No abstract

Research has indicated that school aged (6-16 years) versions of cognitive assessment instruments have varying levels of linguistic demand, which could impact assessment results for placement purposes. However, a significant limitation to this research is the fact that it has not been replicated with cognitive assessment instruments used in preschool populations. As such, the purpose of this study is to address this gap in the research literature by examining linguistic demands of cognitive test batteries used for preschool aged children. The Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition (KABC-II), Woodcock Johnson Test of Cognitive Abilities Fourth Edition (WJ Cog-IV), and the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence Fourth Edition were used for this examination. Overall results demonstrated that the oral directions of preschool assessments have relatively low linguistic demands. However, several subtests on WJ Cog-IV have high Complexity, Verbosity, and Total Demand indices, which can pose difficulty for students with limited word knowledge. Furthermore, the KABC-II was the least demanding assessment from a linguistic standpoint. Implications are discussed in terms of the assessment of early childhood populations.

The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) is a source that is used to report the empirical evidence for interventions. The purpose of this review was to understand the presence of Black children in research that has been classified as Meeting the Standards With and Without Reservations by the WWC. Results indicated that 16 interventions met the WWC standards with specific outcomes focusing on positive behavioral skills, social outcomes, change in values and attitudes, and school engagement. These interventions resulted in 22 peer-reviewed articles that were based on a group design, with 26 publications utilizing single-case methodology. From a methodological standpoint, none of the articles in this review analyzed results separately by race. Relatedly none of the reviewed interventions that meet standards or meet standards without reservations were culturally modified which has proven to be more beneficial than standard practice. Furthermore, the articles based on the interventions did not address specific causes of disparate behavioral outcomes in schools (e.g., perceived disrespect, defiance, insubordination, and disobedience) identified in the research base. Implications are discussed in terms of the validity of WWC studies as they relate to Black children.

The purpose of this article is to discuss issues of language, specifically African American Vernacular English (AAVE), as it relates to the reading performance of African American children. Previous research on the science of reading provides a research-based framework that is a starting point for evidence-based research that can be used to improve the reading outcomes of African American children. School psychology literature is limited in its inclusion of issues posed by deficit perspectives of AAVE with Black children and reading achievement. Given that practicing school psychologists spend significant portions of their time conducting assessments related to identifying and remediating reading problems, an increased awareness on how AAVE can impact African American children’s reading performance is necessary. Implications for research and practice will be discussed, such as inclusion of instruments to differentiate between reading difficulties and dialect differences (i.e., Diagnostic Evaluation of Language Variation).