CTOPP Phonological Awareness Assessment

CTOPP – Phonological Awareness Assessment

Overview of the CTOPP: The Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP) assesses phonological awareness, phonological memory, and rapid naming. The most common cause of learning disabilities in general and reading disabilities in particular, is a deficit in one or more of these phonological processing abilities. Phonological abilities also support effective mathematical calculation, listening comprehension and reading comprehension.

Appropriate Uses: The CTOPP has four principal uses: to identify individuals who are significantly below their peers in phonological abilities, to determine strengths and weaknesses among developed phonological processes, to document individual’s progress in phonological processing as a consequence of special intervention programs, and to serve as a measurement device in research studies investigating phonological processing. The CTOPP was developed to aid in the identification of individuals from kindergarten through college who may profit from instructional activities to enhance their phonological skills. Since it is such a wide range of ages, there are 2 versions of this test. The first version is for individuals ages 5 and 6 years old, which contains 7 core subtests and 1 supplemental test. The second version is for individuals ages 7 through 24, and contains 6 core subtests and 6 supplemental tests. The CTOPP has four principal uses: to identify individuals who are significantly below their peers in phonological abilities, to determine strengths and weaknesses among developed phonological processes, to document individual’s progress.

Normal Sampling & Procedures: The CTOPP was normed on a sample of 1,656 persons in 30 states. Individuals in the sample used to prepare CTOPP norms were tested during Fall 1997 and Spring 1998. Norming sites representing each of the 4 major U.S. geographic regions were selected by 3 methods. First, individuals in the PRO-ED research department who had participated in previous norming efforts ad who were identified as psychologists and speech-language pathologists were contacted. Second, the PRO-ED customer files were accessed to find individuals who had purchased the Test of Phonological Awareness. Each person was sent a letter requesting their participation and those who responded were sent materials to test between 20-30 examinees in their area. Finally, the authors established major sites in Florida, Kansas, and Washington. These procedures resulted in 1,656 persons being tested as part of the normative sample.

Cautions & Limitations

Test Reliability: The fact that inherent test error cannot be extracted entirely from a measurement instrument is reason for caution in the interpretation of test results. Even the most reliable of test that possess “acceptable” levels of reliability still have an alarming amount of error in them. In every case, diagnoses & hypotheses resting on test data have to be confirmed by other observers.

Tests do not diagnose: Often examiners forget the dictum “tests don't diagnose, people do” and base their diagnoses exclusively on test results, a hazardous enterprise at best. Test results are merely observations not diagnoses. The questions concerning the why of the test performance are the very essence of diagnosis, and they can be answered only by insightful, competent test examiner. In any one instance, the diagnosis may be cultural difference, poor motivation, mental retardation, or hearing problems. To make such judgments, the examiner requires information that goes far beyond that which is available from test results.

Test results do not necessarily translate directly into daily educational programs: Although CTOPP results mat contribute to the selection of long-term educational goals, they should not be used as the basis for planning day-to-day instructional programs for individuals. Interpreting the CTOPP results should be the first step in a comprehensive evaluation of a student's problem in phonological processing and should be followed up with extensive clinical teaching, criterion-referenced testing, and informal assessment procedures.

Overview of Subtests

Elision (EL) – 20-item subtest that measures the extent to which an individual can say a word, then say what is left after dropping out designated sounds.

• Ex. Examinee is instructed, “Say bold.” After repeating “bold,” the examinee is told, “Now say bold without saying /b/.” Correct response is “old.”

• Age: All

• Scoring: Testing is discontinued and no score is recorded if the examinee cannot answer one of the practice items correctly. Testing is stopped when the examinee misses three items in a row. Record correct answers as 1 and incorrect answers as 0. The total raw score is the number of correct test items up to the ceiling.

• Materials Needed: No Materials for this subtest.

Blending Words (BW) – 20-item subtest that measures an individual’s ability to combine sounds to form words.

• Ex. The examinee is asked, “What word do these sounds make: “t-oi?” Correct response is the word “toy.”

• Age: All

• Scoring: Testing is discontinued and no score is recorded if the examinee cannot correctly respond to at least one of the practice items. The ceiling is achieved on this subtest when the examinee misses 3 items in a row. The examinee receives 1 point for correct and 0 for incorrect. The total score for this subtest is the number of correct test items up to the ceiling.

• Materials Needed: Audiocassette-recorded and the “Blending Words” section of the cassette.

Sound Matching (SM) – 20-item subtest that measures the extent to which an individual can match sounds. • Ex. The examiner asks, “Which word starts with the same sound as pan? Pig, hat, or cone? The correct answer is “pig.”

• Age: 5 & 6 year olds

• Scoring: Testing is discontinued and no score is recorded if the examinee cannot correctly respond to at least one of the practice items. The ceiling is achieved on this subtest when the examinee misses 4 out of 7 items in a row. The examinee receives 1 point for a correct response and 0 for incorrect. Stop when the examinee misses 4 out of 7 test items(give at least 7 test items). The total score is the number of correct test items up to the ceiling.

• Materials Needed: The Picture Book

Memory of Digits (MD) – 21-item subtest that measures the extent to which an individual can repeat a series of numbers ranging in length from two to eight digits. Individual listens to a series of audiocassette-recorded numbers, presented at a rate of 2 per second, he/she is asked to repeat the numbers in the same order in which they were heard.

• Age: All

• Scoring: Testing is discontinued and no score is recorded if the examinee cannot correctly respond to at least one of the practice items. The ceiling is achieved on this subtest when the examinee misses 3 test items in a row. The examinee receives 1 point for a correct response and 0 for incorrect. The total score is the number of correct test items up to the ceiling.

• Materials Needed: Materials Needed: Audiocassette-recorded and the “Memory for Digits” section of the cassette.

Nonword Repetition (NR) – 18-item subtest measures the extent to which an individual’s ability to repeat nonwords that range length from 3 to 15 sounds.

• Ex. The examinee hears the tape-recorded sounds “nigong” to which the correct response is “nigong.”

• Ages: All

• Scoring: Testing is discontinued and no score is recorded if the examinee cannot correctly respond to at least one of the practice items. The ceiling is achieved on this subtest when the examinee misses 3 test items in a row. The examinee receives 1 point for each nonword for which all of the phonemes are produced correctly. The examiner receives a 0 for each nonword that produces with missing sounds, additional sounds, or sounds out of order. The total score is the number of correct test items up to the ceiling.

• Materials Needed: Audiocassette-recorded and the “Nonword Repetition” section of the cassette. Rapid Color Naming (RC) – 72-item subtest that measures the speed with which an individual can name the colors of series of different colored blocks printed on two pages. The individual is told to name the colors on the first page as quickly as possible. He or she is instructed to start naming the colors on the top row from left to right, move to the next row and do the same thing. After the individual has completed the first page he or she goes onto the second page.

• Ages: 5 & 6 year olds, Supplemental for 7-24 year olds

• Scoring: Testing is discontinued and no score is recorded if the examinee cannot name all the colors correctly after error correction during the practice session. There are no ceilings on this subtest. The Score for this subtest is the number of seconds the examinee takes to name all of the colors on Form A and Form B combined. However, no score is given if the examinee makes more than 4 errors when naming the colors on either Form A or Form B. Items are marked incorrect if the examinee skips a color or gives the wrong name. If the examinee skips a line, score the first color on the skipped lined as incorrect and try to redirect the examinee to the correct line.

• Materials Needed: Stopwatch and the Picture Book.

Rapid Object Naming (RO) – A 72-item subtest that measures the speed with which an individual can name a series of objects on two pages. The examinee is instructed to start naming the objects on the top row, from left to right, move to the next row and do the same thing. When the individual has completed the first page he or she moves onto the second page.

• Age: 5 & 6 years old, supplemental for 7-24 year olds

• Scoring: Testing is discontinued and no score is recorded if the examinee cannot name all the objects correctly after error correction during the practice session. There are no ceilings on this subtest. The Score for this subtest is the number of seconds the examinee takes to name all of the objects on Form A and Form B combined. However, no score is given if the examinee makes more than 4 errors when naming the objects on either Form A or Form B. Items are marked incorrect if the examinee skips an object or gives the wrong name. If the examinee skips a line, score the first object on the skipped lined as incorrect and try to redirect the examinee to the correct line.

Rapid Digit Naming (RD) – 72-item subtest that measures the speed with which an individual can name the numbers on two pages. The examinee is instructed to start naming the numbers on the top row, from left to right, move to the next row and do the same thing. When the individual has completed the first page he or she moves onto the second page and does the exact same thing.

• Age: 7-24 year olds, supplemental for 5 & 6 year olds • Scoring: Testing is discontinued and no score is recorded if the examinee cannot name all the digits correctly after error correction during the practice session. There are no ceilings on this subtest. The Score for this subtest is the number of seconds the examinee takes to name all of the numbers on Form A and Form B combined. However, no score is given if the examinee makes more than 4 errors when naming the numbers on either Form A or Form B. Items are marked incorrect if the examinee skips a number or gives the wrong name. If the examinee skips a line, score the first number on the skipped lined as incorrect and try to redirect the examinee to the correct line.

Rapid Letter Naming (RL) – A 72-item subtest that measures the speed with which an individual can name the letters on two pages. The examinee is instructed to start naming the letters on the top row, from left to right, move onto the second row and do the same thing. When the individual has completed the first page he or she moves onto the second page and does the exact same thing as the first page.

• Age: 7- 24 year olds, supplemental for 5 & 6 year olds

• Scoring: Testing is discontinued and no score is recorded if the examinee cannot name all the letters correctly after error correction during the practice session. There are no ceilings on this subtest. The Score for this subtest is the number of seconds the examinee takes to name all of the letters on Form A and Form B combined. However, no score is given if the examinee makes more than 4 errors when naming the letters on either Form A or Form B. Items are marked incorrect if the examinee skips a letter or gives the wrong name. If the examinee skips a line, score the first letter on the skipped lined as incorrect and try to redirect the examinee to the correct line.

Blending Nonwords (BN) – This 18-item subtest measures an individual’s ability to combine speech sounds to make nonwords.

• Ex. Examiner asks, “What made-up word do these sounds make: nim-by?” The correct response is “nimby.”

• Age: Supplemental for all

• Scoring: Testing is discontinued and no score is recorded if the examinee cannot correctly respond to at least one practice item. The ceiling is achieved on this subtest when the examinee misses 3 items in a row. The examinee receives 1 point for each correct response and 0 for incorrect. The total score is the number of correct test items up to the ceiling.

• Materials Needed: Audiocassette recorder and the “Blending Nonword” section of the cassette. Segmenting Words (SW) – This 20-item subtest measures an individual’s ability to say the separate phonemes that make up a word.

• Ex. Examiner tells the examinee to say “beast” and then to say it one sound at a time. The correct response is “b-e-s-t”

• Age: Supplemental for 7-24 year olds

• Scoring: Testing is discontinued and no score is recorded if the examinee cannot correctly respond to at least one practice item. Testing is also stopped when the examinee misses 3 items in a row. The examinee receives 1 point for each word for which he or she correctly produces all the noted phonemes and a 0 if he or she says one phoneme incorrectly, omits one phoneme, or says the phonemes out of order. The total score is the number of correct test items up to the ceiling.

• Materials Needed: No materials are needed for this subtest.

Segmenting Nonwords (SN) – A 20-item subtest that measures an individual’s ability to say the separate phonemes that make up a nonword.

• Ex. The examinee listens to the audiocassette-recorded sounds “ren,” repeats the nonword, then says the nonword one sound at a time. The correct response is “r-e-n.”

• Scoring: Testing is discontinued and no score is recorded if the examinee cannot correctly respond to at least one practice item. The ceiling is achieved on this subtest when the examinee misses 3 items in a row. The examinee receives 1 point for each word correctly produced with all of the indicated phonemes. The examiner receives 0 for each nonword produced with missing sounds, additional sounds, or sounds out of order. The total score is the number of correct test items up to the ceiling.

• Materials Needed: Audiocassette recorder and the “Segmenting Nonwords” section of the cassette.

Phoneme Reversal (PR) – This 18-item subtest measures the extent to which an individual can reorder speech sounds to form words.

• Ex. After listening to the sounds “ood,” the examinee is instructed to repeat “ood” and then to say “ood” backwards. The correct response is “do”

• Scoring: Testing is discontinued and no score is recorded if the examinee cannot correctly respond to at least one practice item. The ceiling is achieved on this subtest when the examinee misses 3 items in a row. The examinee receives 1 point for each correct response and 0 for incorrect. The total score is the number of correct test items up to the ceiling.

• Materials Needed: Audiocassette recorder and the “Phoneme Reversal” section of the cassette.

Test Interpretation:

Derived Scores Provided: Guide to Interpreting CTOPP Composite Scores – See table below

Standard Scores Description Percentage Included in Bell- Shaped Distribution 131 – 165 Very Superior 2.34 121 – 130 Superior 6.87 111 – 120 Above Average 16.12 90 – 110 Average 49.51 80 – 89 Below Average 16.12 70 – 79 Poor 6.87 35 – 69 Very Poor 2.34

Interpret the Results: The CTOPP yields 6 types of scores: raw scores, age equivalents, percentiles, and standard scores for the subtests, and composite scores. These scores are the most important information associated with a student's CTOPP performance because the analysis of them, segmented by additional test information, direct observation of behavior, and knowledge acquired from other sources, will eventually result in proper diagnosis of the student's phonological processing problem.

• Raw Scores: Raw scores are the total number of items scored correctly for a subtest. The value of raw scores is generally limited to research purposes.

• Age and Grade Equivalents: Age and grade equivalents for tests are usually labeled according to the content of the test. These scores are derived by calculating the average normative group's score at each 6-month age interval. Through the process of interpolation, extrapolation, and smoothing, we generated age and grade equivalents for each row score point achieved on a subtest.

• Percentiles: Represent values that indicate the percentage of the distribution that is equal to or below a particular score. Distance between two percentile ranks become much greater as those ranks are more distant from the mean or average.

• Subtest Standard Scores: Standard scores provide the clearest indication of an examinee's subtest performance. Based on the distribution with a mean of 10 standard deviation of three, subtest standard scores converted from raw scores.

• Composite Scores: The most reliable scores for CTOPP are the composite scores. The composite scores are derived by adding the subtest standard scores and converting the sum to a composite score. Results Used in Context/Scoring:

 The CTOPP identifies individuals who are significantly below their peers in important phonological abilities.

 It determines strengths and weaknesses among developed phonological processes.

 Document progress in phonological processing as a consequence of special intervention programs.

 The CTOPP obtains three indicators of phonological abilities: Phonological Awareness Quotient (PAQ) measures an individual's awareness and access to the phonological structure of oral language; Phonological Memory Quotient (PMQ) measures an individual's ability to code information phonologically for temporary storage in working or short-term memory; and Rapid Naming Quotient (RNQ) measures the individual's efficient retrieval of phonological information from long-term or permanent memory, as well as the ability to execute a sequence of operations quickly and repeatedly.

 CTOPP Equivalent = (15/SD) (X – M) + 100

o SD = Standard Deviation

o M = Mean

o X = the student’s actual standard score on that test

Psychometrics

Reliability: The content of this table shows the test’s three sources of test error: content, time, and scorer. It can be seen from viewing the figures listed in the table, the CTOPP evidences a high degree of reliability. This reliability is consistently high across all three types of reliability. The magnitude of these coefficients strongly suggests that the CTOPP possesses little test error and that users can have confidence in its results.

Validity: One may conclude that the CTOPP is a valid measure of phonological process. Examiners can use the CTOPP with confidence, especially when assessing individuals for whom most other test might possibly be biased. The accumulation of research data from professionals who have given the test, will further help clarify the validity of the CTOPP and provide guidance in the future revisions of the test.

Overall Quality of Test: Overall quality of the CTOPP is good. It is a valid measurement of phonological process and has a consistently high reliability. It possesses little test error and users can give this test in confidence knowing it is a reliable and valid test.

Conclusion Overall Thoughts: We believe that this test is sufficient in administering to evaluate students that may have a phonological impairment. The reliability and validity of CTOPP is very good and shows minimal errors that may affect the CTOPP results.

Unique Features:

• Important points about how to test:

o Have all materials necessary for administering the test.

o Make sure the person being tested understands the directions.

o Keep the examinee at ease and on task.

o Stop testing if the examinee tires or loses interest.

o From time to time, examiner will have reason to believe that the results are invalid (e.g. distraction, test taker was ill etc.). On those occasions, the person should be retested at a later time.

o Examiner should sit beside the examinee during testing in order to observe and record.

• Sharing the test results:

o A thorough understanding of the purpose, content, and construction of the CTOPP prior to testing.

o Every effort should be made to translate the CTOPP’s results into language that is familiar to the person with whom the information is being shared.

Valid and Reliable Instruments:

• Phonological Awareness Test (PAT) – to serve as a tool to measure students' (second semester kindergarten through second grade) ability on five phonemic awareness tasks: segmentation, isolation, deletion, substitution, and blending. Additionally, the test measures sensitivity to rhyme, knowledge of graphemes, and decoding skills.

• The Yopp-Singer Test of Phoneme Segmentation – Designed to be used with English speaking kindergartners, this 22 item test is individually administered and requires about 5 - 10 minutes for each student. This test is designed to measure a students' ability to orally segment the phonemes in a word in their correct order.

• TOPAS: Test of Phonological Awareness Skills – The TOPAS is helpful in identifying children, ages 5 through 10, who have problems in phonological awareness.