KABC-2

Peer Reviewed Articles

• Test Review
• "The potential for gleaning more information from the KABC-II than from the KABC, via the identification of additional processing strengths and weaknesses, makes this second edition an attractive test to consider."
• "The authors' explanations of their analytic procedures and their interpretation of the data are clearly laid out and well stated for the benefit of those of us who are a few years removed from graduate-level statistic and test interpretation classes."
• Bain, S.K., & Gray, R. (2008). Test reviews: Kaufman assessment battery for children. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 26(1), 92-101.

• Confirmatory Factor Analysis (KABC-II)
• Focuses on preschool sample: assessing intelligence has shifted from "older children and adults to preschool-aged children because of initiatives to prevent academic problems and intervene earlier with at-risk children."
• Each child was administered the KABC-II and record forms were checked by a second scorer for any errors
• Found that the addition to CHC theory in the new edition is appropriately integrated.
• Although, only one study was conducted and only a small sample of preschoolers was used.
• Morgan, K.E., Rothlisberg, B.A., McIntosh, D.E., & Hunt, M.S. (2009). Confirmatory factor analysis of the KABC-II in preschool children. Psychology in the Schools, 46(6), 515-525.

Purpose

• Complete measure of mental processing and general cognitive ability
• Contributes to clinical evaluations

Description

Theoretical Basis

• 18 subtests
• Core
• Supplemental
• Core and supplemental subtests depend on the age of the student.
• Only one of the global scale indexes is computed and interpreted per student. It is up to the examiner's discretion which model to use.

General Information

CHC Theory

• First introduced in the 2nd edition.
• Includes all of the scales in the Luria model, but they are interpreted differently.
• Sequential processing correlates with Gsm.
• Simultaneous processing correlates with Gv.
• Learning ability correlates with Glr.
• Planning ability correlates with Gf.
• Also includes Gc that is not measured in the Luria Model
• Here, the global scale index is known as the Fluid-Crystallized Index (FCI).

Luria Theory

• Focuses on mental processing, de-emphasizes acquired knowledge, and yields a global scale index called the Mental Processing Index (MPI).
• Assesses sequential and simultaneous processing.
• Sequential Processing: Involves arranging input in sequential or serial order to solve a problem.
• Simultaneous Processing: Analyzes, codes, and stores incoming information.
• Also measures learning ability and planning ability.
• Learning: Attention-concentration processes
• Planning: High level, decision-making, executive processes

Conclusion

• Author: Allen and Nadine Kaufman
• Publisher: Pearson
• Published: 2004
• Price: $925
• Language: English (Includes teaching text in Spanish for bilingual students, but is not meant to be administered in Spanish).
• Qualification Level: Level C
• Time: Luria Model: 25-60 minutes
• Ages 3 and 4: Under 1 hour
• Ages 5 to18: Up to 100 minutes

CHC Model: 30-75 minutes

• Ages 3 and 4: Under 1 hour
• Ages 5 to18: Up to 100 minutes

Strengths

• The KABC-II can be used as an alternative to the WISC-IV. It can also be used in conjunction with the different subtests on the WISC-IV for additional information.
• It's engaging for children.
• Many colors and manipulatives.
• Easy to administer for the examiner.
• Protocol is easy to read and understand.
• Wider age range
• KABC: 2 years, 6 months to12 years, 6 months
• KABC-II: 3 years, 0 months to18 years, 11 months
• High reliability and validity
• Easy to score directly on the record form.

Validity

Simultaneous/Gv

Reliability

• Correlated the KABC-II with:
• KABC (.77-.85)
• WISC-IV (.79-.91)
• WISC-III (.71-.77)
• WPPSI-III (.76-.88)
• KAIT (.77-.91)
• WJ-COG (.74-.77)
• PIAT-R (.66-.69)
• Factor Analysis
• Correlated different subtests with one another to form clusters that are associated with the different abilities within each theory.

Block Counting

• Core: ages 13 to18 years
• Supplementary: ages 5 to12 years
• Nonverbal: ages 7 to 18 years
• The child counts the exact number of blocks in various pictures of stacks of blocks.

Conceptual Thinking

• Core: ages 3 to 6 years
• Nonverbal: ages 3 to 6 years
• The child views a set of 4 or 5 pictures and identifies the one pictures that does not belong with the others.

Face Recognition

• Core: ages 3 to 4 years
• Supplementary: age 5 years
• Nonverbal: ages 3 to 5 years
• The child views photographs of one or two faces that are exposed briefly and then selects the correct face from a group photograph.

Rover

• Core: ages 6 to 18 years
• The child moves a toy dog to a bone on a checkerboard-like grid while trying to find the quickest path with the fewest moves. Timed.

Triangles

• Core: ages 3 to12 years
• Supplementary: ages 13 to18 years
• Nonverbal: ages 3 to18 years
• The child assembles several foam triangles to match a picture.

Gestalt Closure

• Supplementary: ages 3 to 18 years
• The child looks at a partially completed drawing and describes the object or action depicted in the drawing.

• Norm Group: National representative sample of 3,025 examinees ages 3 to 18 years from 39 states.
• Internal consistency computed using the split-half technique.
• Global scale indexes have very high reliability averaging in the mid to upper .90s for the FCI and MPI.
• Non verbal index has averages in the low .90s.
• Test-Retest reliability was administered to test reliability over a period of weeks.
• Average was four weeks between test administrations.
• FCI and MPI scores range from the mid .80s to the mid .90s.
• Non verbal Index has averages in the high .70s to the high .80s.

Chris Poncé

Miriam Aman

Kelly DuVoe

Learning/Glr

Knowledge/Gc

Administration

Test Materials

• Atlantis
• Core: ages 3 to 18 years
• The examiner teaches the child nonsense names for different pictures then asks them to point to the picture within a group when it is named.
• Rebus
• Core: ages 4 to 18 years
• The examiner teaches the child words associated with pictures. The child then reads sentences composed of the pictures.
• Atlantis Delayed
• Supplementary: ages 5 to 18 years
• Child tries to recall the pictures learned in the Atlantis subtest.
• Rebus Delayed
• The child tries to recall the picture/word associations learned in the Rebus subtest.

• The CHC model should be used, except in cases where the examiner believes that including measures of acquired knowledge/crystallized ability would compromise the validity of the FCI.
• If choosing to administer the supplemental subtests, only administer ones that are most pertinent to the reasons for referral.
• Arrange test materials so you can comfortably see both sides of the easel.
• Many subtests require student to point as a response.

• Four easels
• Word Order object card and covering card
• Rover stimulus booklet and Rover dog
• Blocks
• Triangles
• Story Completion stimulus booklet and cards
• Record Form

• Expressive Vocabulary
• Core: ages 3 to 6 years
• Supplementary: ages 7 to 18 years
• The child says the name of a pictured object.
• Riddles
• Core: ages 3 to 18 years
• The examiner says several characteristics of a verbal concept and the child points to or names it.
• Verbal Knowledge
• Core: ages 7 to 18 years
• Supplementary: ages 3 to 6 years
• The child selects from an array of pictures the one that illustrates the meaning of a vocabulary word or the answer to a general prompt.
• *This scale is included in the CHC model only and is not administered in the Luria model.

Weaknesses:

Administering Subtests

• First, decide which global scale index to use: FCI, MPI, or the Nonverbal Index.
• If using the FCI or MPI refer to the Subtest Selection Guide in the manual to determine which subtests are core and which are supplementary.
• At each age, the two Gc subtests that are core for the CHC (but not for the Luria model) are highlighted so as to show that they can be skipped if using the Luria model.
• If using the Nonverbal Index, look at either the front (ages 7 to 18 years) or back (ages 3 to 6 years) of the record form to see which subtests to administer.

• Two different assessment models can become a little confusing.
• Which to administer?
• The subtest order varies depending on the age of the child.
• The test kit has a lot of loose items that can be easily lost or misplaced.
• It can also be a little tiresome to carry around.

Demonstration

Sequential/Gsm

Planning/Gf (ages 7 to18 years only)

Pattern Reasoning

• Core: ages 7 to18 years
• Nonverbal: ages 5 to18 years
• The child is shown a series of stimuli that form a logical, linear pattern, but one stimulus is missing; the child then completes the pattern from an array of options. Timed.

Story Completion

• Core: ages 7 to18 years
• Nonverbal: ages 6 to18 years
• The child is shown a row of pictures that tell a story, but some of the pictures are missing. The student is then tasked with completing the story with extra pictures. Timed.

Number Recall

• Core: ages 4 to18 years
• Supplementary: age 3 years
• The child repeats a series of numbers in the same sequence of the examiner.

Word Order

• Core: ages 3 to18 years
• The child touches a series of silhouettes of common objects in the same order as the examiner says the names of the objects.

Hand Movements

• Supplementary: ages 4 to18 years
• Nonverbal: ages 3 to18 years
• The child copies the examiner's precise sequence of taps on the table with the fist, palm, or side of the hand (one second per hand gesture).

KABC-II

Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children- 2nd edition