From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities
A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis
Finally, The Perfect Reading Test!!!!!
Is it perfect?
No.
No test is perfect, and test scores, without proper interpretation and without corroborating information, can damage children. Inaccurate scores can easily lead to a reading program, a class placement, or an Individualized Education Program (IEP) that backfires.
To better understand test scores and help ensure that your child’s reading program is effective, read and save these quotes from a test manual I reviewed for the University of Nebraska’s Seventeenth Mental Measurements Yearbook.
- Examiners should be cautious in interpreting the results of even those tests that are reliable at the highest levels because they still possess considerable error. For example, a test with almost perfect reliability (i.e., .95) … still contains about 15% error. As a result, test scores, especially when they are used to make judgments about individuals, must always be interpreted carefully…. In every case, diagnoses and hypotheses resting on test data have to be confirmed by other observations. (GDRT-2-Manual, p. 34).
- Too often examiners forget the dictum that ‘tests don’t diagnose, people do’ and base their diagnoses exclusively on test results, a hazardous enterprise at best. Test results are merely observations, not diagnoses. They specify a performance level at a given time under a particular situation, but they do not tell the examiner why a person performed as he or she did.
- The questions concerning the why of the test performance are the very essence of diagnosis, and they can be answered only by an insightful, competent test examiner. Test results make useful contributions to diagnosis; but in the end, practical diagnosis rests on the clinical skills and experience of examiners. Test results are only aids to clinical judgment. (GDRT-2-Manual, p. 34).
Remember these quotes when reviewing a single test score or set of scores from a single test. If, for example, your child was given a learning evaluation and the examiner administered only one reading test (with several subtests), and other information contradicts your child’s reading test scores, discuss these quotes with the examiner. Ask her to get objective, representative samples of your child’s reading that supports or disputes her findings. (Good professionals welcome such opportunities; they know all tests and test results contain error.) If impressive corroboration is not found, do not trust the scores. Instead, seek further information, which may include a far more comprehensive assessment of your child’s reading abilities.
Reference
Bryant, B. R., Wiederholt, J. L., & Bryant, D. P. (2004). Manual for the Gray Diagnostic Reading Tests-Second Edition (GDRT-). Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.
Howard Margolis © Reading2008 & Beyond
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Special Needs Talk Radio Network: Launching September 6th
On Tuesday, September 6, the new Special Needs Talk Radio network (http://specialneedstalkradio.com/ ) will launch six new radio shows. Each show is dedicated to improving the lives of children and youth with special needs and their families.
On Monday evenings, Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and I will host Maximizing Your Child’s Potential (9 PM – 9:30 PM EST, http://specialneedstalkradio.com/maximizing-your-childs-potential).
Future guests on our show will include:
- Dr. Steven Lange, Child and Adolescent Psychologist, Helping Children Overcome Sleep Problems
- Dr. Richard Selznick, Cooper University Hospital, Helping the Shut-Down Learner
- Dr. John Pellitteri, City University of New York, Strengthening Your Child’s Emotional Intelligence
- Dr. Tim Rasinski, Kent State University, Overcoming Problems of Reading Fluency
- Dr. Nancy Padak, Kent State University, Helping Your Children Overcome Reading Problems
- Dr. Richard Boon, University of Georgia, Helping Teenagers Improve Their Reading
- Dr. Sarah Allen, Educational Consultant, How Neuropsychologists Can Help Parents Develop Quality IEPs
- Dr. Erica Lembke, University of Missouri, Monitoring Your Child’s Progress
- Dr. Patrick McCabe, Mercy College, Developing the Confidence of Struggling Learners
- Staci Greenwald, Special Education Attorney, The Pro’s and Con’s of Public and Private School Programs
- Dr. J. Richard Gentry, Educational Consultant, Raising Confident Readers: Birth and Beyond
If possible, look at the Special Needs Talk Radio’s website (http://specialneedstalkradio.com/). See how its lineup of experts can help you help the children and youth you care about.
They put it so well. Why is not this simple understanding being used? I think they do not care. My research into different types of truants, my friend Tom Carter’s work and now with the research by SARB in California with the K and up grades the data shows a big problem coming if not properly dealt with. You cannot have mass amounts of children not coming to school everyday or for more than 10% of the school year and expect things to work. This is why what they are talking about is so importans so as not to misdirect by only using tests which have no debth of understanding as does the human factor of insight.
I have a school district in Sacramento which has gone from .1% don’t come everyday to 17.1% today. At LAUSD in 2001 2% did not come everyday. In 2009-10 it is almost 15% which cost the district over $1 billion as you only get paid for those who come.
The SARB study shows that up to 17% of K students missed 10% or more of the days of school. In another section of the SARB study it shows that if they miss 0-4 days 87% graduation rate, 10-14 days 41% graduation rate, 40+ days 0% graduation rate. Also, they found that this was a better predictor than 8th grade test scores. That makes sense as if you look at enrollment from K-8 it is stable. At the 9th grade it goes down fast.