Highlights of the Woodcock Johnson III- Diagnostic Supplement ...

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Test 31 Bilingual VerbalComprehensionThinking AbilitiesComprehension-Knowledge(Gc)Lexical Knowledge &Language DevelopmentTest 3: Spatial Relations Visual-Spatial Thinking (Gv)Visualization & SpatialRelationsTest 5: Concept Formation Fluid Reasoning (Gf) InductionTest 21: Memory for Names Long-Term Retrieval (Glr) Associative MemoryTest 23: Sound Patterns—Voice (A)Auditory Processing (Ga) Sound DiscriminationCognitive EfficiencyTest 6: Visual Matching (T) Processing Speed (Gs) Perceptual SpeedTest 7: Numbers Reversed (A) Short-Term Memory (Gsm) Working MemoryThe GIA-Bil scale includes six tests that utilize a language-reduced test format. Additionally, forEnglish-Spanish bilingual subjects, the GIA-Bil measures four aspects of verbal ability using abilingual assessment procedure. This combination of language-reduced tests and bilingualtesting of verbal ability allows the examiner the opportunity to explore relative strengths andweaknesses among the verbal ability, thinking ability, and cognitive efficiency capabilities ofbilingual individuals.Verbal Ability. Test 1: Verbal Comprehension includes four subtests that measure verbalability, or the CHC broad ability of comprehension-knowledge (Gc). The test is administered inEnglish. Items answered incorrectly on Test 1 can be subsequently administered in Spanishusing Test 31: Bilingual Verbal Comprehension. This procedure provides a measure of verbalcomprehension in English and Spanish combined. This score is used in calculation of the GIA-Bil score.Alternatively, examiners can utilize the Bilingual Verbal Ability Tess (BVAT) to obtain a measureof bilingual verbal comprehension in several other languages for English-dominant bilingualindividuals. The BVAT includes a more expansive set of verbal ability tests in English, withtranslations in Arabic, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), French, German, Haitian-Creole,Hindi, Hmong, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Navajo, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish,Turkish, and Vietnamese. When included, the BVAT score serves as the measure of verbalcomprehension in the GIA-Bil scale.Thinking Ability. The four thinking ability tests included in the GIA-Bil scale were selected forinclusion because (a) the language requirements for each test are relatively low when comparedto other alternatives for assessing the same broad CHC ability and (b) each test wasappropriate for use with young children. That is, the language used in the test directions is at asufficiently low level of abstraction that young, English-dominant bilingual individuals can beassessed. In some cases, the test’s sample items, controlled feedback, and query proceduresassist the examiner in ascertaining the subject’s understanding. The following descriptionsdemonstrate the appropriateness of these tests as measures of thinking abilities for bilingualindividuals.
In Test 3: Spatial Relations, all subjects begin with an introduction and sample items thatinclude a standardized procedure to ensure the subject understands the directions. Additionally,a pointing response may be used if the subject does not know the letter names. Test 3: SpatialRelations is a measure of visual-spatial thinking (Gv).Test 21: Memory for Names measures long-term retrieval (Glr) in a controlled-learning formatthat assures all subjects are given identical opportunities to learn the task. Prior learning doesnot affect test performance. Additionally, the test utilizes a pointing response from the subject sothere are no expressive language requirements. Incorrect responses are identified immediately.That is, the examiner acknowledges the incorrect response and then points to the correctresponse; this procedure helps clarify understanding of the task requirement.Test 23: Sound Patterns–Voice is a measure of auditory processing (Ga). The test isappropriate for assessing the sound discrimination abilities of bilingual individuals because thereare no meaningful language components in the test stimuli. For this test, the subject needs onlyto understand the concepts of “same” and “different.”Test 5: Concept Formation is a test of fluid reasoning (Gf). Although this test requires somebasic English-language vocabulary knowledge (such as the words different, drawing, and rule),either beforehand or gained through the teaching/modeling characteristic of the test directions,bilingual subjects with English oral-language abilities at the age 4-0 level or higher typically havethe English-language vocabulary required for this test. Through standardized introduction andsample items that utilize corrective feedback, all subjects are given the opportunity to learn thetask demands.These four thinking ability tests also comprise the Thinking Ability–Low Verbal cluster. Thiscluster provides a language-reduced composite of a subject’s intentional cognitive processingcapabilities.Cognitive Efficiency. Two tests comprise the Cognitive Efficiency–Standard cluster, whichmeasures the subject’s rate and span of automatic cognitive processing. Test 6: VisualMatching is a measure of processing speed (Gs) and Test 7: Numbers Reversed is a measureof short-term memory (Gsm). Both of these tests have low receptive language requirements.Two versions of Test 6: Visual Matching are available. Test 6: Visual Matching 1 requires thesubject to point to two matching shapes in a row of four to five shapes. Test 6: Visual Matching2 requires the subject to locate and circle the two identical numbers in a row of six numbers.There are no expressive language requirements for Test 6: Visual Matching.Test 7: Numbers Reversed requires some basic English-language vocabulary knowledge (suchas the words numbers and backward and the numeral names “one” through “nine”). However,bilingual subjects with English oral language abilities at the age 5-0 level or higher typically havethe English-language vocabulary required for this test.Examiners who administer the tests included in the GIA-Bil scale can obtain additionaldiagnostic information from the intra-cognitive–standard discrepancy procedure. When eitherTest 31: Bilingual Verbal Comprehension–English/Spanish or the BVAT has been administered,the verbal ability includes responses to items administered in the subject’s first language. Also,the Thinking Ability–Low Verbal score is evaluated against the same “Other” score as ThinkingAbility–Standard.
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