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Nicole Sayer
April 29, 2011
SPED 424
Assessment Write-Up

Date: April 23, 2011

Name: Emily Smith
Birthdate: August 17, 2004
Chronological Age: 6 years 8 months
Grade: Kindergarten
School: Home school
Teacher: Mother, Karen

General Information
Test Administered: Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, Fourth Edition Form B
Date of Testing: April 23, 2011
Administrator: Nicole Sayer
Reason for Testing: Class Assignment

Rapport/Background
The test administer has been a nanny for this child for the past six years so she’s
known her for quite some time. She loves playing educational games on the
computer and board games. She is a very smart girl and is excelling in schoolwork
that is above her grade level. Her older sister is the same way; both of them are very
intelligent girls. The homeschooling provided to them in their house has allowed
them to excel in academics. The only language spoken at home is English, although,
her grandmother speaks Korean to her sometimes, so she knows minimal Korean.

Testing Observations
The student examined was six years and eight months of age. Her physical status
was perfect, she was perfectly healthy and hadn’t been ill before the assessment was
given. Emily is a very cooperative girl; she listened to everything she was told to do
during the assessment period. She had a very good attention span and paid
attention the whole time. During the thirty minutes in which she was being assessed
she didn’t complain one bit, or ask if she was done soon. She was eager to be tested
and eager to find out how well she did. Overall, she was a really easy person to
assess and was very cooperative.

Test and Procedures Used

The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, Fourth Edition, Form B is a norm-
referenced instrument that measures the receptive vocabulary of persons age
ranging from two years and six months to nineteen and above. The PPVT-4 scale
measures the understanding of the spoken word in standard American English,
assessing only receptive vocabulary.
When shown four pictures in the assessment book, the examinee must
correctly identify the picture that corresponds with the word stated by the
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examiner. The examiner should respond “good,” or “that’s fine,” whether the
student is correct or not. The examiner should be careful not to coach or teach the
student or hint towards any answer during the assessment.
There is a training portion given before the actual assessment in which the
examiner may coach the student if it is necessary for the student to understand the
proper procedure they need to follow during the assessment. During this time, if the
student responses correctly the examiner is to say “good;” if the student does not
respond at all the administer should respond “you may not be sure, but put your
finger on the one you think is right.” If the student still does not respond the
examiner can repeat the question and/or place the student’s finger on the correct
picture.
The basal set is the lowest set of items administered containing one or zero
errors. Once the basal set is established, the test is administered until the student
receives eight or more errors on one set. This set then becomes the student’s ceiling
set; the highest set of items administered containing eight or more errors.

Assessment Results
According to the PPVT Form B manual, the student received the following score:

RAW: Raw Score SS: Standard Score

PR: Percentile Rank GE: Grade Equivalent
AE: Age Equivalent NCE: Normal Curve Equivalent
GSV: Growth Scale Value Stanine: Stanine

RAW SS PR GE AE NCE GSV Stanine Description

Examinee’s Moderately
Scores 126 118 88% 1.9 7.7 75 157 7 High
Score

The student’s raw score of 126 was obtained by taking the ceiling item of 156
minus the total number to errors of 30. From the raw score, the standard score of
118 using the table on age norms. The student’s score placed her in the 88
percentile. This means she did the same as or better than 88 percent of the students
who took the test of the same age. Using a table in the manual, the student’s stanine
was determined. Her stanine is 7; this is based on a 1 to 9 scale. On table B.5 in the
manual, the student’s growth scale value of 157 was found. The PPVT-4 is unique
because it developed the GSV or growth scale value. The GSV score is designed for
measuring change over time. This is like the raw score; in it is an indicator of
absolute, not relative, performance. If an examinee’s vocabulary increases, his/her
GSV score will increase as well. The student’s age equivalence of 7 years and 7
months and grade equivalent score of 1.9 categorizes the student as having a
receptive vocabulary higher than her age group, she has a receptive vocabulary
which is that of a child 7 years and 7 months old, or that of a late first grader. All
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results were from the PPVT-4 Form B manual; the scores were based on the norms
and are true of other students who took the same assessment.

Summary and Conclusions

The test administered to the individual was the PPVT-4 Form B; this is a test of
receptive vocabulary of American English for individuals from the age of two years
and six months to the age of nineteen or above. This is a verbal assessment in which
the subject is asked to point out picture representing different words that are either
in the category or noun, verb, or attribute. During this assessment, the subject was a
six year and eight month old who was extremely cooperative. She did everything
asked of her without putting up any sort of fight. She turned out to be an extremely
intelligent girl who is in the 88 percentile of her age group. Everything that this girl
is experiencing school wise should remain the same, because she is very intelligent
for her age and grade level.