CLINICAL EVALUATION OF

LANGUAGE FUNDAMENTALS-
FOURTH EDITION
(CELF-4)

Group Members:
Jennifer Heitkemper, Terri Mooney, Jackie
Schultheis, Courtney Combs, and Christin
Assi
Test Background
◻ Author
Eleanor Semel, Ed.D
Elisabeth H. Wiig, Ph.D
Wayne A. Secord, Ph.D

◻ Publisher
Pearson Education, Inc.

◻ Age Range
5-21 years

◻ Cost:
Screening Test- $262
■ Includes: Screening Test Examiner’s Manual, CELF-4 Screening Test Record Forms (25), CELF-4
Screening Test Stimulus Book
Purpose
◻ An evaluation tool that is used to identify, diagnose,
and conduct follow-up evaluations of language and
communication disorders in patients between the
ages 5 and 21 years old.

◻ The fourth edition has better assessment procedures

that are comprehensive, flexible and
multi-perspective
Design and Construction
◻ Administered ◻ Materials:
individually Examiner’s Manual
Used by:
■ SLPs Two Stimulus Books
■ School Psychologists
■ Special Educators Record Forms 1 and 2
■ Diagnosticians

Observational Rating
Scale
The CELF-4 Assessment Process Model
Test Administration
◻ Stimulus Book is set up as an easel and placed
between examiner and examinee
Directions shown to examiner
Visual stimuli shown to examinee
◻ Directions for each subtest are written on stimulus
book and Record Form
◻ Certain subtests allow repetition
◻ Certain subtests have a ceiling
Give example
Subtests-Level 1
◻ Concepts & Following Directions

◻ Word Structure

◻ Formulated Sentences

◻ Recalling Sentences

◻ Word Classes 2

◻ Word Definitions
Concepts and Following Directions
Word Structure
Formulating Sentences
Subtests-Level 2
◻ Word Classes 1

◻ Sentence Structure

◻ Expressive Vocabulary

◻ Word Definitions

◻ Sentence Assembly

◻ Semantic Relationships

◻ Understanding Spoken Paragraphs

Word Classes - 1
Sentence Structure
Expressive Vocabulary
Sentence Assembly
Semantic Relatioships
Subtests-Level 3
◻ Phonological Awareness

◻ Word Associations

◻ Rapid Automatic Naming

◻ Number Repetition 1

◻ Familiar Sequences 1
Rapid Automatic Naming
Level 3 Assessment Demonstration
◻ Familiar Sequences
All Ages
Repeat familiar sequences as fast as possible
■ Alphabet
■ Days of the Week
■ Odd Numbers
■ Etc.
◻ Number Repetition
All Ages
Repeat numbers forwards and backwards
Subtests-Level 4
◻ Pragmatics Profile

◻ Observational Rating Scale

Scoring Test – Types of Scoring
◻ Subtests
Scaled Scores
■ Confidence Intervals (68, 90, or 95% level)
Percentile Ranks
■ Confidence Interval
Age Equivalents
Criterion-Referenced Scores
■ Meets/Does Not Meet
■ Normal/Slower than Normal/Non-Normal
Scoring Test – Types of Scoring
◻ Core Language Score and Indexes
Scaled Scores from specified tests are added together and
converted to a standard score
Standard Score
■ Mean – 100 SD -15
■ Confidence Interval
Percentile Rank
■ Confidence Interval
◻ Discrepancy Comparisons
Looking for significance of differences between:
■ Receptive Language Index/Expressive Language Index
■ Language Content Index/Language Structure Index
Test Score Interpretation
◻ Norm-Referenced Core Language Score
◻ Norm-Referenced Index Scores
Receptive Language Index
Expressive Language Index
Language Content Index
Language Structure Index
Working Memory Index
Adequacy of Norms
◻ Age and ethnic background

◻ Non-native English speakers and second language

English speakers

◻ Not normed on other aspects

Test Strength and Limitations

Strengths Limitations
◻ Results give clinicians a ◻ Full test is time consuming to administer
◻ Clinician needs to be very familiar with
broad view of student’s dialects or language communities to which
language skills a student is exposed
◻ Any modifications made to the test
◻ 4 Levels of assessment invalidate the norms so scores cannot be
allow for deeper reported
understanding of possible ◻ No indication of normalization on ESL
children
underlying problems ◻ Lack of engaging content for some
◻ Multiple composite scores subtests (ex. Recalling Sentences and
Phonological Awareness)
to assess student’s ◻ Heavy reliance on memory
strengths and weaknesses
Test Reliability
◻ Does this test provide consistent scores?
◻ Test-Retest Reliability

-Is the test dependable across repeated administrations.

-Data showed that the test was reliable across all ages.
◻ No alternate form was administered.

◻ Internal Consistency

-How well does the test measure one construct?

- Split-half method
 Test Validity
◻ Does this test measure what it is meant to measure?
◻ Content Validity

📫 Positives

📫 Negatives

◻ Construct Validity

📫 Sensitivity- level of construct validity

- Used diagnostics validity statistics to test sensitivity

of various cut scores.
Questions?
References

Alphonse, J. (Performer), Blakley, A. (Performer), & Brown, D. (Performer)

(2011, Oct 26). Celf-4. ablakley24. [Video podcast]. Retrieved from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2T6JNsGUtvM

Celf-4 case studies. (2008). Retrieved from http://

www.pearsonassessments.com/NR/rdonlyres/E958293A-C2EA-4A0
3- B8EE-98CA705035A0/0/CELF4_Case_Studies.pdf
Ryan, M. (Producer) (2012, March 28). Test and assessments group project:
Celf-4. CELF-4. [Video podcast]. Retrieved from http://
www.pearsonassessments.com/NR/rdonlyres/E958293A-C2EA-4A0
3- B8EE-98CA705035A0/0/CELF4_Case_Studies.pdf
Semel, E., Wiig, E., & Secord, W. (2004). Clinical evaluation of language
fundamentals: Fourth edition. (4th ed.). San Antonio : Pearson Education,
Inc.