Screening rural and suburban children with the Preschool Language Scale

A population of 528 Nebraska 4- and 5-year-old boys and girls, 214 rural children and 214 suburban children residing in the same school district in the rural-suburban interface west of metropolitan Omaha, were administered the Preschool Language Scale (PLS) to help determine future eligibility for kindergarten placement and possible remedial services. Rural and suburban cultures led to significantly different performance profiles on the PLS. Language ability was overestimated as both groups scored above age level using the age equivalency tables and performance quotients published for the Preschool Language Scale. Also, a significantly higher percentage of rural children failed a wide age range of Verbal Ability and Auditory Comprehension items. Differences were disproportionately due to Verbal Ability test items requiring the rural child to use responsive verbalized language. The PLS did not consistently satisfy criteria for culturally nonbiased, ecologically valid assessment.