Peabody Individual Achievement Test Research Articles

Factor structure of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised, Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, and Peabody Individual Achievement Test in a psychiatric sample

This study analyzed the factor structure of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R), the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT), and the Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT) in a psychiatric sample that ranged in age from 6 to 16 years (mean age = 11.1 years; SD = 3.0). The resultant factor structure of this sample was compared with patterns reported on normal and learning-disabled children. The subjects were 329 children under inpatient and outpatient care who had been referred for emotional disturbances. The results were similar to previous factor analytic studies of the WISC-R and PIAT, showing four factors: Verbal Comprehension, Verbal Achievement, Perceptual Organization, and Number Facility. The implications for the interpretation of these tests in a psychiatric sample and the appropriateness of a maximum likelihood technique in analysis of psychometric data are discussed.

A Comparison of the Effects of Academic and Cognitive Curricula for Young Handicapped Children One and Two Years Postprogram

Follow-up testing of graduates from two highly contrasting models of early intervention, Direct Instruction and Mediated Learning, was conducted at 1 year and 2 years postintervention. Children from both programs generally maintained or increased cognitive and academic skills following intervention. Trends suggesting differential effects for subscales of the Peabody Individual Achievement Test and the Stanford-Binet (fourth edition) were noted in the first-year follow-up. The differential effects decreased by the second year postintervention, although the overall benefits of early intervention appeared to continue.

Piagetian cognitive functioning in students with learning disabilities.

This study investigated the cognitive abilities as measured by the Inventory of Piaget's Developmental Tasks (IPDT) (Furth, 1970) of male and female fourth and fifth graders with learning disabilities. In addition, their cognitive abilities were compared to their reading and mathematics achievement, as measured by the Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT) (Dunn & Markwardt, 1970). A two-way analysis of covariance revealed a significant mean difference in cognitive ability between students with learning disabilities and nondisabled students. No significant differences existed in performance between males and females. Multiple regression showed that a linear combination of reading and mathematics achievement yielded a significant positive correlation to cognitive ability.

The concurrent validity of the peabody individual achievement test and woodcock reading mastery tests among students with mild learning problems

Previous research has revealed moderate to high validity coefficients between the Peabody Individual Achievement Test and the Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests. However, the same research has indicated rather consistently that the latter instrument provides significantly lower means than do several screening tests currently being used in the field. This investigation replicated and extended previous research by comparing the two instruments across three grade clusters in order to determine whether the lower Woodcock scores are equally robust for each level. As in prior research, validity coefficients were moderate to high in magnitude. However, the differences between the means of two instruments were found to decrease in size from earlier to later grades. That is, seven of the eight significantly different means were found to occur in grades 1 through 4. Only one significant difference was found for grades 5 through 8. Discussion sought to explain the results in terms of the representativeness of the Woodcock norms and the novel method that Woodcock used to estimate sample means and standard deviations.

Validity of school history as a diagnostic criterion for reading disability

In order to assess the validity of school history information as a diagnostic criterion for reading disability, reading performance data from 304 children with a positive history for reading problems were compared to those from 319 children with a negative school history. These children are members of twin pairs who are participants in the Colorado Reading Project (DeFries 1985). A multivariate analysis of variance of Reading Recognition, Reading Comprehension, and Spelling subtest scores from the Peabody Individual Achievement Test (Dunn and Markwardt 1970) yielded a highly significant (p <0.001) difference between groups for both the multivariate and univariate comparisons. The difference between the unweighted mean scores of the school-history positive and negative groups for Reading Recognition was 2.1 standard deviations. Moreover, when discriminant weights estimated from an independent sample of 140 reading-disabled and 140 control nontwin children were used to reclassify the sample of twins, 75% of those with a positive history for reading problems were classified as being reading disabled and 95% of those with a negative history were classified as unaffected. Thus, results of this study establish the validity of school history information and suggest that such information may have considerable utility for ascertaining samples of reading-disabled children.

Estimating General Intellectual Functioning in Adolescents with the PPVT-R and Piat Using a Multiple Regression Approach

Multiple regression analysis was employed to determine the combination of predictor variables that would optimize prediction of WISC-R Full Scale IQ for 127 adolescents. Independent predictor variables included race, sex, age, standard score on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R) and total test score on the Peabody Individual Achievement Test. A multiple R of .79 was achieved when all five predictor variables were entered hierarchically. A regression equation is presented which yields a more reliable estimate of intelligence than does the PPVT-R alone.

Intellectual impairment in adolescent psychosis: A controlled psychometric study

The relationship of cognitive impairment to the course of schizophrenia remains uncertain. By studying psychotic adolescents, 90% of whom were hospitalized for the first time, we hoped to reduce the influence of such confounding variables as lengthy disease process, neuroleptic treatment, and institutionalization. 39 psychotic adolescent subjects who fulfilled DSM-III criteria for schizophrenia, schizophreniform psychosis, paranoid schizophrenia, or atypical psychosis were compared to 41 non-psychotic adolescent psychiatric controls. Subjects were administered the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised, Peabody Individual Achievement tests of reading, reading comprehension, and mathematics, Bender-Gestalt, and Purdue Pegboard test within 3 weeks of admission to a psychiatric hospital. Performance IQ was significantly lower in the psychotic group (72 versus 93, P= 0.03). Thus, the IQ pattern in adolescent psychotic patients at an early stage in their illness was similar to the pattern displayed by chronic adult schizophrenic patients. Results were not consistent with theories of left hemisphere involvement inschizophrenia. Academic achievement was similar in both groups despite marked differences in performance IQ. Psychotropic medication had no significant impact on the results. In summary, deficits in processing novel material seem at the very least to be present at the onset of the psychotic disorder, though they may be non-progressive thereafter.

Comparison of reading and listening-reading techniques for administration of PIAT Reading Comprehension subtest: justification for the bypass approach.

The Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT) Reading Comprehension subtest was administered to a group of 23 learning disabled children in Grades 5 through 7 who had been classified by the clinical Lexical Paradigm as good readers or poor readers. Using standardized test administration, 14 poor readers scored substantially below the 9 good readers; however, when the child was allowed to listen and read silently while the test item was read aloud, poor readers showed marked improvement in performance compared to only moderate improvement shown by the good readers. This difference in improvement between the groups was significant and resulted in poor readers achieving performance similar to that of the good readers administered the test in the standard manner.

Prediction of Elementary School Achievement from Preschool Temperament: Three Studies

The utility of the Temperament Assessment Battery — Teacher Form (TAB) in predicting academic achievement over intervals of 1 to 4 years was investigated using samples of young children aged 46 to 94 months. The Stanford Achievement Test (SAT), Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT), and the Metropolitan Achievement Test (MAT) were used as measures of achievement in studies 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Also, teacher assigned grades and data reflecting scholastic aptitude were collected for each study. Results revealed that even with the effects of aptitude controlled, temperament ratings (Distractibility, Persistence, and Activity) were predictive of group measures of achievement (i.e., SAT and MAT) and teacher assigned grades. Results document the utility of temperament ratings in predicting achievement over considerable time intervals and lends support to the incremental validity of the Teacher Form of the TAB.

Effects of lateralized cerebral lesions on oral reading, reading comprehension, and spelling.

This study used the Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT) to assess reading and spelling skills in a normal control group (n = 100) and in patients having cerebral damage in the left hemisphere (LH; n = 86) or right hemisphere (RH; n = 76). Relative to the normals, both brain-damaged groups were impaired on PIAT Reading Comprehension and Spelling. Only the LH group was impaired on PIAT Reading Recognition. PIAT performances were strongly related to extent of brain damage within the left hemisphere, but not within the right. Similarly, whereas reading and spelling deficits were associated with temporal- and occipital-lobe involvement in the LH group, presence or absence of specific lobe involvement was unrelated to PIAT performance in the RH group. Relationships also were assessed between PIAT performances and demographic variables and the Average Impairment Rating from the Halstead-Reitan Battery.

Neuropsychological deficit and learning disability in children with psychiatric disorders: a preliminary report.

The Family Psychology Institrrts of Binghamton, IVY Based on an examination of the papers of Geschwind and Galaburda (1985), who postulated an association between learning disabilities and unilateral delays in cortical development and the research of Porter and Rourke (1985) who identified specific subtypes of socioemotional dysfunction among children with learning disabilities, an investigation of the relationship between type of psychopathology (i.e., somatic vs affective vs behavioral dysfunction) and nature of neuropsychological impairment was initiated at our Institute. The purpose of this initial study was to test the hypothesis that children displaying both academic and behavioral, affective or somatic problems would also show evidence of neuropsychological impairment. In our study were examined 42 Caucasian children (34 boys, 8 girls, with an average of 11.7 yr.) who were referred for treatment for academic problems and psychiatric disorders. Each child was evaluated via methods described by Selz and Reitan (1979). By using a criterion of performance of two years below chronologicaI age on a measure of academic achievement, The Peabody Individual Achievement Test, a WISC-R Full Scale IQ 1 90, a scaled score of at least 2 on any of the Reitan tests, and a T score of at least 70 on any of the clinical scales on The Personality Inventory for Children, 4396 of our sample (4 girls and 14 boys) displayed significant neuropsychological deficits, in addition to psychopathology and academic problems. Given the large percentage of children displaying this pattern in our preliminary study, therapists are cautioned to examine thoroughly the neuropsychological functioning of children displaying a combination of academic and psychiatric problems prior to initiating treatment.

Locus of control and achievement in child psychiatric inpatients.

The relationship between the Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control Scale for Children (Nowicki & Strickland, 1973) and academic achievement was examined in a sample of 66 child psychiatric inpatients. Previous studies had suggested that this measure correlated with achievement in normal samples (Nowicki & Strickland, 1973) but not in populations of male juvenile offenders (Little & Kendall, 1978). The product-moment correlation between the Nowicki-Strickland Scale and the Peabody Individual Achievement Test was significant. However, when the effect of IQ was controlled for in a partial correlation, there was no significant correlation. Discussion focuses on the relationship between these results and other findings in the area of locus of control, intelligence, and achievement.

Validity of Academic Achievement Measures With Emotionally Handicapped Children

Assessment of academic achievement is a very frequent component of evaluation and treatment planning for emotionally handicapped youngsters. However, there is very little information available on the validity of the most commonly used achievement tests with this population. In our study, with a sample of emotionally handicapped children receiving day treatment services, multiple validity indexes were derived for the Wide Range Achievement Test and the Peabody Individual Achievement Test. These included measures of concurrent and construct validity. Results were discussed in terms of the convergent and discriminant validity of subtests, and the accuracy of the estimation of grade level.

Development of conservation and academic achievement in learning disabled children.

To investigate learning disabled children's development of conservation concepts and its relationship with academic achievement 24 normal and 23 learning disabled children were individually administered the Concept Assessment Kit-Conservation, the Peabody Individual Achievement Test, and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. Analysis indicated that learning disabled children showed slower development in acquisition of conservation concepts than their normal peers. Age affected conservation development of learning disabled children. Correlations were moderate to high for conservation concepts with reading and mathematics achievement in learning disabled children. Educational implications of the findings were discussed.

Sequential-simultaneous processing and reading skills in primary grade children.

This study was designed to investigate relationships between two modes of information processing, simultaneous and sequential, and two sets of reading skills, word recognition and comprehension. Forty second and third graders were administered the Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT). Median splits were performed on the PIAT Reading Recognition and Reading Comprehension scores separately and four groups of 10 were formed: high recognition/high comprehension, high recognition/low comprehension, low recognition/high comprehension, and low recognition/low comprehension. These groups were equated on sex, race, IQ, and age to the greatest degree possible. Then the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) was administered to the 40 children. Results of this study added support to the body of literature finding a relationship between simultaneous processing and reading comprehension.

Employing teachers' ratings in selection of achievement tests in reading and mathematics with a behaviorally disturbed population

The usefulness of a particular standardized achievement test with a specific population may be determined largely on the basis of experience. Sixty-six behaviourally disturbed students were administered portions of a test battery including the Reading Recognition subtest of the Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT), PIAT Reading Comprehension, the Reading subtest of the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT), and Stanford Diagnostic Reading Test (SDRT); PIAT Mathematics, WRAT Arithmetic, Stanford Diagnostic Mathematics Test (SDMT), and KeyMath Diagnostic Arithmetic Test. Toward the end of the academic year, teachers estimated students' grade levels in reading and mathematics. Results indicated that, in mathematics, the SDMT and the PIAT predicted teachers' ratings equally well and better than the other tests; in reading, all tests predicted teachers' ratings equally well except for the PIAT Reading Comprehension, which performed less well than others. Explanations for these results are offered, together with suggestions for identifying achievement tests suitable to specific populations.

The use of the Peabody Individual Achievement Test and the Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests in the diagnosis of a learning disability in reading: a caveat.

The Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT, Dunn &amp; Markwardt, 1970) and the Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests (Woodcock, 1973) are two tests widely used for the purpose of: a) The diagnosis of learning disabilities. For example, in Tennessee there must be a discrepancy of more than one standard deviation between expected and actual reading level, while in Ohio the difference must be two standard deviations. b) The demonstration of gain scores to assess the efficacy of instructional strategies or teaching effectiveness.

Comparison of arithmetic measures with learning disabled students.

Four measures of arithmetic skills were evaluated for 69 learning disabled students (58 boys, 11 girls; 6 to 14 yr. old). These measures were the arithmetic subtests of the Wide Range Achievement Test and Peabody Individual Achievement test, the Key Math, and teachers' ratings. Partial correlations were high, indicating substantial content validity. Mean grade placement scores were generally equivalent for Key Math and teachers' ratings. The Peabody Individual Achievement Test produced significantly higher while the Wide Range Achievement Test resulted in significantly lower grade-placement scores than the other two measures.

The Use of the Peabody Individual Achievement Test and the Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests in the Diagnosis of a Learning Disability in Reading: A Caveat

Using a counterbalanced order, 34 learning disabled students from three schools in southern Appalachia were given the Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT) and the Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests (Woodcock). PIAT Reading Recognition and Woodcock Word Identification scores were compared, as were the PIAT Reading Comprehension and Woodcock Passage Comprehension scores. The results from a correlated t test revealed highly positive and significant correlations but equally highly significant differences between the means (p &lt; .001). The PIAT scores were uniformly higher. The results were interpreted as supporting the results of previous research studies. Further analysis revealed that, according to the regulations of the state of Tennessee, fewer students were certifiable as learning disabled in reading by the scores from the PIAT than by scores from the Woodcock. Cautions are expressed about the use of the PIAT (designed by its authors to be a screening device) in the diagnosis of a learning disability in reading unless or until further research demonstrates the concurrent validity of the PIAT.

Convergent and discriminant validity of the mental processing scales of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children

Convergent and discriminant validity of the Mental Processing Scales of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) were examined using 51 first-grade children. Convergent validity was assessed using the Reading Recognition and Comprehension subtests of the Peabody Individual Achievement Test. Discriminant validity was assessed using a measure of anxiety/self-esteem, the Child Anxiety Scale, and a measure of hyperactive behavior, the Hyperactivity scale of the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist. Results supported the convergent validity of the K-ABC; correlations with reading achievement were fairly large. The discriminant validity received only partial support. The K-ABC did not correlate with the Child Anxiety Scale, but did show rather large correlations with the measure of hyperactive behavior. Implications for understanding what the K-ABC Mental Processing Scales are measuring are discussed.