OWLS-IIOral and Written Language Scales, Second Edition

Elizabeth Carrow-Woolfolk, PhD

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Theoretical Background of OWLS-II Based on author’s theory that language facilitates the

communication of ideas “In our world, there are an infinite number . . . of

subjects to talk about. Humans could not communicate about the world with efficiency if we did not have a shortcut, a way of referring to the world using a code to represent things and ideas.”

Language is this code

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Using Theory to Inform Assessment The OWLS-II measures the receptive and expressive

aspects of oral and written language These are represented by the four major

communication processes: listening, speaking, reading, and writing

The theory also highlights understanding the specific elements of language that cause difficulty for a child

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OWLS-II ScalesScaleListening Comprehension (LC)

Oral Expression (OE)

Reading Comprehension (RC)

Written Expression (WE)

ProcessOral language reception: Listening to and comprehending spoken language

Oral language expression: Speaking

Written language reception: Reading and comprehending written language

Written language expression:Writing

Item format Items are presented verbally and pictorially; responses are given primarily by pointing on multiple-choice items

Items are presented verbally and pictorially; responses are given verbally

Items and responses are presented in text; responses are given by pointing or saying the number of the response on multiple-choice items

Items are presented verbally and visually (some in text, some pictorially); responses are written

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OWLS-II Scale Comparisons Listening, speaking, reading, and writing have common

elements Each process draws upon the same information It is noteworthy when a person experiences problems

with one of the processes and not with the others Measurement of LC/OE grouped together; RC/WE

grouped together

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OWLS-II Improvements

Standardization of all four scales on the same population

Provision of parallel forms for progress monitoring Addition of new items that measure language used in

the classroom (e.g., perpendicular) Revision of stimulus materials Labeling each item by the linguistic structure it

measures

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OWLS-II Improvements (continued)

Addition of a Reading Comprehension Scale- The theory upon which the OWLS-II is based, as

well as much recent research, illustrates the importance of integrating reading assessment with oral language assessment

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OWLS-II Improvements (continued)

Revision of the Written Expression scoring guidelines to provide more clinical information - Many writing tests focus on the student’s

abilities in a general fashion - OWLS-II evaluates each writing response

for skills in multiple areas- Can easily be compared with specific skills

on other scales

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OWLS-II Improvements (continued)

Development of alternative, acceptable responses for students who speak dialectical variations of English- It is essential that individuals are not penalized

for speaking or writing in a way that is consistent with their culture and dialect

- OE and WE scales provide examples of common responses by speakers of African American English

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Categories of Linguistic Structures Measured by the OWLS-II

Category Description of linguistic structures

Lexical/Semantic Vocabulary: nouns, verbs, modifiers, idioms, prefixes, and suffixes

Syntactic Grammatical morphemes: function words (e.g., pronouns,prepositions, conjunctions, auxiliaries, determiners) and inflections(e.g., possessives, plurals, verb tense, noun–verb agreement)Sentence structure: word order, sentence complexity, accuracy, and

type

Supralinguistic Nonliteral language: double meaning, inference, verbal reasoning,figurative language, indirect requests, and humor

Pragmatic Functional and social characteristics of language

Text Structure (RC and WE only) Knowledge and performance of the combination of all other

categories to create lengthy text passages to be read or written

Conventions (WE only) Letter formation (fine motor), spelling, punctuation, and capitalization

 

Note. The term linguistic structure is used to describe elements of language, such as nouns, conjunctions, and so on. The term category is used to group structures having common functions.

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Comprehensive Measurement

Each of the four scales has items that measure the same linguistic structures

This allows for qualitative comparison of item type across scales

This also helps guide intervention planning

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Conclusions

The OWLS-II retains the best of the original OWLS

It makes important improvements in items, scoring, stimulus materials, and functionality

It is the most comprehensive measurement of language available

For more information contact:

WPSwww.wpspublish.com

800.648.8857