Test Critique of the OLSAT: Otis-Lennon School Ability Test

Kelsey Starr
Clemson University
Test Critique of the OLSAT: Otis-Lennon School Ability Test
The Otis-Lennon School Ability Test is a standardized intellience test commonly used throuhout the
United States! "ts main focus is to assess children#s ability levels in the classroom $Ai%en & 'roth-(arnat)
*++,-! Since ./.0) 1earson 2ducation has been 3ublishin tests li%e the OLSAT to hel3 educators teach
students and to ensure their success! $1earson) *+.*b-! This 3a3er 4ill serve as a test critique for the
3o3ular Otis-Lennon School Ability Test!
General Features
1ublished by 1earson Assessments and 4ritten by A!S! Otis and 5! T! Lennon) the Otis-Lennon School
Ability Test first emered in the ./6+#s! $Ai%en & 'roth-(arnat) *++,-! The first version of the OLSAT 4as
3ublished on Auust .7) ./6/) 4hile the current eihth edition) OLSAT 0) 4as 3ublished after .//8
$1earson) *+.*a-! There are seven levels of the OLSAT $A throuh '-) 4hich corres3ond to s3ecific
rades! The different test levels include a test s3ecifically for %inderarten) .st) *nd) 7rd) 9th and 8th) ,th
throuh 0
th
) and /
th
throuh .*
th
rades! The OLSAT is administered bet4een ,+ and 68 minutes)
de3endin on the level! The scores are standardized and include School Ability "nde:es $SA"s-) 3ercentile
ran%s) stanines) scaled scores) and normal curve equivalents $;C2s-! "t is rou3-administered and can be
iven by 3a3er-and-3encil or ta%en online $Ai%en & 'roth-(arnat) *++,< 1earson) *+.*a-! OLSAT 0 can
also be iven 4ith the Stanford Achievement Test Series) .+
th
edition) in order to relate a student#s ability
level to their actual level of achievement $1earson) *+.*b-!
Test Description
The Otis-Lennon 'rou3 School Ability Test is desined to measure academic success! The test
measures com3le: conitive abilities) such as abstract thin%in and reasonin ability) to assess a
student#s ability to learn and follo4 instructions in school $1earson) *+.*b-! Another function of the OLSAT
is to 3lace students in school accordin to their ability and =ude their ability to co3e 4ith school tas%s
$(otta & >ose3h) *+++-! OLSAT 0 and its former versions are used 4ith school-ae children in
%inderarten throuh .*
th
rade! Over time) this test has been ada3ted and evolved from similar tests)
includin the Otis Self-Administered Tests of (ental Ability) the Otis-Lennon (ental Ability Test $OL(AT-)
and the Otis ?uic% Scorin (ental Ability Test $Ai%en) & 'roth-(arnat) *++,-! Also) accordin to (otta
and >ose3h $*+++-) the OL(AT) an OLSAT 3redecessor) evolved from the Army Al3ha 2:amination of
@orld @ar ") 4hich 4as one of the first intellience tests that forever chaned the 4ay 3eo3le vie4 tests!
Psychometric Properties
Overall) the OLSAT has ood 3sychometric 3ro3erties! "n terms of reliability) the estimates rane
from !09 to !/8) de3endin on 4hich level of the test is bein assessed! "nstead of sho4in test-retest
reliability) the OLSAT sho4s internal consistency! "n terms of validity) estimates rane from !9+ to !,+! The
OLSAT Technical (anual offers content) criterion-referenced) and construct validity as evidence! All of the
normative data surroundin the OLSAT is based on a lare) national sam3le! Aemora3hic traits of the
standardized sam3les include eora3hic reion) socioeconomic status) ethnicity) and others! About
9,7)+++ students 4ere tested to standardize the current version of the test $China33i) *+.*a< (otta &
>ose3h) *+++-!
As 3reviously mentioned) the scores of the OLSAT are iven by SA"s) 3ercentile ran%s) stanines)
scaled scores) and ;C2s! The SA"s have a mean of .++ and a standard deviation of .,) 4hich ma%es it
easy to see 4here a student is relative to other students $Ai%en) & 'roth-(arnat) *++,-! The test scores
iven include the main Total Score) alon 4ith se3arate Berbal and ;onverbal 3art scores! The Total
score is the best overall indicator of school ability level $1earson) *+.*b-!
Discussion of Items
"tems on the OLSAT are 3ictorial) verbal) fiural) and quantitative! These items are used to
measure both the Berbal and ;onverbal com3onents of the test) 4hich then ive the Total score! The
Berbal com3onent includes subsections Berbal Com3rehension and Berbal 5easonin) 4hile the
;onverbal com3onent includes 1ictorial 5easonin) Ciural 5easonin) and ?uantitative 5easonin!
OLSAT 0 can be administered by 3a3er-and-3encil or online and is rou3-administered $1earson) *+.*a-!
The different levels) A throuh ') corres3ond to rade levels) and are administered slihtly different from
each other! Levels A and D are read aloud in three sections! Level C is also in 7 sections) 4ith the last
section bein read aloud! Level A is t4o sections) 4hile levels 2 and ' are one section! Doth verbal and
nonverbal test items de3end on the level of the OLSAT bein administered! Test items can be scored in
t4o 4ays) either machine scored by 1earson or hand-scored by a 3roctor $China33i) *+.*b-!
Issues and Concerns
(ost of the controversy surroundin the OLSAT is s3eculation! "n fact) it is bein used more
commonly today in schools than the formerly used Stanford-Dinet "ntellience Scale $China33i) *+.*a-!
One 3ossible issue 4ith usin the OLSAT is that it could 3romote trac%in in schools! The test itself may
not be controversial) but its use to 3lace students in ifted 3rorams and trac% students may be! Another
3ossible issue 4ith this test is that it is rou3-administered! "t has been arued that 4hen com3ared to
individually administered intellience tests) rou3-administered ones are not as valid! This could e:3lain
4hy the validity scores) as re3orted by (otta and >ose3h $*+++-) are fairly lo4 $bein only !9+-!,+-!
Another as3ect that could be an issue is that the test could be considered biased to4ards affluent families
4ith access to better education o33ortunities! Decause it costs money to administer and ta%e this test
$1earson) *+.*a-) some %ids in lo4er socioeconomic situations may be unable to ta%e the test) and thus
not be 3ro3erly 3laced in school! Another 3ossibility is that these students may be able to ta%e the test in
school) but may not have access to the many test 3re3 o3tions available to other students!
Summary and Conclusions
Overall) the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test is an e:cellent test that offers students a 4ay to be
accurately 3laced in school 4ith better chances of success! "t is reliable and fairly valid! The test is
versatile and can be iven to any school-aed student at any time! The different levels of the OLSAT
allo4 for student ro4th and offer an accurate 4ay to assess their school abilities! Ara4bac%s to the
OLSAT are that it is 3otentially biased to4ards the 4ealthy and that it is rou3 administered! The 3lus side
to that is that rou3-administered tests are much more cost and time-effective to administer than the more
valid individual administered intellience tests! "n summary) the OLSAT is a reat choice for 3arents or
teachers 4ho 4ant to measure a child#s conitive abilities as related to school! This test is standardized
4ith norms and scores that are easy to read and com3rehend! The OLSAT is becomin more and more
3o3ular in schools across the country because it is successful and efficient!
5eferences
Ai%en) L! 5! & 'roth-(arnat) '! $*++,-! Psychological Testing and Assessment. Doston) (A: 1earson
2ducation 'rou3) "nc!
China33i) >! $*+.*a) Cebruary *7-! "ntellience Tests Com3ared: Stanford-Dinet "ntellience Scale versus
Otis-Lennon School Abilities Test: 1art 9! 5etrieved from
htt3:EE444!brihthubeducation!comEstudent-assessment-toolsE*66*-stanford-binet-vs-otis-lennon-
school-abilities-testE
China33i) >! $*+.*b) (arch *7-! @hat is the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test $OLSAT-! 5etrieved from
htt3:EE444!brihthubeducation!comEstudent-assessment-toolsE*866-4hat-is-the-otis-lennon-
school-ability-testE
(otta) 5! @!) & >ose3h) >! (! $*+++-! 'rou3 Ability Tests! Handbook of Psychological Assessment $,-!
5etrieved from htt3:EEboo%s!oole!comEboo%sF
idG;O/90o+C/HsC&3G1A.7/&l3G1A.7/&dqGolsatIvalidityIandIreliability&sourceGbl&otsGsB
u254BK0,&siG3OrsvAK6m+.hi8t?73Ozdu8mDJ%&hlGen&saGH&eiGL.s7Ub=T2K1e04Tt.KL9
A?&vedG+CAA?,A24AAMvGone3ae&qGolsatN*+validityN*+andN*+reliability&fGfalse
1earson 2ducation! $*+.*a-! OLSAT0: Otis-Lennon School Ability Test) 2ihth 2dition! 5etrieved from
htt3:EEeducation!3earsonassessments!comELA"@2DECulturesEen-usE1roductdetail!htmF
1idGOLSAT
1earson 2ducation! $*+.*b-! OLSAT: Otis-Lennon School Ability Test) 2ihth 2dition $brochure-!
5etrieved from
htt3:EE444!3earsonassessments!comEhaiEimaesEdotComEolsat0EOLSATJDrochure!3df