Otis Lennon School Ability Test
Grades 3 and 6
 
 
The Otis Lennon School Ability Test assesses verbal and nonverbal reasoning abilities that are related to success in school. Although the total score is the best overall indicator of school-learning ability, a student's ability to learn in school is dependent on both types of skills. The Verbal processes measured are Verbal Comprehension and Verbal Reasoning. Nonverbal processes are Pictorial Reasoning, Figural Reasoning, and Quantitative Reasoning.
 
Tasks such as detecting likenesses and differences, recalling words and numbers, defining words, following directions, classifying, establishing sequence, solving arithmetic problems, and completing analogies are included in OLSAT, since they have been shown to be valid measures of an individual's ability to reason logically.
 
A variety of scores is available to describe the student's Total, Verbal, and Nonverbal performance, including School Ability Indexes (SAIs), percentile ranks and stanines based on age and grade, scaled scores, and normal curve equivalents (NCEs). The SAI, with a mean of 100 and standard deviation of 16, is a relatively easy-to-understand indicator of a student's standing relative to his or her age peers.

OLSAT consists of seven levels that collectively assess the range of ability of students in Kindergarten through Grade 12. A separate test level is available for each grade from K through Grade 3, allowing for the rapid cognitive growth that occurs during this period.
 
 
 
 
 
Last Modified on May 7, 2013