Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales for Early Childhood (EARLY SB-5)

Valid and reliable assessment of intellectual functioning is an important need in many preschool assessment practices. The Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales for Early Childhood–Fifth Edition (Early SB-5) is a specialized version derived directly from the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales–Fifth Edition (SB-5). It provides a psychometrically superior, accessible, and cost-effective test of intelligence for use with young children.

 

Features

 

The applications of Early SB-5 are generally identical to those of SB-5. The primary difference is that Early SB-5 is streamlined for ages 2-5, covering the full range of abilities. However, for ages 6-7, professionals seeking a broad assessment of early intellectual giftedness should instead use the complete SB5.  Early SB-5 may be used to (A) assess intellectual deficiencies, delays, and disabilities; (B) assess developmental delays In the cognitive and language domains; (C) use the nonverbal IQ sections to identify developmental disabilities in children with limited English and other expressive language difficulties; (D) plan interventions including individual family plans, individual education plans; and (E) refer children for more extensive pre-academic and neuropsychological evaluations.

 

Early SB-5, like SB-5, has ten subtests. Two subtests – Nonverbal Fluid Reasoning (Matrices) and Verbal Knowledge (Vocabulary) – cover the age range 2-0 through 7-3 and provide initial scores for tailoring the remaining test administration to the ability level of the child.  Toys, manipulatives and brightly colored illustrations help engage young children. The remaining eight subtests offer scores in the preschool range, from 2-0 through 5-11 to measure Quantitative, Visual-Spatial, and Working Memory abilities. Testing begins in Item Book 1 with the two initial subtests, which are retained in their entirety and used to calculate an Abbreviated Battery IQ. All remaining subtests are contained in Item Book 2. This provides a streamlined administration compared to the 3 Item Book format of the full SB5. Each Item Book is designed as an "easel" with illustrations and stimuli facing the child and directions (including all examiner prompts, materials layout, and scoring directions) conveniently facing the examiner, as compared to other IQ measures that require a separate test manual of directions. The Record Form guides the examiner through the administration and provides familiar, easy-to-use scoring directions. In the Early SB-5, only the most difficult levels of items have been dropped from the subtests in Item Book 2. Dropping these more difficult items generally has no impact on the scores of the young children typically assessed with Early SB-5.

 

The Early SB-5 can be hand-scored or scored with the optional SB-5 Online Scoring and Report System. The scaled scores for the ten subtest scores are the familiar profile scores used in other IQ measures with a mean of 10, and Standard Deviation of 3 (range 1-19). These subtest scores combine to form four types of composite scores: 5 factor indexes (Fluid, Knowledge, Quantitative, Visual-Spatial, and Working Memory), 2 domains (Verbal and Nonverbal), Brief IQ from 2 subtests, and Full Scale (each with scaled score means of 100, SD=15 (range 40-160)). Two subtests (one verbal and one nonverbal) combine to form each of the 5 factor indexes. There are two domain scales: Nonverbal IQ (combines the five nonverbal subtests) and Verbal IQ (combines the five verbal subtests). Two initial subtests combine to form the Abbreviated Battery IQ. Finally, the Full Scale IQ combines all ten subtests.

 

The newly developed Test Observation Checklist identifies a range of behaviors that may serve as cautions for behavioral or cognitive difficulties that may both affect the examinee's performance on the test and his or her adaptation outside the testing situation. The twenty-one areas of behavior addressed in the checklist should be followed up through additional assessment including observation, interview, or contact with parents, guardians, or other caregivers. The Test Observation Checklist was developed in cooperation with Dr. Glen Aylward of Southern Illinois School of Medicine, an expert on infant and preschool assessment.

 

As with SB-5, a variety of interpretive frameworks may be applied to the results of this test. The Examiner's Manual, Supplemental Interpretive Manual, and SB5 Online Scoring and Report System provide guidance on interpretation.

 

The Early SB-5 was normed sample of 1,800 individuals, which closely matches the 2000 U.S. Census. Bias reviews were conducted on all items for the following variables: gender, ethnicity, culture, religion, region, and socioeconomic status. Early SB5 was co-normed with the Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test, Second Edition (beginning at age 4) and the Test Observation Form (beginning at age 2). Reliabilities for Early SB5 are very high for scores across its age range: FSIQ (.97–.98), NVIQ and VIQ (.94–.96), factor indexes (.90–.92), and subtests (.81–.92). Extensive validity studies are reported in the Test Manual and Supplementary Interpretive Manual.