Steps in designing and implementing an innovative assessment instrument.

Area of Science:

• Linguistics
• Speech-Language Pathology
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Existing language assessments may not be equally valid for children from diverse linguistic backgrounds.
• Accurate assessment is crucial for identifying language disorders in children speaking African American English (AAE) and Mainstream American English (MAE).

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate innovative language assessments suitable for both AAE- and MAE-speaking children.
• To create a two-part assessment process including screening and comprehensive testing.

Main Methods:

• Designed language probes focusing on dialect identification using contrastive features.
• Developed probes for disorder diagnosis using non-contrastive elements.
• Conducted extensive experimental field testing of the assessment tools.

Main Results:

• The developed assessment process consists of a screening test and a comprehensive test covering Syntax, Pragmatics, Semantics, and Phonology.
• Language probes effectively served dual functions: dialect identification and disorder diagnosis.
• The new assessment differs significantly from existing tests in item design and overall construction.

Conclusions:

• The proposed assessment offers a more equitable and accurate method for evaluating language skills in AAE- and MAE-speaking children.
• This research provides a foundation for improved diagnostic practices in speech-language pathology for diverse populations.