Jump to content

Otis–Lennon School Ability Test: Difference between revisions

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
m reverting vandalism
→‎Test components: rm, even more unsourced content
 
(41 intermediate revisions by 26 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
The '''Otis–Lennon School Ability Test''' ('''OLSAT'''), published by the successor of [[Harcourt Assessment]] — [[Pearson Education]], Inc., a subsidiary of [[Pearson PLC]] — is a [[Test (student assessment)|test]] of [[abstract thinking]] and [[reasoning]] ability of children pre-K to 18. The Otis-Lennon is a group-administered (except preschool), [[multiple choice]], taken with [[pencil]] and paper, measures verbal, quantitative, and spatial reasoning ability. The test yields [[Language|verbal]] and nonverbal scores, from which a total score is derived, called a School Ability Index (SAI). The SAI is a [[Normalization (statistics)|normalized]] standard score with a [[mean]] of 100 and a [[standard deviation]] of 16. With the exception of pre-K, the test is administered in groups.
The '''Otis–Lennon School Ability Test''' ('''OLSAT'''), published by the successor of [[Harcourt Assessment]]—[[Pearson Education]], Inc., a subsidiary of [[Pearson PLC]]—is, according to the publisher, a [[Test (student assessment)|test]] of [[abstract thinking]] and [[reasoning]] ability of children pre-K to 18. The Otis-Lennon is group-administered (except preschool), [[multiple choice]], taken with [[pencil]] and paper, measures verbal, quantitative, and spatial reasoning ability. The test yields [[Language|verbal]] and nonverbal scores, from which a total score is derived, called a School Ability Index (SAI). The SAI is a [[Normalization (statistics)|normalized]] standard score with a [[mean]] of 100 and a [[standard deviation]] of 16. With the exception of pre-K, the test is administered in groups.


== Test components ==
== Test components ==
The test has twenty-one subtests that are organized into five areas—verbal comprehension, [[verbal reasoning]], pictorial reasoning, figural reasoning, and quantitative reasoning—each with equal numbers of verbal and non-verbal items:<ref>{{cite web|title=OLSAT Questions: Explanations and Sample Questions|url=https://www.testprep-online.com/olsat-question-types.aspx|website=TestPrep-Online|accessdate=11 December 2016|archive-date=5 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170205013447/https://www.testprep-online.com/olsat-question-types.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>
The test has 21 subtests, organized into five areas, and an equal number of verbal and non-verbal items is included in each area. The five areas are verbal comprehension, verbal reasoning, pictorial reasoning, figural reasoning, and quantitative reasoning.


{| class="wikitable"
⚫
== Uses in education ==
|-
There are seven different levels of the OLSAT designed for use from kindergarten to 12th grade. The OLSAT serves several purposes: it provides a marker for measuring individual year-to-year progress; some teachers may find it helpful for inferring individual educational needs; and for some school systems, it serves as an economical way to widely assess gifted and talented candidates in the early years.
! Verbal !! Nonverbal
|-
| Verbal Comprehension || Pictorial Reasoning
|-
| Following Directions || Picture Classification
|-
| Antonyms || Picture Analogies
|-
| Sentence Completion || Picture Series
|-
| Sentence Arrangement || Figural Reasoning
|-
| Verbal Reasoning || Figural Classification
|-
| Aural Reasoning || Figural Analogies
|-
| Arithmetic Reasoning || Pattern Matrix
|-
| Logical Selection || Figural Series
|-
| Word/Letter Matrix || Quantitative Reasoning
|-
| Verbal Analogies || Number Series
|-
| Verbal Classification || Numeric Inference
|-
| Inference || Number Matrix
|}


The number of questions and the time limit varies accordingly:
The Level A OLSAT, the publisher’s lowest level, is designed to assess school abilities of kindergartners (up to a level of "above average"), but it assesses areas that are not universally taught (i.e., it does not assess reading and math abilities). Some educators use the Level A test to assess preschoolers, but, for three-year-olds, require only 40 of the 60 questions. For four-year-olds, all 60 questions are given. Scoring is measured against peers in age groups of 3-month bands. For example, children born October 4 through January 4 are compared with each other and children born January 4 through April 4 with each other and so on.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Level !! Verbal !! Nonverbal !! Total !! Time Limit
|-
| A (Pre-K) || 16 || 24 || 40 || 77 min.
|-
| A (K) || 30 || 30 || 60 || 77 min.
|-
| B|| 30 || 30 || 60 || 77 min.
|-
| C|| 30 || 30 || 60 || 72 min.
|-
| D|| 32 || 32 || 64 || 50 min.
|-
| E|| 36 || 36 || 72 || 40 min.
|-
| F|| 36 || 36 || 72 || 60 min.
|-
| G || 36 || 36 || 72 || 60 min.
|}


⚫
== Uses in primary and secondary education ==
== History ==
In 2012 the [[New York City Department of Education]] (NYC DOE) adjusted its criteria for inferring gifted and talented needs of students in kindergarten through the third grade. Citing a disproportionate number of students scoring in the 99th percentile — the far right tail of the [[Normal distribution|distribution curve]] — the NYC DOE replaced the [[Bracken School Readiness Assessment|Bracken (BSRA)]] with the [[Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test]] (NNAT), and changed the weighting, lowering the OLSAT from two-thirds to one-third and giving the NNAT two-thirds.<ref name="DNA New York 2012"/>
The name Otis-Lennon reflects the surnames of two people: (i) the "pre-OLSAT" developer of the original test, '''Arthur Sinton Otis, Ph.D.''' (who died before OLSAT was published) and (ii) the test editor and publishing executive, '''Roger Thomas Lennon, Ph.D.''', who adopted and marketed Otis' concepts as a ''school ability test''.


A local news source reported that many parents were unhappy about the decrease in the weighting of the OLSAT and the implementation of the [[Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test|NNAT]].<ref name="DNA New York 2012"/> The objective, according to the NYC DOE, was to combat the advantages of children receiving pretest tutoring. The NYC DOE avers that the OLSAT is more preppable and the NNAT is less preppable.<ref name="NYTs 2014"/>
Otis (28 July 1886–1 January 1964) is best known for the multiple choice [[intelligence test]]s he developed for the [[U.S. Army]]. As a doctoral student under [[Lewis Terman]] in 1917 he developed the group-administered tests titled the [[Army Alpha]] (for literates) and the Army Beta (for illiterates). Otis developed it to improve cost and time efficiency as compared to one developed by [[Alfred Binet]] (1857–1911), which was individually administered. Given in multiple-choice format and administered in groups, 1.7 million [[World War I]] [[Army recruit|recruit]]s took the Army Alpha test. The results were published in 1921 and included the relative performance of recruits of different national origins.


== Uses by high-IQ societies ==
Many historians credit Fredrick James Kelly, Ph.D.,(1880&ndash;1959) of the [[University of Kansas]], for inventing the multiple choice format (also known as Multiple Choice Questions or MCQ) in 1914. However, Otis was the first to use it on a large scale in the Army Alpha test.
High scores on the OLSAT are accepted by [[High-IQ society|high IQ societies]] such as [[American Mensa]] (requiring a total SAI ≥ 132) and [[Intertel]] (requiring a total SAI ≥ 138), the latter also accepting scores on this test's historical predecessor, the OLMAT.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Join Mensa Using My Past Test Scores|url=https://www.us.mensa.org/join/testscores/|access-date=2021-05-02|website=American Mensa|language=en|archive-date=2021-05-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507165515/https://www.us.mensa.org/join/testscores/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Intertel - Join us|url=https://www.intertel-iq.org/join-us|access-date=2021-05-02|website=www.intertel-iq.org|archive-date=2021-03-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210322112303/https://intertel-iq.org/join-us|url-status=live}}</ref>


⚫
== Criticisms ==
Otis was also a major contributor as a test editor for the [[World Book Company]], which later became part of [[Harcourt Trade Publishers|Harcourt Brace Jovanovich]]. World Book Company is not related to [[World Book|World Book, Inc.]], the Chicago-based publisher of encyclopedias. The OLSAT was first published by [[Harcourt (publisher)|Harcourt]] in 1979.

Lennon (1916&ndash;1986) was an executive and head of the testing division of Harcourt Brace Jovanovich as well as a chairman of one of its subsidiaries, The Psychological Corporation. Later he became a senior vice president of the publishing house. He retired in 1981 as associate to the chairman.

⚫
==Criticisms==
'''Accuracy'''
'''Accuracy'''


: The fact that the OLSAT is easier and less expensive to administer than an [[IQ test]], such as the [[Stanford Binet|Stanford Binet V]] or the [[Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children]], makes it more accessible; but its accuracy at higher levels is less reliable.<ref>A. Lynne Beal, PhD, C.Psych (Ontario) ''A Comparison of WISC-III and OLSAT-6 for the Identification of Gifted Students'', <u>Canadian Journal of School Psychology</u>, Vol. 11, No. 2, 120-129 (1996)</ref>
: The fact that the OLSAT is easier and less expensive to administer than an [[IQ test]], such as the [[Stanford Binet|Stanford Binet V]] or the [[Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children]], makes it more accessible; but its accuracy at higher levels is less reliable.<ref name="Beal"/> High scores on the OLSAT are nevertheless accepted as qualifying evidence by high IQ societies such as [[Mensa International|Mensa]] and [[Intertel]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />


'''Test environment'''
'''Test environment'''
Line 31: Line 76:
'''Test format for preschoolers'''
'''Test format for preschoolers'''


: Some testing scholars have published concerns over whether the multiple-choice aspect of testing encourages guesswork over independent thinking.<ref>[http://users.wpi.edu/~msokal/ Michael Mark Sokal, PhD (1945- )], ed., ''Testing and American Society, 1890-1913'', Ch 6, pg 95, (citing Franz Samelson, PhD, "Was early mental testing: (a) Racist inspired, (b) Objective science, (c) A technology for democracy, (d) The origin of the multiple-choice exams, (e) None of the above? (Mark the RIGHT answer)." pp. 113-27) [[Rutgers University Press]], [[New Brunswick, NJ|New Brunswick]] (1990)</ref>
: Some testing scholars have published concerns over whether the multiple-choice aspect of testing encourages guesswork over independent thinking.<ref name="Sokal"/>


'''Preparing for the test'''
'''Preparing for the test'''


: For the 2007–08 school-year, New York City began using the OLSAT to infer gifted pedagogical needs of public school children entering kindergarten through 3rd grade. Preschools &ndash; and a cottage industry of [[test preparation]] companies &ndash; soon thereafter began offering OLSAT test-preparation. OLSAT attempts to infer "school ability" for a particular grade. In New York City, a preschooler being screened for a gifted pedagogy at the kindergarten level would simply be assessed using the OLSAT that measures kindergarten scholastic ability. OLSAT test preparation programs for preschoolers have essentially incorporated an OLSAT oriented kindergarten curriculum.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/21/nyregion/21testprep.html?ref=sharonotterman Sharon Otterman, ''Tips for the Admissions Test ... to Kindergarten'', <u>The New York Times</u>, Nov. 20, 2009]</ref>
: For the 2007–08 school-year, New York City began using the OLSAT to infer gifted pedagogical needs of public school children entering kindergarten through 3rd grade. Preschools &ndash; and a cottage industry of [[test preparation]] companies &ndash; soon thereafter began offering OLSAT test-preparation. OLSAT attempts to infer "school ability" for a particular grade. In New York City, a preschooler being screened for a gifted pedagogy at the kindergarten level would simply be assessed using the OLSAT that measures kindergarten scholastic ability. OLSAT test preparation programs for preschoolers have essentially incorporated an OLSAT oriented kindergarten curriculum.<ref name="NYTs Otterman 2009"/>


==Editions==
==Editions==
Line 43: Line 88:
:7th ed. &mdash; Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (published October 23, 1995)
:7th ed. &mdash; Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (published October 23, 1995)
:8th ed. &mdash; Otis-Lennon School Ability Test
:8th ed. &mdash; Otis-Lennon School Ability Test

== Use in screening gifted and talented children ==
After years of using the [[Stanford Binet]], the [[New York City Department of Education]] in September 2006, through a competitive bidding process, awarded a five-year, $5.3 million contract to Harcourt Assessment to provide testing materials for its pre-kindergarten through 2nd grade [[gifted education|gifted and talented admissions]], to provide professional development for teachers and administrators, and to provide parent informational materials. Under the contract, Harcourt will develop and implement the scoring methodology and closely track scoring trends to ensure proper test administration.


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist||refs=
{{reflist|2}}

<ref name="Beal">''A Comparison of WISC-III and OLSAT-6 for the Identification of Gifted Students'', by A. Lynne Beal, PhD, C.Psych (Ontario), ''[[Canadian Journal of School Psychology]]'', Vol. 11, No. 2, 120-129 (1996); {{ISSN|2154-3984}}</ref>

<ref name="Sokal">''Psychological Testing and American Society, 1890-1913'', by [http://users.wpi.edu/~msokal|Michael Mark Sokal, PhD] (born 1945) (ed.), Ch. 6, pg. 95, (citing Franz Samelson, PhD, "Was early mental testing: (a) Racist inspired, (b) Objective science, (c) A technology for democracy, (d) The origin of the multiple-choice exams, (e) None of the above? (Mark the RIGHT answer)", [[New Brunswick, NJ|New Brunswick]]: [[Rutgers University Press]] (1990), pps. 113–127; {{OCLC|13580898|812908050}}</ref>

<ref name="DNA New York 2012">[http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20121024/new-york-city/new-gifted-talented-test-so-hard-it-even-leaves-parents-stumped "New Gifted and Talented Test Leaves Parents Stumped"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130121225318/http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20121024/new-york-city/new-gifted-talented-test-so-hard-it-even-leaves-parents-stumped |date=2013-01-21 }}, by Julie Shapiro, ''DNAinfo New York'', New Media News LLC, October 24, 2012</ref>

<ref name="NYTs 2014">[https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/05/nyregion/fewer-pupils-qualify-for-gifted-programs.html "Fewer Pupils Qualify for Gifted Programs"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151109044658/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/05/nyregion/fewer-pupils-qualify-for-gifted-programs.html |date=2015-11-09 }}, by Al Baker, ''[[New York Times]]'', April 4, 2014</ref>

<ref name="NYTs Otterman 2009">[https://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/21/nyregion/21testprep.html?ref=sharonotterman Sharon Otterman, "Tips for the Admissions Test ... to Kindergarten"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140418092441/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/21/nyregion/21testprep.html?ref=sharonotterman |date=2014-04-18 }}, by Sharon Otterman, ''[[New York Times]]'', November 20, 2009</ref>
}}


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://jpa.sagepub.com/ ''Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment''], Sage Publications
* [http://jpa.sagepub.com/ ''Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment''], [[SAGE Publications]]
⚫
* [http://www.pearsonassessments.com/HAIWEB/Cultures/en-us/Productdetail.htm?Pid=OLSAT OLSAT Website], Pearson Education
* [http://www.polymath-systems.com/intel/hiqsocs/hiqsocs3.html "High IQ Societies and Tests Used for Admissions"], Polymath Systems
{{Authority control}}
⚫
* [http://www.pearsonassessments.com/HAIWEB/Cultures/en-us/Productdetail.htm?Pid=OLSAT OLSAT Website], Pearson Education


{{DEFAULTSORT:Otis-Lennon School Ability Test}}
[[Category:Standardized tests]]
[[Category:Standardized tests]]
[[Category:Educational assessment and evaluation]]
[[Category:Student assessment and evaluation]]
[[Category:Cognitive tests]]
[[Category:Cognitive tests]]
[[Category:Intelligence tests]]
[[Category:Intelligence tests]]

Latest revision as of 02:02, 7 December 2023

The Otis–Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT), published by the successor of Harcourt Assessment—Pearson Education, Inc., a subsidiary of Pearson PLC—is, according to the publisher, a test of abstract thinking and reasoning ability of children pre-K to 18. The Otis-Lennon is group-administered (except preschool), multiple choice, taken with pencil and paper, measures verbal, quantitative, and spatial reasoning ability. The test yields verbal and nonverbal scores, from which a total score is derived, called a School Ability Index (SAI). The SAI is a normalized standard score with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 16. With the exception of pre-K, the test is administered in groups.

Test components

[edit]

The test has twenty-one subtests that are organized into five areas—verbal comprehension, verbal reasoning, pictorial reasoning, figural reasoning, and quantitative reasoning—each with equal numbers of verbal and non-verbal items:[1]

Verbal Nonverbal
Verbal Comprehension Pictorial Reasoning
Following Directions Picture Classification
Antonyms Picture Analogies
Sentence Completion Picture Series
Sentence Arrangement Figural Reasoning
Verbal Reasoning Figural Classification
Aural Reasoning Figural Analogies
Arithmetic Reasoning Pattern Matrix
Logical Selection Figural Series
Word/Letter Matrix Quantitative Reasoning
Verbal Analogies Number Series
Verbal Classification Numeric Inference
Inference Number Matrix

The number of questions and the time limit varies accordingly:

Level Verbal Nonverbal Total Time Limit
A (Pre-K) 16 24 40 77 min.
A (K) 30 30 60 77 min.
B 30 30 60 77 min.
C 30 30 60 72 min.
D 32 32 64 50 min.
E 36 36 72 40 min.
F 36 36 72 60 min.
G 36 36 72 60 min.

Uses in primary and secondary education

[edit]

In 2012 the New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE) adjusted its criteria for inferring gifted and talented needs of students in kindergarten through the third grade. Citing a disproportionate number of students scoring in the 99th percentile — the far right tail of the distribution curve — the NYC DOE replaced the Bracken (BSRA) with the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT), and changed the weighting, lowering the OLSAT from two-thirds to one-third and giving the NNAT two-thirds.[2]

A local news source reported that many parents were unhappy about the decrease in the weighting of the OLSAT and the implementation of the NNAT.[2] The objective, according to the NYC DOE, was to combat the advantages of children receiving pretest tutoring. The NYC DOE avers that the OLSAT is more preppable and the NNAT is less preppable.[3]

Uses by high-IQ societies

[edit]

High scores on the OLSAT are accepted by high IQ societies such as American Mensa (requiring a total SAI ≥ 132) and Intertel (requiring a total SAI ≥ 138), the latter also accepting scores on this test's historical predecessor, the OLMAT.[4][5]

Criticisms

[edit]

Accuracy

The fact that the OLSAT is easier and less expensive to administer than an IQ test, such as the Stanford Binet V or the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, makes it more accessible; but its accuracy at higher levels is less reliable.[6] High scores on the OLSAT are nevertheless accepted as qualifying evidence by high IQ societies such as Mensa and Intertel.[4][5]

Test environment

Preschoolers taking the OLSAT for gifted and talented (G&T) kindergarten programs are more likely to be aware that they are taking a test. For that particular age, the test is given one-on-one. The test is presented in a multiple choice format, and either the child fills in the "bubble" or the tester does it for them. By contrast, many psychological, intelligence, and school ability tests (or assessments) are administered by psychologists who discreetly take notes while conducting introspective thinking activities. Under these conditions, the child is often unaware of being evaluated.

Test format for preschoolers

Some testing scholars have published concerns over whether the multiple-choice aspect of testing encourages guesswork over independent thinking.[7]

Preparing for the test

For the 2007–08 school-year, New York City began using the OLSAT to infer gifted pedagogical needs of public school children entering kindergarten through 3rd grade. Preschools – and a cottage industry of test preparation companies – soon thereafter began offering OLSAT test-preparation. OLSAT attempts to infer "school ability" for a particular grade. In New York City, a preschooler being screened for a gifted pedagogy at the kindergarten level would simply be assessed using the OLSAT that measures kindergarten scholastic ability. OLSAT test preparation programs for preschoolers have essentially incorporated an OLSAT oriented kindergarten curriculum.[8]

Editions

[edit]
1st ed. — Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (published August 13, 1979)
2nd ed. — Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (published September 10, 1982)
6th ed. — Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (published November 15, 1988)
7th ed. — Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (published October 23, 1995)
8th ed. — Otis-Lennon School Ability Test

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "OLSAT Questions: Explanations and Sample Questions". TestPrep-Online. Archived from the original on 5 February 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  2. ^ a b "New Gifted and Talented Test Leaves Parents Stumped" Archived 2013-01-21 at the Wayback Machine, by Julie Shapiro, DNAinfo New York, New Media News LLC, October 24, 2012
  3. ^ "Fewer Pupils Qualify for Gifted Programs" Archived 2015-11-09 at the Wayback Machine, by Al Baker, New York Times, April 4, 2014
  4. ^ a b "Join Mensa Using My Past Test Scores". American Mensa. Archived from the original on 2021-05-07. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
  5. ^ a b "Intertel - Join us". www.intertel-iq.org. Archived from the original on 2021-03-22. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
  6. ^ A Comparison of WISC-III and OLSAT-6 for the Identification of Gifted Students, by A. Lynne Beal, PhD, C.Psych (Ontario), Canadian Journal of School Psychology, Vol. 11, No. 2, 120-129 (1996); ISSN 2154-3984
  7. ^ Psychological Testing and American Society, 1890-1913, by Mark Sokal, PhD (born 1945) (ed.), Ch. 6, pg. 95, (citing Franz Samelson, PhD, "Was early mental testing: (a) Racist inspired, (b) Objective science, (c) A technology for democracy, (d) The origin of the multiple-choice exams, (e) None of the above? (Mark the RIGHT answer)", New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press (1990), pps. 113–127; OCLC 13580898, 812908050
  8. ^ Sharon Otterman, "Tips for the Admissions Test ... to Kindergarten" Archived 2014-04-18 at the Wayback Machine, by Sharon Otterman, New York Times, November 20, 2009
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Otis–Lennon_School_Ability_Test&oldid=1188692259"