Validity of the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test

Abstract

Concurrent validity of the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test (K-BIT) with a sample of elementary- and middle-school students referred for multidisciplinary evaluations in a public school setting is presented. All correlations between the K-BIT and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–Third Edition (WISC-III) were significant. Correlations ranged from .36 ( r2 = .10) to .87 ( r2 = .75), Mr = .71 ( Mr2 = .50). K-BIT Vocabulary-Matrices discrepancy scores accounted for a significant but small proportion (13%) of the variability in WISC-III VIQ-PIQ discrepancies, but kappa ( k) coefficients for these discrepancies indicated that agreement was generally no better than chance. The K-BIT appears to be a promising general intellectual screening instrument when more comprehensive assessment is not possible or needed, but interpretation is best left at the IQ Composite level for the present time.