Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals - Fourth Edition

What’s new with CELF–4?

With the new CELF–4 you can evaluate language and determine whether or not a language disorder is present by administering only four subtests to obtain a Core Language Score. Once you determine that the student has a language disorder you can choose from several paths in order to evaluate

• The nature of the disorder (strengths/needs, affected modalities, content areas, conditions that enable the student to perform well)
• The underlying clinical behaviors (working memory, automaticity of speech production, phonological awareness)
• How the disorder affects the student’s classroom performance (authentic assessment with the Observational Rating Scale and Pragmatics Profile)

Does CELF–4 have any new subtests?

The following are all new subtests:

• Expressive Vocabulary—The student identifies an object, person, or activities portrayed in pictures.
• Word Definitions—The student defines a word that is named and used in a sentence.
• Phonological Awareness—The student rhymes words and word segments, blends, and identifies sounds and syllables in words.
• Number Repetition—The student repeats numbers forward and backward.
• Familiar Sequences—The student names familiar sequences (days of the week, counting, etc.)
• Pragmatics Profile—The examiner elicits information from a parent or teacher about the student’s social language skills.

Have any CELF subtests changed?

The following subtests from CELF–3 have substantial changes:

• Concepts and Following Directions—now in color
• Word Classes 1 and Word Classes 2—has been split in two subtests, and is administered by age. Word Classes 1 has pictures to support a student’s response choices. Both Word Classes 1 and 2 require that the student tell why the words he or she selected go together.
• Semantic relationships and Sentence Assembly—administration is required for students ages 13 and above, and is to derive the Core Language score.
• Alternative Item Analysis for Word Classes 1 and Word Classes 2—alternative item analysis for Word Classes 1 and Word Classes 2 is available for download.

Is the CELF–4 standardization sample representative of my population?

The CELF–4 norms are based on a standardization sample of 2650 children, adolescents, and young adults ages 5 through 21 years. The sample is representative of the U.S. population (as reported by the U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2000). The sample was stratified by age, sex, race/ethnicity, geographic region, and SES (based on parent education level). The CELF–4 standardization sample includes individuals with the full range of ability. The sample is an approximately equal distribution of low ability and high ability students across all ages, and includes students who are receiving special education services in approximately the same percentages that occur in the U.S. population.

Why does the Record Form for 9–21 years have items that are given to younger children?

Subtests that are in Record Form 1 and Record Form 2 are as similar as possible across both Record Forms for several reasons:

• Items are numbered consistently from one record form to the other;
• It is easier for examiners to become familiar with the layout of the subtest;
• Earlier items can be administered to an older student if necessary only if the items are included in the Record Form.

Can I test kindergarten students with CELF–4?

Yes. One of the goals of the revision of CELF was to set the lower limits of the test to include the evaluation of students at age 5 years and for use at the kindergarten level.

Can CELF–4 be administered to children diagnosed with Intellectual Disability or Autism?

The CELF–4 is sensitive to the language difficulties exhibited by children with intellectual disability or autistic disorder. For more information about the sensitivity of CELF–4 to the language impairments observed in specific clinical groups, refer to pages 273–275 in the CELF–4 Examiner’s Manual.

Can I give CELF–4 to students who speak Spanish and English?

Although the CELF–4 standardization sample included students who were bilingual, English was the primary language of all participants. CELF–4 can be administered to students from non-mainstream cultural or linguistic backgrounds; however, it is important to be sensitive to any issues that may affect the student. When evaluating students from non-mainstream backgrounds, it may be necessary to modify the administration of CELF–4. When testing a student with a modified version of CELF–4 you cannot report normative test scores. Instead you can use a more descriptive approach to reporting the student’s responses and reactions during testing. It is also important to include a description of the modifications and adaptations that you made to test administration.

Do I have to administer all of the subtests for a particular age?

No. The CELF–4 assessment process model was developed to provide you with the flexibility to administer only those subtests that you need in order to respond to your objectives for assessment and evaluation. With CELF–4, you can evaluate a student’s general language ability and determine whether or not a language disorder is present by administering only four subtests to obtain a Core Language score. Once you determine that a student has a language disorder, you can select one or more subtests from any level to use for your evaluation or assessment objective.

In Word Classes 1 and 2, if the student gets part 1 wrong, do I need to give part 2?

Yes, administer and record the response for the second part of the item just as you had done with the items the student responded to correctly.

Why would I want to administer the working memory subtests, i.e., Number Repetition and Familiar Sequences?

The Working Memory index score and Number Repetition and Familiar Sequences subtests are included as an initial step in exploring the possible effect memory skills may have on a student’s language disorder. These measures provide preliminary information to be used in making decisions about the need for referrals to other professionals who can fully evaluate the student’s memory abilities.

When and why would I want to administer the Observational Rating Scales (ORS)?

Descriptive and authentic performance assessment measures are needed to describe classroom language performance and design appropriate instruction. These descriptive and curriculum-relevant measures enable clinicians to focus on the classroom as a communication and language-learning environment and to evaluate how a student uses language for a variety of purposes including literacy learning, organization, and socialization. Use ORS when there is a concern about a student’s language performance within the classroom. You can also use the ORS when there is a need to identify situations or contexts in which reduced language performance occurs.

I tested at the beginning of the year, when can I test again?

The shortest test-retest interval that will not result in significant practice effects on CELF–4 has not been determined; further research is this area is needed to answer this question. A test-retest study used an interval of 1 to 5 weeks between test administrations. The results indicated that composite scores increased by 4 points on average for the overall sample. See chapter 7 in the Examiner’s Manual for a report of this study.

My student earned no points on Semantic Relationships; can I still get a composite score that uses this subtest?

Yes. If a student earns a zero score on any subtest a corresponding scaled is listed in the norms tables in Appendix C. This scaled score can then be used to derive the composite score. Refer to page 92 in the Examiner’s Manual for more information.