The Kindergarten Language Screening Test–Third Edition (KLST-3) is a 47-item, standardized, norm-referenced screening test that measures the spoken language ability of children. The screener format allows users to quickly identify children who need further evaluation and instruction and to reliably measure their progress during the year.
New Features of the KLST-3
- New items were added to better assess language skills (e.g., semantics, syntax, and morphology).
- The spontaneous speech item was replaced with morphological completion items to measure children’s understanding of pronouns, plurals, subject-verb agreement, and past tense verbs.
- Criteria for correct and incorrect responses were clarified to improve the test’s ability to identify children who need a more in-depth language assessment
- All users now have access to the all-new KLST-3 Online Scoring and Report System. This system includes access to an electronic version of the Examiner Record Form and provides a quick, efficient tool for (a) entering test session data; (b) converting total raw scores into index scores; (c) generating age equivalents, percentile ranks, and upper and lower confidence intervals; and (d) obtaining a score summary report. Inclusion of the software eliminates the need to include normative tables in the Examiner’s Manual and ensures accurate calculation of scores.
Technical and Statistical Characteristics of the KLST-3
The KLST-3 was normed on a weighted sample of 872 children from 39 states and 292 different zip codes. The Examiner’s Manual includes a comprehensive discussion of the test’s theoretical and research-based foundation, item development, standardization, administration and scoring procedures, and guidelines for using and interpreting the test’s results.
The KLST-3 has excellent reliability; the internal consistency reliability coefficient is .93, and the test–retest reliability coefficient is .96. Extensive studies of the floors, ceilings, and item gradients indicate that the test has consistently excellent ability across all ages and ability levels to measure the spoken language ability of children. Diagnostic accuracy studies demonstrate the test’s ability to accurately identify children who are known to have spoken language difficulties. Specifically, KLST-3 Kindergarten Language Index cutoff scores of 92 and 90 resulted in sensitivity indexes ranging from .71 to .92, specificity indexes ranging from .88 to 1.00, and ROC/AUC values ranging from .91 to .96 in differentiating children with a specific language impairment, a cognitive impairment, or autism spectrum disorder diagnosis from children with no diagnosis.
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