If a standardized, norm-referenced language test has high sensitivity, what does this psychometric property guarantee?

• A. The test correctly identifies children who have typical language skills
• B. The test accurately identifies children who truly have a language impairment
• C. The test item selection accurately covers the entire school curriculum
• D. The test yields highly consistent results when administered across different days

Answer: (B)

Sensitivity is about catching true cases. When a standardized, norm-referenced language test has high sensitivity, it will correctly flag most children who truly have a language impairment, leaving few who are missed (few false negatives). This makes it a strong screening tool for identifying those in need of further assessment. Keep in mind, high sensitivity doesn’t guarantee that every child identified as impaired actually has impairment—that depends on specificity and predictive values. The other options describe different concepts (identifying typical skills, curriculum coverage, or test-retest consistency) and aren’t what sensitivity guarantees.