EVALUATION OF LANGUAGE – CELF-3
An assessment of receptive and expressive language skills was conducted. The following is a summary
of the test results.
CELF-3: The Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-Third Edition is test is examines a student’s
comprehension and use of the basic foundations of content and form that characterize mature language
use: word meanings (semantics), word and sentence structure (morphology and syntax), as well as the
recall and retrieval of spoken language (memory).
Sentence Structure
Percentile:
Standard Score:
This subtest requires a student to listen to a sentence and point to the picture that best represents that
sentence. The ability to understand the changes in meaning that arise from different sentence structures
(syntax) is essential in pre-reading, early reading, and early writing activities. Students who perform in
the below-average range on the Sentence Structure subtest may experience difficulties in expression and
comprehension of spoken and written language. These students may also have problems integrating
surface structure and deep structure of sentences.
Concepts and Directions
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Standard Score:
Students who perform in the below average range on the Concepts and Directions subtest may
experience school- and home-related difficulties in following directions. Curricular workbooks require
students from kindergarten through high school to be able to follow directions that include basic linguistic
concepts, such as coordinating conjunctions (and, or, but), references to inclusion or exclusion (either, or,
neither, all but), time (when, after, before), condition (that is not), or quantity (some, one, none). Early
math story problems are good examples of the need for accurate interpretation or key concepts and the
recall of directions and instructions for academic success. Instructions for gym classes, sports or games,
and arts and crafts projects are other examples. These students may also have problems following
workbook assignments in subject areas such as English and language arts, math, or sciences. They may
have difficulty taking notes or writing messages as well.
Word Classes
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This subtest requires a student to listen to a set of three or four words and tell which two words in the set
best go together. Performance in the below-average range in the Word Classes subtest indicates that the
student does not associate related words automatically or efficiently. Adequate ability to perceive
relationships in the meaning of words and form word associations is essential for classroom listening and
reading comprehension. Deficits in recognizing and using word associations influence a student’s ability
to make predictions, create meaning, make inferences, and use analogical reasoning for problem solving.
Semantic Relationships
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Standard Score:
This subtest requires a student to listen to a sentence or sentences and complete a question with two
correct answers provided visually and auditorily. Performance in the below-average range on the
Semantic Relationships subtest indicates that the student has difficulty interpreting sentences that (a)
make comparisons (comparative relations), (b) identify location or direction (spatial relations), (c) include
time relationships (temporal relations), (d) include serial order (sequential relations), or (e) are expressed
in passive voice (passive relations). The student may have difficulty following directions for classroom or
workbook assignments with comparisons (smaller than, larger than); understanding conventional series
(numbers, alphabet, days of the week); prepositions (right, left, next to); order of action (before, after); or
use of passive voice (math problems). The student may experience academic difficulties in curriculum
areas such as English, language arts, math, sciences, arts, and vocational training.
Word Structure
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Standard Score:
This subtest requires the student to listen to a partial sentence and end it with a grammatically correct
word or phrase. Students who perform in the below-average range on the Word Structure subtest may
experience difficulties in verbal and written expression, and delays in reading comprehension. The ability
to express and understand distinctions in meaning that arise from grammatical markers, such as plural
and possessive word endings, past-tense forms, personal pronouns, and derived forums of nouns, verbs,
and adjectives, is essential in early learning of reading and writing. In early reading and writing classroom
activities, sentences are generally simple in form (grammar), but subtle meanings and relationships are
expressed in the word endings and other grammatical markers.
Formulated Sentences
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Standard Score:
This subtest requires a student to look at a picture and generate a sentence to include a given target
word. Performance in the below-average range on the Formulated Sentences subtest may indicate that
the student has difficulties in the generative language aspects related to planning and producing
sentences for conversation, classroom discourse, academic interactions, and written language.
Recalling Sentences
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This subtest requires a student to listen to a sentence and repeat it back verbatim. Performance in the
below-average range on the Recalling Sentences subtest can sometimes be attributed to a student’s
inability to immediately recall spoken language. The student often has difficulties with associated
classroom tasks, such as writing to dictation, taking notes, remembering the teacher’s instructions, and
copying from the chalkboard.
Sentence Assembly
Percentile:
Standard Score:
This subtest requires a student to look at blocks of words that are not in order and arrange them to
formulate two complete and correct sentences. Performance in the below-average range on Sentence
Assembly indicates that the student is experiencing difficulty in formulating descriptions, questions,
responses, or conversation. Classroom difficulties can be expected in English and language arts for
curriculum activities, such as sentence combining and sentence analysis. Inadequacies in syntactic
flexibility can also affect speaking, written composition, and performance in rhetoric, in that there is a lack
of variation in sentence structures used to express intents.
Listening to Paragraphs
Percentile:
Standard Score:
This subtest requires a student to listen to two short paragraphs and answer questions regarding those
paragraphs. Students who perform in the below-average range on the Listening to Paragraphs subtest
may exhibit classroom difficulties in listening and reading comprehension. The paragraphs target
listening comprehension at the factual and inferential levels. Some students have difficulty remembering
facts and details presented in the paragraphs. Generally, they show other evidence of auditory memory
difficulties on the CELF-3. Other students remember facts and details, but cannot go beyond the
concrete examples given in the paragraphs. They have difficulty understanding causes, effects,
outcomes, reasons, and relationships. This causes difficulty in making inferences; understanding the
implied reasoning; and problem-solving based on the context.
Word Associations
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Standard Score:
This subtest requires a student to list as many members in a given category as he can in one minute.
Students who perform below average on the Word Associations subtest demonstrate inadequate
semantic organization and lack word association strategies to name members of a semantic class rapidly
and efficiently. In the classroom, these students may have difficulty speaking or writing. For example,
word webbing may be an inefficient strategy for generating words and ideas for these students. In
speaking and writing, the student may lack a variety in using words, surface structure cohesion, and
coherence in speaking and writing.
Receptive Language
Expressive Language
Total Score:
SLP06 (1/08)
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Age Equivalent: