Acknowledgments

The development of the Ortiz Picture Vocabulary Acquisition Test™ (Ortiz PVAT™) was an enormous undertaking, one that could not have been possible without the collaborative efforts of many to achieve one common goal: to develop a receptive vocabulary test that is fair, accurate, and fully digital.

We feel honored to have had the opportunity to work with Dr. Samuel O. Ortiz, an internationally recognized expert in the assessment of culturally and linguistically diverse individuals. We would like to express our greatest appreciation to Dr. Ortiz for his commitment, passion, patience, and diligence over the many years that we have been working together to develop the Ortiz PVAT. You are truly an inspirational person to work with, and all of us at MHS have been moved by your belief in this project and what it will mean to the children, adolescents, and young adults who will benefit from it.

A panel of subject-matter experts, with extensive knowledge in cultural and linguistic issues, provided valuable feedback during the development of the Ortiz PVAT. This panel reviewed all test items for clarity of depiction, potential for bias (related to gender, race/ethnicity, cultural background, or socioeconomic status), and appropriateness in terms of intended age range and difficulty. Thank you to Donna Geffner, Ph.D., CCC-SLP/A; Elizabeth Peña, Ph.D.; Frank C. Worrell, Ph.D.; Monica Oganes, M.A., E.Ds.; and Salvador Hector Ochoa, M.Ed., Ph.D. for your contributions, insight, and expertise that enhanced the development of the Ortiz PVAT.

Thank you to Ana Lia Oliva, MA CCC-SLP, who provided expert guidance in the development of intervention recommendations for this assessment. Thank you also to Agnieszka Dynda, Psy.D., who has supported Dr. Ortiz and MHS throughout the entire development process.

The development of the Ortiz PVAT was a true team effort. Thank you to all of the dedicated individuals here at MHS whose talent and dedication contributed greatly to the development of the Ortiz PVAT:

Hazel Wheldon, President and COO
Gill Sitarenios, Chief Scientist
Jenni Pitkänen, Vice President, Product Development
Jane Wong, Research Scientist; Lindsay Ayearst, Lead Research Scientist; Priyanka Sharma, Project Associate; Maria-Luisa Marocco, Project Associate; Diane Mangalindan, Research Scientist; and James Lant, Research Scientist
Gregory Gunn, Manager, Data & Psychometrics; Joanna Solomon, Psychometrician; Victoria Ng, Psychometrician; E. Manolo Romero Escobar, Psychometrician; Deena Logan, Psychometrics Data QA Analyst; and Jodie Baer, Data Collection Coordinator
Vida Akramy, Manager, Project Management; Melissa Lalsingh, Project Manager; and Shatha Abuelaish, Quality Assurance Lead
Scott Millar, Manager, User Experience; Christopher Musgrave, Graphic/Web Designer; Vanessa Gratsas, Technical Writer/Editor; Pooja Kaushal, User Experience Designer; Angelika Kot, Graphic/Web Designer; and Heba Ahmed, Research Analyst
Anand Nathan, Manager, Software & Development; Nadia Danial, Software Programmer; Ali Sharabiani, Software Programmer; Abdalla Mohamed, Software Programmer; and Peter Veri, Software Programmer
Paul Masson, Marketing Manager; Claude Poulin, Multimedia Designer; Eve Davies-Greenwald, Marketing Specialist
Danielle Politi, Business Development Manager-Clinical & Education Markets

Collaborating with all of these highly skilled individuals has made the development process of the Ortiz PVAT a truly enriching and rewarding experience. The passion and commitment demonstrated by so many along this journey has been nothing short of inspiring, culminating in a product that we can all be proud of.

Sara Rzepa, M.A.
Manager of R&D, Clinical, Education, & Public Safety
November 2017