Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Please help with KTEA- Brief Scores

The school gave my older son parts of the KTEA-Brief in June in preparation for his re-evaluation this year (his special ed resource teacher administered the test). I had to request the scores this year because I was never sent them. In response to my request of the results of the testing, his current special ed teacher just sent me some numbers with the words "average" or "above average,"etc written next to the scores. Of course, this does not tell me much. So I asked for a more comprehensive report. In particular, I want the grade and age level equivalents as well as the percentiles. Current special ed teacher said she would have them to me later today. She just emailed again now saying, "In order to get you the age/grade equivalents, I need to get our test kit that has that information. Once I get that test kit, I can email you all the information that you requested."

First, I am just wondering, why wasn't this already done? How hard is it to plug the numbers into the software and get this? And, perhaps, the school psych should be the one preparing this? Anyway, just seemed off to me so if anyone here has any knowledge about this assessment and these issues, I welcome them.

Secondly, I am especially interested in the gap between his performance on the math and reading where he had what look like to me very high scores and the writing where, although labeled "average" looks quite low to me comparatively ... I am wondering if there is big gap between the age/grade/percentiles between the math/writing grade/age/percentile and the writing. Given that, should I be asking for in terms of a report, because a bunch of numbers with "average" and "above average" listed next to the numbers does not mean much to me.

Here are the scores in case anyone is familiar with and can help me with interpreting them:

Reading 127 Above Average
Math 122 Above Average
Writing 97 Average

Subtests:
Letter & Word Recognition 123 Above average
Reading Comprehension 126 Above average
Math Computation 116 Above average
Math Concepts & Application 125 Above average
Written Expression 97 Average
Spelling 100 Average

The scores were identified as "standard" scores.

Or, is just that this particular assessment just not very helpful and just does not give much info? I am assuming the "KTEA Brief" is different from the "KTEA-III?"

Thanks in advance!

1. It wasn't already done because age/grade equivalents are not recommended measures for most deviation-based tests, such as the KTEA family. I know that lay readers often like these numbers, which is the main reason they continue to publish them, but I do have to emphasize that all of the major professional organizations that represent assessment specifically recommend avoiding them. (Not a neutral recommendation, but, "don't do it.") (There are some exceptions, but the KTEA is not one of them.)

You should, however, have percentiles. Those are exactly the same, mathematically, as the standard scores.

The difficulty of deriving the numbers depends on the resources available to the persons involved. I use webware to score, so I can get any number I want from pretty much any internet-enabled device. But that costs extra. For budgetary reasons, many districts use desktop-based scoring software, or even handscoring. In both of those situations, they would need access to a specific location or manual to obtain scores of any kind.

2. I agree that the math and reading scores are substantially higher than the written expression scores.

The KTEA Brief is exactly the same as the KTEA-3, but without some of the subtests. I.e., it consists of selected subtests from the KTEA-3.

I have another appointment right now, but if you don't get the percentiles, pm me, and I'll see what I can do.

pm'd you.

PM'd you again!

BTW, I was just looking up some info for another student, and noticed that College Board does not accept the KTEA-Brief as documentation for disability-based accommodations on their assessments (SAT/PSAT/AP).

Oh, what does this mean for us? So, my son's school gives the KTEA Brief every three years as part of their "monitoring" progress of their students on IEPS (they also sue it for achievement testing for gifted program - they use it for everything it seems). So, the KTEA-Brief data collected every three years is used as "part" of eval/reeval, but it is not what they base eligibility or non-eligibility on, if that makes sense. But does what does "College Board does not accept the KTEA-Brief as documentation for disability-based accommodations on their assessments" mean for kids like my son? Should I be making sure something else is included in reeavluation to document his disability? His original finding of eligibility and his previous reevaluation actually used things like the PAL II and the OT assessments, ect. to find eligibility. He also has a medical diagnosis of dysgraphia and dyspraxia but we hgot that years ago. I wonder if I need to update that.

I'd probably start by asking who handles SSD applications for College Board in your DC's high school, and then ask if they have historically had to submit documentation. I've found that it's rare that someone who's had an accommodation for years needs to submit documentation.

Dysgraphia and dyspraxia are still Learning Disorders, under the College Board classifications, so updated documentation would require a more comprehensive battery (in this case, a few additional subtests), with achievement testing no more than five years old at the time the SSD application is being submitted. Cognitive testing can be more than five years old. IOW, for PSATs/SATs in 11th grade, he would need a comprehensive achievement battery administered no earlier than 6th grade. At least in the area of disability (written expression, in this case).

So the odd thing here is that, all of the subtests and composites given in your KTEA-Brief scores are exactly the same as if he had done the core subtests of the KTEA-3 Form B (this is an alternate form--same tasks, different items--that can be used for more frequent re-tests, to avoid the retest score invalidity effects that I've discussed in the past). If the school would write it up as the KTEA-3 Form B--to which it is actually identical (not approximately or virtually, but factually and literally identical), instead of the KTEA-Brief, it would become an acceptable piece of documentation.

Oh thanks! Do you think, then, that I could ask the school to write it up as the KTEA-3 Form B, instead of the KTEA-Brief, so that it would become an acceptable piece of documentation for the PSATS/SATs in 11th grade? Or would they balk at the request?

I don't see why that would be a problem. But if they've never had to submit documentation, it might not be an issue anyway.

Okay thanks! Yeah, probably not an issue but with the recent scandals and such with regard to accommodations on SATs ... well, who knows what will become an issue in this regard. But, okay, good to know! I will ask them about it - if it is easy enough to do then maybe just do it and that part is done whether needed or not. Thanks again. At the very least they will be taken aback by my "knowledge" on such issues and topics and be less likely to mess with me. heh heh!

Aeh, So I asked the school to write it up as the KTEA-3 Form B, instead of the KTEA-Brief, so that it would become an acceptable piece of documentation for the PSATS/SATs in 11th grade

and the response was:

"It would be unethical for us to document the assessment (KTEA-Brief) as anything other than its actual name in reporting results. DS is due for a re-evaluation in the spring. The re-evaluation report would be your best documentation of DS's disability and that, in conjunction with the IEP, is what you would use to request accommodations for the College Board testing. At GVHS, we have staff that can assist you in requesting the accommodations when that time comes.

The middle school psychologist is ______-who I have copied on this email. She will issue a permission to re-evaluate Ben in the spring to get the re-evaluation process started.

Please let me know if you have any questions."

So did I ask them to do something "unethical?"

No. They probably just don't realize that the KTEA-Brief is identical to the KTEA-3 Form B. I'm guessing they've never had to submit documentation, which is probably good, in this case.

From the publisher's website:
https://www.pearsonassessments.com/store/usassessments/en/Store/Professional-Assessments/Academic-Learning/Brief/Kaufman-Test-of-Educational-Achievement-%7C-Third-Edition-Brief-Form/p/100001342.html?tab=product-details#

"Standard scores from the KTEA-3 Brief may be used interchangeably with the subtest and composite standard scores from the Comprehensive Form."

https://support.pearson.com/usclinical/s/article/KTEA-3-Brief-vs-KTEA-3

"The KTEA-3 Brief subtests are identical to the core subtests from Comprehensive Form B. This spares examiners the time of readministering subtests during a comprehensive evaluation. Customers who own the Brief and Form A can alternate the two, reducing the likelihood that changes in the examinee's performance are due to familiarity with the item content."

But if he's going to have a comprehensive eval in the spring, with a complete battery, that will take care of the documentation well in advance of relevant College Board testing.

Incidentally, any idea why they did testing "in preparation for" a comprehensive reeval a year away? I assume they gave the KTEA-Brief to reduce validity concerns with re-testing in the spring (although technically, the minimum retest interval for achievement testing is six months). The achievement testing given on the -Brief is, as I mentioned, essentially the same as what you might see on a comprehensive eval. That's a lot of testing for a non-eval year.

You know, I don't know. And they are not very forthcoming with information. But I do know they do the KTEA Brief every three years, I think, maybe two, I can't remember, "for all their kids with ieps." I think I was once told that it was so they (the school) could make sure the student is progressing. So maybe its a situation where they want to make sure ahead of time where the kid is? I just do not know . I will try to ask at the next meeting.

Hi Aeh, pm'ed you a quick question about standard deviation.

Hello AEH, so another question (sorry!) Looks like there are three "written expression" assessments in the KTEA: spelling, written expression and writing fluency. Looks like they did not give him the writing fluency test. What is that assessment like? Why did they not give it to him? I am thinking because it is not part of the Brief Form? Should I ask them to give this test to him when he is re-evaluated in the spring? Thanks.

WF is a measure of how quickly students can generate sentences of moderate complexity. It's not a core subtest even on the standard battery, but possibly would have had some relevance for him specifically.