EVALUATION OF SCREENING TOOLS

Description:
Development of the Adult Learning Disabilities Screening (ALDS) started in 1996 and was completed recently. It is very affordable and easy to administer. No training is needed and the instrument takes about 15 to 20 minutes to administer. The ALDS consists of three parts: Self-Rating Scale, Inventory, and a brief Interview. All three taken together have been shown to be a very effective tool in finding indications of LD (other than a teacher's experience with the student), which could serve as a basis for a referral to a psychologist for a formal diagnosis. http://www-tcall.tamu.edu/research/ldnquiry.htm#tools


Name of tool

 Criteria Evidence Limited evidence
Adult Learning Disabilities Screening (ALDS) Yields reliable information: the screening material reliably measures indicators of potential learning disabilities and yields consistent results (if the screening tool was given to the same person again, similar indicators of potential learning disabilities would be evident). A low standard of error should be evident. 89% of people who took the test and were tested again later had the same results. A full technical report is available.  
  Is valid: The screening material adequately represents the full range of characteristics associated with learning disabilities. The screening material is consistent with what is currently known about learning disabilities. It covers a scope sufficient to provide an initial assessment in several areas, such as language, motor, organization and social skills (look for a description of which learning disability indicators may be assessed with the instrument). Part of test validation is how well the screening battery differentiates between persons with and without learning disabilities. For both the rating scales and inventory, the results were very accurate, with 85% and 90% correct classifications, respectively. A validity check is part of the screening process. The examiner completes 11 questions before the rating scales and inventory are scored. They focus on one critical decision by the examiner - Does the examiner have any reason to believe that the scores from the battery should be interpreted any differently for this person than for any other person? If the answer is "yes" then the scores are suspect and possibly invalid. Yes - the rating scale covers self-attributions, spelling, reading, organization, and social skills, one's work efficiency and sense of direction. The inventory item clusters cover learning influences and problems, arithmetic skills, educational history and mental health issues.
A full technical report is available.		  
  The tool is cost-effective including initial purchase and ongoing purchases of related materials such as question booklets, score sheets etc. The technical report = $7.00 US funds.
ALDS directions for administration, scoring and interpretation = $5.00 US funds.
Each individual ALDS record booklet = $3.00 US funds.
Shipping ranges from free to $16.75 US funds depending on the volume of test books purchased. It is comparatively inexpensive in terms of time and money.		  
  The time required to conduct the screening procedures is reasonable: it is quick to administer, score, and interpret. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes to administer. Most adults are finished in 15 minutes. No specific time is stated but experience shows it takes approximately 10 minutes to score and interpret the tool.  
  The requirements for learning to use the screening tool are reasonable. Requirements may range from reviewing the instructions and user manual to participating in a training session. Staff training is easy and requires less than 2 hours. In fact, the training options can vary depending on the practitioner's skills. Persons who are skilled in assessment can likely read through the manual and figure out the administration and scoring.  
  Minimize bias. The screening material accurately highlights potential indicators of learning disabilities regardless of a person's age, gender, race, ethnicity, or primary language. During the development of the test from 1996 to 1999, over 360 test questions were written, reviewed and administered to adults ages 16 to 65. Extensive item analyses were completed to eliminate any test questions difficult to read or answer, irrelevant to the lives of the persons taking the tests, or considered biased due to offensive or stereotypic content. In 1999, during a standardization and validation study, over 488 adults were tested with subtests from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale - III, the Woodcock-Johnson and the ALDS. The characteristics of the participants included a range of male and female, ethic groups, age, and client groups (prison, SRS, LD, AE etc). Scores from all of the tests were combined in selecting the test questions for ALDS.  
  Instructions are provided on how to interpret the screening tool results/findings. Examiner validity check is built into the process through 11 questions. Two numeric scores are calculated to determine if a referral is recommended for a possible learning disability. Comprehensive instructions are provided on how to administer the test. The instructions are presented in a "mock interview" format.  
  The tool is compatible with the goals of the organization. For example, if you serve only adults, was the test developed for adults only or if you serve a number of ESL learners, was this the intended audience for the screening tool? Used for adults (16 to 65), literacy needs are acknowledged since the examiner can read the questions to the learner if necessary. Adult educators, social welfare caseworkers, and special education staff were among the group of developers. ALDS was developed based on the National Adult Literacy and Learning Disabilities center review of 80 existing screening  
  The format and written text follows clear language guidelines. Lots of white space, questions in clear language and easy to read. All questions on the tool can be completed independently or read to the person.  
  The tool includes information to help select possible learning materials and/or instructional practices. The ALDS was designed to aid in decisions about which persons should be referred as possibly having a learning disability. A cutoff score is provided for both the rating scale and inventory. The ALDS does give the practitioner and learner an indication of areas that appear to present challenges for them. The rating scale covers: self-attribution, spelling skills, reading skills, social skills, efficiency, sense of direction, and organization skills. The inventory covers: learning influences, learning problems, educational experiences, mental health, fraction skills and math operations. The challenge areas are highlighted. Further assessment would be required to determine strategies for each of the identified challenge areas.