Language skills were assessed using the Test Of Language Development-Intermediate:4. The TOLD-I:4 is designed specifically to assess children’s receptive and expressive spoken language competence relative to semantics and syntax. The test consists of six core subtests: Sentence Combining, Picture Vocabulary, Word Ordering, Relational Vocabulary, Morphological Comprehension, Multiple Meanings. The results of these core subtests are combined to create scaled scores. The results of the TOLD-I:4 subtests and composite scores are as follows: TOLD-I:4 Subtest Sentence Combining Picture Vocabulary Word Ordering Relational Vocabulary Morphological Comprehension Multiple Meanings Scaled Scores Percentile TOLD-I:4 Listening Organizing Speaking Grammar Semantics Spoken Language Index Scores Percentile Communication: Communication skills involve the ability to understand and use language. They include such abilities as speaking clearly, pointing to pictures/naming pictures or objects, following directions, answering questions, carrying on a conversation, and relating events or retelling a story. Test Of Language Development--Intermediate: 4th Edition - Explanation of Subtests The Sentence Combining subtest evaluates a student’s speaking ability by asking them to provide one compound or complex sentence from two or more simpler sentences. The student’s sentence must be as short as possible, yet it must include all the key elements in the stimulus sentences. To complete the task successfully, the student must use compound subject, objects, verbs, and verb phrases, and must understand the use of various modifiers including adjectives, adverbs, and dependent clauses. __STUDENT__ received a scaled score of __ which falls within the average range and indicates average abilities in this skill. The Picture Vocabulary subtest measures the ability to understand the meanings of two word phrases by having the child identify the corresponding picture on a picture card. For example, the student would be presented with “tail wager” and be required to point to the picture of the dog. __STUDENT__ received a scaled score of __ which falls within the average range and indicates sufficient skills in this area. The Word Ordering subtest measures the ability to construct a meaningful sentence from a set of words presented orally in a random sequence. For example, “your, is, name, what” -- “what is your name?” __STUDENT__ achieved a scaled score of ___ on this subtest which falls within the above average range and indicates superior skills in this area. The Relational Vocabulary subtest measures a student’s ability to identify the abstract relationship among a set of spoken words. The student is read a series of three words that are related in some way and asked to state how they are related. __STUDENT__ received a scaled score of ___ which is within the average range and indicates age appropriate skills in this area. The Morphological Comprehension subtest measures the ability to recognize ungrammatical sentences. In this task, a sentence is read aloud to the student and the student has to identify whether it is correct or incorrect. __STUDENT__ achieved a scaled score of ___ on this subtest which is below the average range and indicates sufficient skills in this area. The Multiple Meanings subtest measures the ability to provide different meanings for spoken words. In this subtest, the student is presented with a stimulus word and asked to describe all the different meanings for it. An example from the test is: sent/scent/cent, penny, mailed, dispatched, odor, smell. __STUDENT__ achieved a scaled score of ___ on this subtest which falls within the average range of performance and indicates age appropriate skills in this area. Listening Organizing Speaking Grammar Semantics Spoken Language This composite s score represents a child’s ability to understand speech (receptive language). Children who score poorly on this composite have difficulty decoding spoken language – they may not know the meanings of the words or may be unfamiliar with the syntactic structure that speakers use. __STUDENT__ received a standard score of ___ on the Listening Index which is within the average range and indicates average abilities in this area. This composite score represents the individual’s capacity to organize incoming linguistic information by categories. This organization facilitates memory and permits associative operations. Children who do poorly at this composite often have difficulty understanding relationships between words as well as recognizing the relationships between the sounds that comprise spoken words and their printed representations (orthographic symbols). __STUDENT__ received a standard score of ___ on the Organizing Index which is within the average range and indicates sufficient skills in this area. This composite score represents the child’s expressive language, or ability to communicate thoughts orally. Good speakers are able to formulate ideas, choose precise words, and organize them both grammatically into an oral message. __STUDENT__ received a standard score of ___ on the Speaking Index which is within the average range and indicates sufficient skills in this area. This composite score measures the child’s structural organization of language and the individual’s ability to understand and generate syntactically acceptable sentences. Specifically, this measure assesses grammar and sentence structure. Children who perform poorly at this composite often produces speech that seems to be grammatically immature. __STUDENT__ received a standard score of ___ on the Grammar Index which is which is within the borderline range and indicates average skills in this area. This composite score represents a child’s knowledge of words. A child who does well on this score recognizes the meanings of many words he hears and knows the meanings of many words. __STUDENT__ received a standard score of ___ on the Semantics Index which is within the average range and indicates sufficient skills in this area. This composite score is comprised of the scores of the six subtests that measure aspect of syntax and semantics. The developers of the TOLD-I:4 state that, of the six quotients, this quotient is the best indicator of an individual’s overall language development. __STUDENT__ received a standard score of ___ on the Spoken Language Index which is within the average range and indicates sufficient skills in this area.
