The Insufficiency of Norm-Referenced Writing Assessment for Identifying Writing Weaknesses in Children Who Are Deaf and Hard of

Purpose: This study examined the internal consistency reliability, interrater reliability, and concurrent validity of the norm-referenced Test of Early Written Language-Third Edition (TEWL-3) to determine if it is an appropriate measure to use when determining if elementary children who are deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) meet grade-level writing expectations.

Method: Participants included 111 second-grade children across three groups: children with typical hearing (CTH), children who use cochlear implants, and children who use hearing aids. Reliability and validity were compared across all groups.

Results: Reliability was very strong across groups. CTH followed expected patterns of validity, whereas patterns of validity differed for DHH. Results indicated, on average, that all groups performed in the average or above average ranges on the TEWL-3 but in the not proficient range on the 6 + 1 Trait Writing Rubric: Grades K-2.

Conclusions: Given the purpose of norm-referenced and criterion-referenced measures and the differences in performance on the TEWL-3 and the 6 + 1 Trait Writing Rubric: Grades K-2 across groups, speech-language pathologists should not rely on norm-referenced writing assessments to make eligibility decisions for specialized writing intervention services, especially for the DHH population.