LASS Report Interpretation
How to interpret LASS profiles
© Lucid Research Ltd
www.lucid-research.com
LASS Report Interpretation
Outline of presentation
The tests in LASS
Types of scores used in LASS
Discrepancies and age equivalents
Steps in interpretation of results
Some illustrative profiles
Limitations of the single word reading
test
• LASS and the SEN Code of Practice
•
•
•
•
•
•
© Lucid Research Ltd
www.lucid-research.com
LASS Report Interpretation
The tests in LASS
ATTAINMENT TESTS
DIAGNOSTIC TESTS




© Lucid Research Ltd
Cave / Haunted Cave
(Visual memory)
Mobile / Mobile Phone
(Auditory memory)

Single word reading

Sentence reading

Spelling
Nonwords / Funny Words
(phonic skills)
ABILITY TEST
Syllables / Word Chopping /
(phonological processing)
www.lucid-research.com

Non-verbal reasoning
LASS Report Interpretation
Types of scores used in LASS Secondary
• Raw scores (number correct or pass rates)
• Projected scores (scores adjusted to allow for the adaptive
algorithm in each test)
• Centile scores (range 1– 99) – used for general comparison
purposes
• z scores (standard deviation units) – these are equivalent to
standard scores and can be used for calculating discrepancy if
required
• Age equivalents (like a reading age or spelling age)
© Lucid Research Ltd
www.lucid-research.com
LASS Report Interpretation
LASS results
The main LASS
results are in the
form of a
graphical profile
Scores for each
test are shown in
centiles
© Lucid Research Ltd
www.lucid-research.com
LASS Report Interpretation
Changing from centile scores to z scores
Click here to change from centiles to z scores
z scores have a mean (average) of
zero and a standard deviation of 1
z scores can be converted to
standard scores (average 100,
standard deviation 15)
© Lucid Research Ltd
www.lucid-research.com
LASS Report Interpretation
Changing from graphical profile to data summary
Click here
© Lucid Research Ltd
www.lucid-research.com
LASS Report Interpretation
z scores
• z scores have a mean
(average) of zero and a
standard deviation of 1
• z scores can easily be
converted to standard
scores (average 100,
standard deviation 15)
© Lucid Research Ltd
www.lucid-research.com
LASS Report Interpretation
Data pages
• For each test
full results for
every item can
be accessed
• All results can
be printed out
or archived for
future
reference
© Lucid Research Ltd
www.lucid-research.com
LASS Report Interpretation
Summary table
© Lucid Research Ltd
www.lucid-research.com
LASS Report Interpretation
Discrepancies and age equivalents
© Lucid Research Ltd
www.lucid-research.com
LASS Report Interpretation
Discrepancy
• As well as looking at a pupil’s scores on each individual LASS Secondary
test, the teacher can compare scores across different LASS Secondary tests
for that pupil.
• Where scores appear to be different, it can be helpful to know whether this
difference is just a chance variation or whether it represents a real
discrepancy.
• This cannot be established from centile scores. Instead, z scores must be
used.
• Comparing z scores on different tests enables statistical discrepancy to be
calculated. Differences more than about 0.66 (two thirds of a z score) will
be statistically significant.
• For further information, see the LASS Secondary Teacher’s Manual (section
4.3.3).
• The Summary Table provides calculated discrepancies between the
Reasoning score and the scores obtained on all the other tests.
© Lucid Research Ltd
www.lucid-research.com
LASS Report Interpretation
Basic steps in profile interpretation
1. READ the manual
2. Compare reasoning score with literacy scores: is the
pupil under-performing in literacy?
3. Are literacy problems explainable in terms of:
•
Memory deficiencies, and or
•
Phonological deficiencies?
4. What strengths does the pupil have?
© Lucid Research Ltd
www.lucid-research.com
LASS Report Interpretation
92
© Lucid Research Ltd
20
S-W
Reading
www.lucid-research.com
Reasoning
10
2
Segments
Nonwords
4
Spelling
16
15
Sentence
Reading
23
Mobile
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Cave
Centile score
‘Classic severe dyslexic’ profile
LASS Report Interpretation
‘Classic dyslexic’ with strength in
visual memory
100
92
90
80
Centile score
70
67
60
50
40
34
28
30
20
10
20
16
15
4
© Lucid Research Ltd
www.lucid-research.com
Reasoning
Spelling
Sentence
Reading
SW Reading
Segments
Nonwords
Mobile
Cave
0
LASS Report Interpretation
87
65
48
36
© Lucid Research Ltd
29
www.lucid-research.com
Reasoning
Spelling
20
Sentence
Reading
S-W
Reading
14
Segments
Nonwords
15
Mobile
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Cave
Centile score
‘Mild dyslexic / SpLD’ profile
LASS Report Interpretation
© Lucid Research Ltd
42
42
38
29
28
16
www.lucid-research.com
Spelling
Sentence
Reading
S-W
Reading
Segments
Nonwords
12
Reasoning
36
Mobile
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Cave
Centile score
‘Below average ability’ profile
LASS Report Interpretation
‘Low ability’ profile
100
90
80
Centile score
70
60
50
40
25
30
20
18
10
12
Cave
Mobile
20
14
8
10
7
© Lucid Research Ltd
www.lucid-research.com
Reasoning
Spelling
Sentence
Reading
SW Reading
Segments
Nonwords
0
LASS Report Interpretation
‘Fluency deficit’ profile
100
86
90
75
80
Centile score
70
68
67
56
60
50
43
36
40
30
20
20
10
© Lucid Research Ltd
www.lucid-research.com
Reasoning
Spelling
Sentence
Reading
SW Reading
Segments
Nonwords
Mobile
Cave
0
LASS Report Interpretation
‘Visual memory deficit’ profile
100
90
75
80
68
Centile score
70
56
60
50
43
40
30
30
16
20
10
7
6
© Lucid Research Ltd
www.lucid-research.com
Reasoning
Spelling
Sentence
Reading
SW Reading
Segments
Nonwords
Mobile
Cave
0
LASS Report Interpretation
‘High ability’ profile with auditory
memory weakness
99
100
99
95
90
90
85
82
79
80
Centile score
70
60
50
37
40
30
20
10
© Lucid Research Ltd
www.lucid-research.com
Reasoning
Spelling
Sentence
Reading
SW Reading
Segments
Nonwords
Mobile
Cave
0
LASS Report Interpretation
Limitations of the single word
reading test
Number of individuals
Low
Average
SCORE
Normal distribution
of scores
© Lucid Research Ltd
High
Low
www.lucid-research.com
Number of individuals
Skewed distribution
of scores
Average High
SCORE
LASS Report Interpretation
Using the single word reading test
• Test scores in all the tests in LASS are ‘normally distributed’
except the Single Word Reading Test (SWRT).
• The score distribution on SWRT is ‘negatively skewed’, because
most pupils do very well on it.
• This means that the test does not discriminate clearly between
good readers and average readers, but it does help to identify
poor readers.
• There is little point in giving LASS SWRT test to good or average
readers, i.e. those over centile 20 on the Sentence Reading test.
© Lucid Research Ltd
www.lucid-research.com
LASS Report Interpretation
Conclusions
• LASS is a multifunctional test providing data that can serve
many educational purposes, including helping to
understand SEN and when considering a pupil for
placement on the SEN register.
• The graphical profile and summary table of results provide
the majority of the information that teachers need from
the program.
• Many profiles approximate to common types (as
illustrated), which are straightforward to interpret, either
visually or using the discrepancy data.
• More complex or usual profiles require further analysis.
© Lucid Research Ltd
www.lucid-research.com