LAB 5: SCORING, INTERPRETING, & REPORTING PERCENTILE SCORES

Lab 5: Scoring, Interpreting, & Reporting Percentile Scores

Alyssa Ayers, Connar Hurst, & Lauren Salome
HDFS 421
Michigan State University

LAB 5: SCORING, INTERPRETING, & REPORTING PERCENTILE SCORES

Introduction:
The following lab report is a collection of our groups scoring and interpretation of
Alexs (26 month old female) scores on the MacArthur Communicative Development
Inventory: Words & Sentences (CDI). The CDI assessment is a useful tool for
professionals to use parents as informants in their childs emerging language and
communication skills. Parents fill out the standardized forms according to the words,
sentences, and grammar that the child uses. Teachers, or other professionals score the
forms, and compare the results to other children of the same age, giving the
professional a percentile for the childs skills. With the percentile scores, professionals
can determine if a child needs additional support with their language development.
The purpose of our assessment on Alexs language skills was to follow-up with
her parents concern for her rate of language development and whether or not to
recommend her for evaluation to a child study team, resulting in intervention. We
specifically scored and interpreted Alexs ability to produce vocabulary words, use
words regarding the past and future, and her ability to use a variety of word endings
such as plural, possessive, progressive, and past tense. Additionally, we looked at the
length in morphemes in her three longest sentences.
Data Summary (Table):
To summarize our CDI: Words and Sentences report, Alexs, scores are as
followed; In Part I under words produced she scored 313 out of 680. This put her in the
30-35 percentile according to the manual 5, under table 5.20. When looking at her past
and future use of words, Alex scored an 82% for past, and 85% for future. Moving onto
Part II, word endings, she received a 78% on plural (-s), a 79% on possessive (-s), a
64% on progressive (-ing), and 48% on past tense. All of these percentages were found
on table 4.21, in manual 4. Concluding Alexs word forms, she had a score of 6 out of 25
which put her in the 40th percentile according to manual 5, under table 5.23. Lastly, we
recorded Alexs three longest sentences having used 5, 3, and 3 worded sentences.
This gave her a mean score of 3.6 and ranged her in the 35-40th percentile of girls her
age. The table we used to receive this information was from 5.29, in manual 5.

PART I: Words Children

Use

Raw
Scores

Vocabulary Words Produced

313/680

Yes

No
-

Percentile
-

30-35

Past

82.0

Future

85.0

-------

-------

Plural

78.0

Possessive

79.0

PART II: Sentences and

Grammar

------

------

LAB 5: SCORING, INTERPRETING, & REPORTING PERCENTILE SCORES

Progressive

Past Tense

X
X

64.0
48.0

Word Forms

6/25

40

Mean length of sentences

(M3L)

3.6 (mean)

25-30

Interpretation:
After reading over Alexs CDI Words and Sentences assessment we can only
determine how well she did compared to other girls her age. From this kind of
assessment we cannot determine exactly how much better she did, or exactly how
much worse she did than other girls her age. We can only compare her scores with the
norm of her age and gender. Further information will be included to fully understand the
reasoning behind the percentages.
According to data in the table presented above, Alexs vocabulary words
produced a raw score of 313 out of 680, which puts her in the 30-35 percentile for her
age and gender. This allows us to conclude that she scored as well as, or better than,
35% of girls her own age in the norm group that also participated in this assessment.
This also allows us to determine that 65% of girls Alexs age exceeded her score.
Moreover, when looking at how children her age and gender use words in reference to
the past, we can report that Alex does this sometimes, and according to table 4.2, the
norm percentage is 82 for 26 month old girls. Alexs parents also recorded data that
suggests that she talks about future events often. For her age and gender, the norm
percentage is 85.
In part two of the assessment: Sentences and Grammar, we determined that Alex
used a variety of word endings often. She used plural (-s), possessive (-s), and past
tense (-ed) word endings. Her mother reported that she used plural often, possessive
sometimes, and past tense sometimes. The norm percentage for 26 month old females
using plural endings is 78%, possessive endings is 79%, and past tense is 48%. Alexs
mother recorded that Alex did not use progressive (-ing) word endings yet. However, the
norm percentage for girls Alexs age who use progressive word endings is 64%.
According to this score, Alexs ability to use progressive word endings is 64% lower than
girls her age.
For Alexs overall use of word forms, she scored a 6 out of 25, which places her
in the 40th percentile for her age and gender. This tells us that she scored 40% or better
than females her age in the assessment. This percentile also tells us that females her
age scored 60% better than her on word forms. Alexs mean length of morphemes was
3.6 which put her in the 25-30th percentile for her age and gender. She scored better
than or equal to 30 % of the girls her age. She scored 30% lower than other girls her
age that also took the assessment.

Recommendation:

LAB 5: SCORING, INTERPRETING, & REPORTING PERCENTILE SCORES

After interpreting the data we collected to follow up on the concerns that her
parents had for the rate of her language development, we found that Alex is lacking in
the amount of vocabulary words she is able to produce in comparison to the majority of
females her age. The amount of vocabulary words she was able to produce came to a
score of 313 out of 680, putting her in the 30-35 percentile for other children of the same
age and gender, so 65% of other females her age exceeded her score. This also
contributed to her low score in the sentence lengths that she used because of this lack
in vocabulary. Our recommendation for her would be more language exposure. Through
one-on-one time, such as reading stories to her and just conversing with her, she would
be exposed to language and be able to practice through that conversing. Another
recommendation we had for Alex was to place her in groups with other children that
have higher vocabulary output scores when compared to hers. This group time could
occur during small group time or even just during snack because conversation flows
freely during these times.
Some other areas where we noticed she was slightly below average compared to
other females her age were word forms and past tense. This is because she score a
6 out of 25 in the use of words forms, which is 40% or better than other females of her
age. This means that she was below average in producing those types of language and
communication skills. Through more language exposure in the classroom, these types
of communication types will be addressed as well. Alex does not appear to be in a red
flag zone for her language skills at this time so just the added exposure and extra
communication with her is our recommendation for right now.

Reflection:
In the process of completing this assignment, we have developed skills in: using
a variety of standardized instruments, interpreting and critically evaluating reports of
formal assessments, communicating assessment results to professionals and family
members, and understanding the roles of assessment for children with special needs.
We have also learned how to effectively work as a group despite conflicting personal
schedules.
By using a new assessment tool, the CDI, we were able to familiarize ourselves
with standardized assessments that professionals often use. Since we are not
technically out in our field of work yet, this was our first exposure to interpreting and
critically evaluating a formal assessment. Although we did not report our findings to
Alexs mother in person, it was helpful for us to think about how we would clearly
communicate Alexs results and our interpretation of those results in a respectful
manner while caring for her mothers concern regarding her daughters language
development. Additionally, we gained experience in understanding how to determine if a
child is in need of additional learning services based on their scores. Children in the
lower percentiles may need additional learning services, but it is not always necessary.
Due to conflicting schedules during exam week, we were unable to all meet in
person. To ensure that everyone was included and had an accurate understanding of
the data, we created a Google Doc to communicate our findings and interpretation of

LAB 5: SCORING, INTERPRETING, & REPORTING PERCENTILE SCORES

the data. We divided the sections of the report to ensure that everyone had a part in
writing the report.
Although we developed skills by completing this assessment, we found this lab to
be more complicated and more confusing than the last four. The timing of this report
made it difficult for all three of us to meet and share our ideas with one another. There
were also numerous resources for scoring and interpreting data we had to use and keep
track of. However, we managed to work as a team and complete the assignment, while
familiarizing ourselves with standardized assessments.

LAB 5: SCORING, INTERPRETING, & REPORTING PERCENTILE SCORES

Appendix 1, Ayers, Hurst, Salome

LAB 5: SCORING, INTERPRETING, & REPORTING PERCENTILE SCORES

LAB 5: SCORING, INTERPRETING, & REPORTING PERCENTILE SCORES

LAB 5: SCORING, INTERPRETING, & REPORTING PERCENTILE SCORES

Lauren Salome
Child's name: Alex Female 26 Mos.

Child Report Form CD/: Words and Sentences

PART I: WORDS CHILDREN USE
Vocabulary Checklist
Words Produced: 313/680
Number: (of 680) Percentile: 30-35
How Children Use Words
answers at this child's age
(see Table 4.20)
Past: yes
Future: yes
Absent Object (Production): yes
Absent Object (Comprehension): yes
Absent Owner: no

Percentage of affirmative
82.0
85.0
93.0
98.0
97.0

PART II: SENTENCES AND GRAMMAR

Word Endings/Part 1
answers at this child's age
(see Table 4.21)
Plural (-s): yes
Possessive (-'s): yes
Progressive (-ing): no
Past tense (-ed): yes
Word Forms
Word Endings/Part 2
Combining: yes

Percentage of affirmative
78.0
79.0
64.0
48.0

Number: 6 of 25
Number: 6 of 45

Percentile:
Percentage of affirmative answers at this child's age
(see Table 4.24)
95.7
Examples:
Length in morphemes of child's three longest sentences (M3L):
1. 5 2. 3 3. 3
M3L (mean): Percentile: 3.6
Complexity
Number of times the more complex sentence is selected:
8 of 37
percentile: 35-40
_
MacArthur Communicative Development Inventories: User's Guide and Technical Manual, Second Edition, by Larry Fenson
et al.

LAB 5: SCORING, INTERPRETING, & REPORTING PERCENTILE SCORES

References

CDI Manual Chapter 4

CDI Manual Chapter 5
MacArthur-Bates CDI Words and Sentences. Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co. (2007).
Retrieved October 30, 2015.

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