Mind the Gap: Understanding How a Speech-Language Pathologist's Grammar Knowledge Affects Assessment

Purpose: This study examined whether school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) could use their grammatical knowledge and the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals–Fifth Edition (CELF-5) Formulated Sentences subtest manual to score responses accurately and consistently and to determine how scoring variability may influence potential eligibility outcomes. Method: Ninety-seven practicing school-based SLPs completed a 141-item online survey. The survey included demographic questions, self-ratings of grammatical knowledge and confidence, and three sets of Formulated Sentences responses from children aged 7, 8, and 10 years. Participants scored items using standardized CELF-5 criteria and rated their confidence in each decision. Group comparisons were conducted between SLPs who had completed language science coursework and those who had not. Results: Participants reported neutral to somewhat strong grammatical knowledge and confidence. Although SLPs with language science coursework had higher knowledge and confidence in assessing grammar, they did not demonstrate greater scoring accuracy. Examiner-level variability was evident across raw and scaled scores, with many outcomes clustering near eligibility relevant thresholds. Effect size estimates indicated small but meaningful differences in confidence when scoring grammatically correct versus incorrect responses. Conclusions: School-based SLPs demonstrated notable variability when scoring the Formulated Sentences subtest, and in some cases, this variability could shift a child across an eligibility cutoff. Findings highlight the need for explicit instruction in grammatical analysis, practice-based calibration, and reliance on multiple data sources when making high-stakes eligibility determinations.