Semantic deficits in children with language impairments: Issues for clinical assessment. Language Speech and Hearing Services in Schools, 36, 5–16.
10.
CaesarL. G.KohlerP. D. (2009). Tools clinicians use: A survey of language assessment procedures used by school-based speech-language pathologists. Communication Disorders Quarterly, 30(4), 226–236.
11.
CamilleriB.BottingN. (2013). Beyond static assessments of children’s receptive vocabulary: The dynamic assessment of word learning (DAWL). International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders, 48(5), 565–581.
12.
CareyS.BartlettE. (1978). Acquiring a single new word. Papers and Reports on Child Language Development, 15, 17–29.
13.
Carrow-WoolfolkE. (2011). Oral and written language scales (2nd ed.). Western Psychological Services.
14.
Carrow-WoolfolkE. (2014). Test of auditory comprehension of language (4th ed.). Pro-Ed.
15.
Carrow-WoolfolkE. (2017). Comprehensive assessment of spoken language (2nd ed.). NCS Pearson.
16.
CattsH. W.FeyM. E.TomblinJ. B.ZhangX. (2002). A longitudinal investigation of reading outcomes in children with language impairments. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 45, 1142–1157.
DaleE. (1965). Vocabulary measurement: Techniques and major findings. Elementary English, 42, 895–901; 948.
19.
DollaghanC. A. (1985). Child meets word: “Fast mapping” in preschool children. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 28, 449–454.
20.
DunnD. M. (2018). Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (5th ed.). NCS Pearson.
21.
FukkinkR. G.BlokH.de GlopperK. (2001). Deriving word meaning from written context: A multicomponential skill. Language Learning, 51(3), 477–498.
22.
GilkersonJ.RichardsJ. A.GreenwoodC. R.MontgomeryJ. K. (2017). Language assessment in a snap: Monitoring progress up to 36 months. Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 33(2), 99–115. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265659016660599
23.
GregoryK. D.OettingJ. B. (2018). Classification accuracy of teacher ratings when screening nonmainstream English-speaking kindergarteners for language impairment in the rural south. Language Speech and Hearing Services in Schools, 49, 218–231.
24.
Gutiérrez-ClellenV. F.PeñaE. (2001). Dynamic assessment of diverse children: A tutorial. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 32, 212–224.
25.
Halls-MillsS. (2018). Language progress monitoring for elementary students. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 3(4), 170–179.
26.
HauerwasL. B.StoneC. A. (2000). Are parents of school-age children with specific language impairments accurate estimators of their child’s language skills?Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 16(1), 73–86. https://doi.org/10.1177/026565900001600106
27.
HendricksA. E.JimenezC. (2021). Teacher report of students’ dialect use and language ability. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 52(1), 131–138. https://doi.org/10.1044/2020_LSHSS-19-00113
28.
Horton-IkardR.Ellis WeismerS. (2007). A preliminary examination of vocabulary and word learning in African American toddlers from middle and low socioeconomic status homes. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 16, 381–392.
29.
HuisinghR.BowersL.LoGiudiceC.OrmanJ. (2004). Test of semantic skills, primary. LinguiSystems.
30.
JusticeL. M.SchmittM. B.MurphyK. A.PrattA.BianconeT. (2014). The “robustness” of vocabulary intervention in the public schools: Targets and techniques employed in speech-language therapy. International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders, 49(3), 288–303.
31.
LarsenJ. A.NippoldM. A. (2007). Morphological analysis in school-age children: Dynamic assessment of a word learning strategy. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 38, 201–212.
McGregorK. K.OlesonJ.BahnsenA.DuffD. (2013). Children with developmental language impairment have vocabulary deficits characterized by limited breadth and depth. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 48(3), 307–319. https://doi.org/10.1111/1460-6984.12008
35.
McKeownM. G.DeaneP. D.ScottJ. A.KrovetzR.LawlessR. R. (2017). Vocabulary assessment to support instruction: Building rich word-learning experiences. The Guilford Press.
36.
MillerJ. F.AndriacchiK.NockertsA. (2011). Assessing language production using SALT software: A clinician’s guide to language sample analysis. SALT Software, LLC.
37.
National Governors Association Center for Best Practices. (2010). Common core state standards. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers.
38.
NelsonN. W. (2014). Classroom based writing assessment. In StoneC. A.SillimanE. R.EhrenB. J.WallachG. B. (Eds.), Handbook of language and literacy: Development and disorders (2nd ed., pp. 534–566). The Guilford Press.
39.
NewcomerP.HammillD. (2008). Test of language development–Primary (4th ed.). Pro-Ed.
40.
PavelkoS. L.OwensR. E.Jr.IrelandM.Hahs-VaughnD. L. (2016). Use of language sample analysis by school-based SLPs: Results of a nationwide survey. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 47, 246–258.
41.
PeñaE. D.IglesiasA.LidzC. S. (2001). Reducing test bias through dynamic assessment of children’s word learning ability. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 10, 138–154.
42.
PeñaE. D.QuinnR. (1997). Task familiarity: Effects on the test performance of Puerto Rican and African American children. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 28, 323–332.
43.
RamG.MarinellieS. A.BenignoJ.McCarthyJ. J. (2013). Morphological analysis in context versus isolation: Use of a dynamic assessment task with school-age children. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 44(1), 32–47.
44.
RichardG. J.HannerM. (2005). The language processing test-Elementary (3rd ed.). Pro-Ed.
45.
SemelE.WiigE. H.SecordW. A. (2013). Clinical evaluation of language fundamentals (5th ed.). The Psychological Corporation.
46.
SeymourH. N.RoeperT. W.de VilliersJ. (2005). Diagnostic evaluation of language variation-norm referenced. Pearson.
47.
SpauldingT. J.PlanteE.FarinellaK. A. (2006). Eligibility criteria for language impairment: Is the low end of normal always appropriate?Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 37, 61–72.
48.
WallaceG.HammillD. D. (2013). Comprehensive Receptive and Expressive Vocabulary Test (3rd ed.). Pro-Ed.
49.
WatkinsR. V.DeThorneL. S. (2000). Assessing children’s vocabulary skills: From word knowledge to word-learning potential. Seminars in Speech and Language, 21(3), 235–245.
50.
WatkinsR. V.KellyD. J.HarbersH. M.HollisW. (1995). Measuring children’s lexical diversity: Differentiating typical and impaired language learners. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 38, 1349–1355.
51.
WhiteT. G.PowerM. A.WhiteS. (1989). Morphological analysis: Implications for teaching and understanding vocabulary growth. Reading Research Quarterly, 24(3), 283–304.
52.
WiigE. H.SecordW. A. (1992). Test of word knowledge. The Psychological Corporation.
53.
WilliamsK. T. (2018). Expressive Vocabulary Test (2nd ed.). NCS Pearson.
54.
YellM. L.SteckerP. M. (2003). Developing legally correct and educationally meaningful IEPs using curriculum-based measurement. Assessment for Effective Intervention, 28, 73–88.
55.
ZimmermanI. L.SteinerV. G.PondR. E. (2011). Preschool Language Scales (5th ed.). Pearson.
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
