Fairleigh Dickinson University School Psychology · PDF fileFairleigh Dickinson University School Psychology ... administer the test precisely the way it is supposed to be administered
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Fairleigh Dickinson University School Psychology Program in Cooperation with New Jersey Region V
Everything Old is New Again: Review and Overview of New Tests:
Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fifth Edition (WISC-V) and Woodcock-Johnson, Fourth Edition, Tests of Cognitive Abilities, Oral Language, and Academic Achievement (WJ IV COG, ACH, and OL)
The session will examine a number of recently released revisions of popular cognitive and academic assessment measures. Given the substantial changes to the instruments, a considerable amount of time will be spent in reviewing these modifications. The theoretical foundation of the tests, as well as pertinent issues relevant to the cognitive and academic assessment of children will be explored. Participants can expect to leave the session with a thorough exposure to the tests’ items, their scoring, and interpretation. In addition, relevant information regarding clinical validity and the use of the test with youngsters suspected of manifesting various disabilities will be discussed.
Ron Dumont, Ed.D., NCSP is a Professor of Psychology and the Director of the School of Psychology at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Dr. Dumont's areas of research interest include problems with the diagnosis of Learning Problems, assessment of Serious Emotional Disturbance, and differences found between assessment tools. He is the author or co-author of over 20 book chapters as well as over 100 journal articles and test reviews. He is co-author, with John Willis and Colin Elliott of Essentials of DAS-II Assessment; with John Willis and Guy McBride, the Essentials of IDEA for Assessment Professionals; and with John Willis, the Guide to Identification of Learning Disabilities Third Edition (2002). With Dr. Jerome Sattler, he co-authored the Assessment of Children WISC-IV and WPPSI-III Supplement (2004). [email protected]
John O. Willis, Ed.D., SAIF, has been, since 1980, part-time Senior Lecturer in Assessment and advisor and instructor for the Specialist in Assessment of Intellectual Functioning (SAIF) certification program, Rivier University, Nashua, New Hampshire, where he also teaches Cognitive Assessment II in the Psy.D. Program, and, since 1974, Assessment Specialist (former Director of Psychoeducational Services), Regional Services and Education Center, Amherst, NH. He has worked in special education as a volunteer, tutor, teacher, evaluator, administrator, author, presenter, and consultant for 51 years. Evaluator is the one job he may have gotten right. He is the co-author, with Ron Dumont, Ed.D, NCSP, of the Guide to Identification of Learning Disabilities (3rd ed.) and is author or co-author of several books and many several chapters and articles. Dr. Willis has taught courses for the University System of New Hampshire and Antioch/New England Graduate School and presented numerous workshops for teachers and psychologists in the United States and Canada since 1976. [email protected]
Dr. Dumont and Dr. Willis have recently contributed chapters to Intelligent Testing with the WISC-V and Essentials of WJ IV Tests of Achievement and are working on a chapter with Dr. Robert Walrath for Essentials of WJ IV Cognitive Abilities Assessment
Contents of This Very Handout with Approximate Page Numbers Learning Another New Test............................................................................................. 4
WJ IV Cognitive, Oral Language, and Achievement Gf-Gc and Scholastic Aptitude Configuration .................................................................................................... 11
WJ IV Tests of Cognitive, Achievement, And Oral Language Abilities by Tests, Global Measures, and Clusters .......................................................... 12
WJ IV Useful Additional Material That Is Available To Download ............................... 15
WJ IV Quibbles................................................................................................................ 15
Differences Between WJ IV Gf-Gc Cluster Tests by Narrow Abilities, and Input, and Output Demand ........................................................................................ 17
Differences Between WJ IV Composite Tests Required for Statistical Significance, by Age Group ............................................................................................. 20
Approximate Percentage of Population Expected To Obtain Discrepancies Between Various WJ IV Tests ......................................................................................... 22
WI IV Cognitive Fine Points of Administration .............................................................. 27
WJ IV Cognitive Tests Decision Points........................................................................... 30
Gf-Gc Classification and WISC-V Subtests .................................................................... 31
Broad and Narrow Abilities for Subtest of the Wechsler, WJ IV, and DAS-II .............. 32
Critical Values for Statistically Significant Differences Between the WISC-V Verbal Comprehension and Nonverbal Indexes .............................................................. 45
Approximate Percentage of Population Expected to Obtain Discrepancies Between the WISC-V Verbal Comprehension and Nonverbal Indexes .......................... 45
WISC-V Broad Verbal Index (BVI) Equivalents of Sums of Scaled Scores .................. 47
WISC-V Verbal Knowledge Index (VKI) Equivalents of Sums of Scaled Scores ......... 48
Differences Required for Significance When Each WISC–V Subtest Scaled Score is Compared to the Mean Subtest Scaled Score for Any Individual Child ..................... 49
Report Form Shell for WISC-V Suitable for an Evaluation Report Appendix ............... 50 (Use Replace All to replace Namexx with examinee's first name, Lastxx with the last name, and hxx with "his" or "her" [pick one]. Replace each remaining xx with anything that seems reasonable. Delete all paragraphs and lines in tables that are not relevant.) Explanation of test scores used in report ............................................................... 50
Table shell of Namexx's WISC-V scores .............................................................. 51
Description of the WISC-V ................................................................................... 53
Report Form Shell for WJ IV Suitable for an Evaluation Report Appendix ................... 55 (Use Replace All to replace Namexx with examinee's first name, Lastxx with the last name, and hxx with "his" or "her" [pick one]. Replace each remaining xx with anything that seems reasonable. Delete all paragraphs and lines in tables that are not relevant.) Explanation of test scores used in report ............................................................... 55
Table shell of Namexx's WJ IV scores .................................................................. 56
Description of the WJ IV ....................................................................................... 62
Does Ralph Have a Specific Learning Disability? (a cautionary tale) ............................ 69
OAT-CEREAL (on the mindlessness of grade-equivalent scores) .................................. 73
These suggestions assume that you are already an experienced evaluator and that you have successfully completed at least one advanced assessment course and have administered, scored, interpreted, reported, and fully mastered at least one controlled test in the same domain (e.g., academic achievement, cognitive abilities) as the new one you are approaching.
These suggestions also assume that you have knowledge and experience in the skills and abilities the new test is intended to assess (such as reading skills, math skills, general intellectual ability, or memory) and that you are familiar with persons similar to those you would be testing with the new instrument (such as persons with specific learning disabilities, preschool children, or adolescents who are blind).
Recruit a qualified examiner who is skilled and experienced with the test and who is willing to help you learn the test. Arrange to reward your colleague handsomely. Share this article with your colleague.
Take the Test Yourself
Before you become any more familiar with the test than you already are, persuade a colleague to administer the test to you. The process of taking the test is the best way to become intimately familiar with it. You will also gain some insight into the thought processes involved in responding to the test items and the experience of the examinee. Enjoy if you can, seeing what it is like to demonstrate your abilities to a stranger – if being tested by a colleague, this may actually be more anxiety provoking than being assessed by a total stranger. As you are assessed, think about what you are actually doing to solve the problems or answer the questions. These thoughts will help you understand what a real examinee is going through. The “metacognition” skills you use to be successful – or unsuccessful – can be very useful in understanding the success or failures of an actual person you assess.
If the test you choose to take is not appropriate for you (such as a preschool test), you will still become familiar with the items and instructions, but you may not gain much understanding of the typical examinee's experience. To the extent that your background knowledge and skills and your style of thinking differ from an examinee's, your insights may be of limited value, but they may still be helpful. Make notes on any insights, revelations, and useful thoughts that came to mind while you were being tested.
Read the Manual (RTFM1)
If you will be using the new test frequently and do not yourself own the test, strongly consider purchasing at least the test manual. Having your own copy allows you to highlight, make marginal
notations, insert index tabs, and tape in photocopies of additional information essential for administration, scoring, or interpretation. Possession of your own copy of the manual also allows you to score, recheck scoring, recheck scoring again, and interpret the test at home. If you cannot purchase a manual (they make great holiday gift suggestion to a relative or friend), make a notebook for the test in which you can keep copies of useful information. ___________________________
1 "RTFM" stands for "Read the Fact-filled Manual." Really - Read it! Reread it. Buy your own copy of the manual if you share the test. Annotate it (or make pages of useful information in your companion notebook for the test manual). Just because a manual includes the word “Technical”, do not discard or ignore it. Understanding those “technical” things often are what makes the difference between a good evaluator and a great one. If reading the manuals makes you say something like, “I don’t get it,” then this is an indication that you need to explore more and ask colleagues for help.
Administration
Even though you may have given a version of the new test 100 times in the past, do not assume that the new test is the same. Even when there are major similarities between the old test and the new, it is the minor things that can get overlooked and trip us up. It is easy to see that the discontinuation changed from, for example, 5 consecutive failures to 3 consecutive failures. It is a bit more difficult to see that a response, that for years you have correctly scored as 2-points, is now a 1-point response (or even a 0-point response). Also remember that even though you have given the test 100 times in the past, you may have actually given it 100 times incorrectly! Relearn the test, focusing on all the minute details so that when administering the new version you are absolutely, positively sure you are doing it correctly. It is the subtleties that get us.
Study the general administration rules and the specific administration rules for each subtest. Compare what you read to your experience taking the test. Annotate the manual or your notebook. Ask your colleagues or email the publisher for clarification of anything that is unclear. Be sure you can administer the test precisely the way it is supposed to be administered and the way it was administered when it was normed. Otherwise, your scores will, of course, be meaningless.
Pay particular attention to starting points and stopping rules for the different subtests. Whenever there is any doubt, administer extra items. It is better to have extra items and not need them than to need additional items and not have them. You don't want to be telephoning examinees at night and asking, "Do you remember when I was asking you the meanings of a lot of words? I have a few more I want to ask you." Items with pictures or paper-and-pencil work are difficult even with Skype or Facetime. It's better to be cautious while administering the test. [Don't make this a permanent habit. As you become skilled with the test, you will be able to administer the correct items and only the correct items on the first try.]
After you have taken the test, grab the manual– or in some cases, the online scoring - and score the test. Have your colleagues check your scoring. You don't want to misdiagnose yourself. You might as well keep a file of the tests you take over the years.
When using score tables in the manual, be sure to use straightedges to keep columns and rows straight. If you have any difficulty, photocopy the relevant pages and draw circles and lines as needed. Some examiners need to use this accommodation every time, which is a lot better than making an error.
Read aloud the page, column, and row headings every time you look up a score. Sometimes your ear will catch an error that your eye missed.
Study the items that were not administered to you. Make sure you understand the scoring. Sometimes a thoughtful comparison of examples given for passing and failing (or for full, partial, or no credit) items will help you understand the authors' rationale for scoring the items.
Unless you must use a computer or online scoring program, DON’T – at least when learning the test. Learn to score the test as much as you can and then use the computer scoring to show how brilliant you are. Are your scores that same as the software. If so – Great. You have got it down! – but if not – double check everything. Assume, at first, that the computer program is correct. (We are not automatically assuming it is since computer programs are only as good as the programmers who create them – and they often have no idea of the tests themselves.) Go back and see where you may have made a mistake. This process, although a bit humbling, can be a wonderful learning experience. If you discover mistakes that you made, remember them and you will probably not make them again.
Practice Administration
First Practice Administration
Find a Teddy bear, Barbie doll, action figure, or very lethargic pet. Assign this victim an age within the age range of the test, and administer the test. You will have to play both parts. [If not, you may have more important issues to deal with than learning a new test.] Learn to write the start time for each subtest next to the subtest title or number on the record form. Record the start and end times for any breaks. Occasionally, the precise time of day each subtest was administered becomes important. Write down responses for the "examinee" and again practice scoring.
Practice reading the wording of instructions and items on the easel or in the manual verbatim (also word-for-word).*Do not try to memorize these sentences.* Even experienced evaluators should use the provided words precisely, although in a relaxed, natural, friendly tone. Think of yourself as an actor trying to read a slightly awkward script as if you were speaking spontaneously. In some cases, it may help to tell the examinee that you are obliged to read the text rather than re-word it in order to ensure that all examinees have the same experience (standardization). Examiners who rely on memory introduce and perpetuate errors over time ("examiner drift"). Many experienced evaluators mis-
administer tests that have been revised, because they use the wording that they recall from an older version of the test that now has slight but meaningful changes to instructions. [Pity those of us who are learning the WISC-V after using the WISC, WISC-R, WISC-III, and WISC-IV!]
Practice following the instructions for the test seating and environment. Use a quiet room with comfortable furniture for your Teddy bear or Barbie doll. The examinee gets the best seat even if it means that you have to scrunch into the side of a large desk in order that the examinee may have the main seat. Note that some test manuals have required seating arrangements (e.g., face-to-face, cater-corner, or examiner behind the examinee), but others merely recommend certain configurations.
Second Practice Administration
Now try out the test with a patient and cooperative human being, even an adult willing to pretend to be a child within the test's age range. This particular type of administration – an adult taking a child-level test, is often exceedingly helpful, especially if you allow and instruct the adult to act like a child. If an adult takes a child’s test and acts like an adult, you will not experience any of the “quirks” of a test. You will, for example, most likely always reach an easy basel or ceiling and be provided with responses that will generally match the manual’s pretty well, etc. Refine your administration and scoring.
Use a stopwatch, not a sweep second hand or counting of chimpanzees or polysyllabic state names. Most cell phones now have pretty sophisticated and useful stop watches built in as apps. Record times for all timed test items. Sketch or describe puzzle assemblies and other nonverbal test responses. Writing (or abbreviating) every word in every response is essential. Make a pencil dot for each second you wait around for a response to begin or wait time during a response (e.g., “. . . . . Ah . . . . it means . . . . . . it’s a . . . . What was that word?”). That method leaves a useful record of response latencies. Learn to write down verbatim every response and as much as possible of anything else the examinee says. Do not get into the bad habit of simply scoring a response as 0, 1, or 2, without recording the exact response for the scoring. Even when an answer is correct, it can provide very useful interpretative information. There may be a huge difference between the abilities of a child who responds to a particular question with the response, “It’s a thumb” as opposed to the response, “It’s a … ah…..a fumb” or “Everyone knows it is called a proximal digit!” In contrast, when an item is incorrect, it can be very useful to understand why the item was incorrect. For example, if asked to repeat the number sequence 7 3 5, a person responding 7 3 5 versus 7 5 3 versus 2 1 9 may be demonstrating very different abilities.
Record additional observations if you can, such as level of anxiety, maturity, conversational skills, and behavior (such as hyperactivity or eye contact). One goal is to create a script that would allow you to recreate years later the test session precisely as it took place. Another goal is to become so proficient at correctly administering the test and precisely recording responses that you can also record observations and make necessary decisions while you are working.
OK, now you are ready to try out your new skills on a victim for whom the test would be appropriate (except, of course, for choosing an examinee who has not been and presumably never would be referred for evaluation). You'll need to explain to the examinee and parents that you will not be able to report any scores for the test because you are still learning it. Try to do everything as realistically as possible.
Afterwards, review your administration to correct any errors or uncertainties you may have discovered. Score the test. Have your colleagues check your scoring.
Fourth Practice Administration
This should be the same as the third, only better. Get permission to video-record the session so you and your colleague can review it and correct any errors.
Subsequent Practice Administrations
Repeat until you and your colleague agree you can fly solo.
Administration errors
Here is a common assumption: Errors on tests don’t happen very much – and if they do – they are made by those who are inexperienced testers. How accurate is this? One recent and relevant source for answering this question is: “Wechsler Administration and Scoring Errors Made by Graduate Students and School Psychologists” by Erika Rodger. Dr. Rodger had the opportunity, working as a teaching assistant in graduate assessment courses over several years, to review a whole raft of WISCs and WAISs (along with DAS-IIs and WJ IIIs) inflicted on unsuspecting victims by master’s and doctoral candidates, and she managed to collect a bunch of Wechsler scales administered in real life by practicing psychologists. Her detailed, carefully analyzed, and thoughtfully and clearly discussed findings are not cause for optimism.
In her Introduction to her work, Dr. Rodger writes,
Cognitive assessments are prevalent in U.S. history and policy, and are still very widely used for a variety of purposes. Individuals are trained on the administration and interpretation of these assessments, and upon completion of a program it should be assumed that they are able to complete an assessment without making administrative, scoring, or recording errors. However, an examination of assessment protocols completed by students as well as practicing school psychologists reveals that errors are the norm, not the exception. (bold italic added)
Interpretation
Read the manual for information on interpretation. Go to the publisher's Web site and download all the information you can find on the test. Seek out books on interpretation of the test, such as Sattler
(2008), Sattler (2014), Wiley's Essentials series, edited by Alan and Nadeen Kaufman and Academic Press's books on clinical interpretation of various tests. Discuss interpretation with your colleagues, with other experts, and – for each examinee – with people who know the examinee well.
Keep rechecking yourself (and soliciting peer supervision) on the test until you switch to the next edition. Help stamp out examiner drift! Errors do creep in.
Illustrative References (WISC-V and WJ IV materials in bold) Dumont, R., Willis, J. O., & Elliott, C. D. (2008). Essentials of DAS-II assessment. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Flanagan, D. P., & Alfonso, V. C. (Eds.) (in press). WJ IV clinical use and interpretation. Burlington, MA: Academic
Press (Elsevier).
Flanagan, D. P., & Kaufman, A. S. (2009). Essentials of WISC-IV assessment (2nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Glazer, A. (2014). Effective oral communication of evaluation results. Communiqué, 42(6), 1, 32–33.
Jaffe, L. E. (2009). Development, interpretation, and application of the W score and the relative proficiency index
(Woodcock-Johnson III Assessment Service Bulletin No. 11). Rolling Meadows, IL: Riverside Publishing. Retrieved
from http://www.riverpub.com/products/wjIIIComplete/pdf/WJ3_ASB_11.pdf. This very clear and helpful paper is also
applicable to the WJ IV.
Kaufman, A. S., Coalson, D. L., & Raiford, S. E. (Eds.) (in press). Intelligent testing with the WISC-V. Hoboken, NJ:
Wiley.
Kaufman, A. S., & Lichtenberger, E. O. (2009). Essentials of WAIS-IV assessment. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Kaufman, A. S., Lichtenberger, E. O., Fletcher-Janzen, & Kaufman, N. L. (2005). Essentials of KABC-III assessment.
Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Lichtenberger, E. O., Mather, N., Kaufman, N. L., & Kaufman, A. S. (2004). Essentials of assessment report writing.
Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Lichtenberger, E. O., & Breaux, K.C. (2010). Essentials of WIAT-III and KTEA-II assessment. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. (A
new volume on the KTEA-3 and WIAT-III is in preparation)
Lichtenstein, R. (2013a). Writing psychoeducational reports that matter: A consumer-responsive approach. Communiqué,
42(3), 1, 28–30.
Lichtenstein, R. (2013b). Writing psychoeducational reports that matter: A consumer-responsive approach, Part 2.
Communiqué, 42(4), 1, 10–13.
Lichtenstein, R. (2014). Writing psychoeducational reports that matter: A consumer-responsive approach, Part 3.
Communiqué, 42(6), 1, 30–32.
Mather, N., & Jaffe, L. E. (in press). Woodcock-Johnson IV: Reports, recommendations, and strategies (with CD).
Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. (very helpful with any test)
Mather, N., & Wendling, B. J. (2015). Essentials of WJ IV tests of achievement. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Mather, N., & Jaffe, L. E. (Eds.) (2010). Comprehensive evaluations: Case reports for psychologists, diagnosticians, and
WJ IV Tests of Cognitive, Achievement, and Oral Language Abilities by Tests, Global Measures, and Clusters
WJ IV TESTS OF COGNITIVE ABILITIES Tests Global Measure CLUSTER/Test
Oral Vocabulary GEN INTELLECTUAL ABIL COMP-KNOWLEDGE (Gc) AUDITORY PROCESS (Ga) QUANTITATIVE REASONING Number Series Oral Vocabulary Oral Vocabulary Phonological Processing Number Series Verbal Attention Number Series General Information Nonword Repetition Analysis-Synthesis Letter-Pattern Matching Verbal Attention
Phonological Processing Letter-Pattern Matching FLUID REASONING (Gf) - (3) L-TERM RETRIEVAL (Glr) NUMBER FACILITY Story Recall Phonological Processing Number Series Story Recall Numbers Reversed Visualization Story Recall Concept Formation Visual-Auditory Learning Number-Pattern Matching General Information Visualization Analysis-Synthesis (3)
Concept Formation Numbers Reversed Gf-Gc COMPOSITE S-TERM WORK MEM (Gwm) - (3) VISUAL PROCESSING (Gv) PERCEPTUAL SPEED
Number-Pattern Matching* Oral Vocabulary Verbal Attention Visualization Letter-Pattern Matching Nonword Repetition Number Series Numbers Reversed Picture Recognition Number-Pattern Matching Visual-Auditory Learning General Information Object-Number Sequencing (3)
Word Attack Letter-Word Identification Passage Comprehension Calculation Sentence Reading Fluency Oral Reading Applied Problems Sentence Reading Fluency Math Facts Fluency Math Facts Fluency Sentence Reading Fluency Spelling
Sentence Writing Fluency
Math Facts Fluency Passage Comprehension BASIC READING SKILLS MATH CALCULATION SKILLS Sentence Writing Fluency Calculation Letter-Word Identification Calculation ACADEMIC APPLICATIONS
Reading Recall Writing Samples Word Attack Math Facts Fluency Applied Problems Number Matrices Sentence Reading Fluency
Passage Comprehension
Editing Math Facts Fluency READING COMPREHENSION MATH PROBLEM SOLVING Writing Samples Word Reading Fluency Sentence Writing Fluency Passage Comprehension Applied Problems Spelling of Sounds
Reading Recall Number Matrices ACADEMIC KNOWLEDGE
Reading Vocabulary
Science Science
READING COMP (Ext) WRITTEN LANGUAGE Social Studies
Useful additional material that is available to download: http://www.riversidepublishing.com/products/wj-iv/research.html Author newsletters and Assessment Service Bulletins. Check back for updates.
ASB #1: WJ IV Tests of Achievement Alternate-Forms Equivalence http://www.riversidepublishing.com/products/wj-iv/pdf/Woodcock-Johnson_IV_Assessment_Service_Bulletin_1.pdf This bulletin is an executive summary and discussion of all extant alternate-forms equivalence data gathered for the WJ IV Tests of Achievement. ASB #2: WJ IV Technical Abstract http://www.riversidepublishing.com/products/wj-iv/pdf/Woodcock-Johnson_IV_Assessment_Service_Bulletin_2.pdf This bulletin provides a summary of the procedures followed in developing and validating the WJ IV. ASB #3: The WJ IV Gf-Gc Composite and Its Use in the Identification of Specific Learning Disabilities http://www.riversidepublishing.com/products/wj-iv/pdf/WJIV_ASB_3.pdf This bulletin discusses the WJ IV Tests of Cognitive Abilities' Gf-Gc Composite and contrasts its composition with that of the WJ IV COG General Intellectual Ability (GIA) score ASB #4: Woodcock-Johnson® IV Tests of Early Cognitive and Academic Development: Overview and Technical Abstract http://www.riversidepublishing.com/products/wj-iv/pdf/WJIV_ASB_4.pdf This bulletin provides an overview of the Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Early Cognitive and Academic Development (ECAD™; Schrank, McGrew, & Mather, 2015) http://www.riverpub.com/products/wjIIIComplete/pdf/WJ3_ASB_11.pdf Development, Interpretation, and Application of the W Score and the Relative Proficiency Index by Lynne E. Jaffe, PhD. The WJ IV Technical Manual states that this excellent, clear, helpful article on the WJ III is still applicable to the WJ IV.
WJ IV QUIBBLES There is limited information about when and how to use the Gf-Gc composite instead of the GIA. Although assessment Bulletin #3 is extremely useful to understand the differences between the Gf-Gc composite and the GIA, no guidelines are provided to assist the examiner in determining when to use the different composites. The score reports do not have an option for printing out the descriptive labels associated with the Standard Scores. The discrepancy procedures are very useful – but examiners should not use them as a data-mining tool – searching repeatedly, using different discrepancy procedures, to somehow find a result that fits. Examine the discrepancy results carefully and be sure you understand them before using the results. As Kevin McGrew (a WJ IV test author) likes to caution – “Tests don’t diagnose, people do!”
Test Items
COGNITIVE NUMBER SERIES 41. Possible correct answer not listed (74 2/3 and 79 1/3 – add 4 2/3 each time)
ORAL LANGUAGE PICTURE VOCABULARY 30. Correct but not listed: dirigible ORAL COMPREHENSION 22: "sample"?
ACHIEVEMENT LETTER WORD IDENTIFICATION: possible alternative pronunciations: #62, 65, 69, 70, 71, 74, 76. Found in Miriam Webster
CALCULATION 36: incorrect 7/14...also 2/4. Why no "simplify your answer as on #33
ORAL READING: Some possible confusion: If self-correction is made within 3 seconds it is not scored as an error, however, a repetition of a word or words is scored as an error. This is a subtle difference that needs to be stressed
Line 19: Note that ANTARCTICA has 2 possible pronunciations
FLUENCY: Note carefully the caution in the manual (page 27) regarding administration of ach fluency tests. Despite the fact that the fluency measures are listed as tests #9, 10, 11... examiners are not to administer the tests one after the other. No clear explanation of when, or in what order they should be administered is given
READING RECALL: Scoring: Care must be taken – one scoring rules states that “The subject must recall any number exactly.” The very next scoring rules states that one should “score the response as correct if it differs from the correct response listed only in . . . number (singular/plural)” Examiners should not confuse the first instruction for error in number with the second instruction about singular/plural despite the use of the word “NUMBER”
NUMBER MATRICES: Note that the arrow on the examiners side of the easel for item 12 does not point to the correct spot EDITING: heavy reliance on spelling (Tested by test 3). At least 13 (maybe more) of the 36 items require not only knowing
that the word is spelled wrong, but knowing how to spell it.
READING VOCAB: appears that there are several unlisted correct answers to some items, both synonyms and antonyms. For some examples:
Module: (NOTE: section is listed twice as correct?) Element- not listed Stratagem: Wile Plot Subterfuge Cogitate: Muse, deliberate
SCIENCE Item #3: Other unlisted animals that bark are: Any canine (coyotes, jackals, dingo, fox), prairie dogs, chimpanzees,
gorillas, ostriches, ververts monkeys Item #14: Larva? Item #19: In the British Isles this pattern is known as the Plough, although in Ireland the figure is sometimes called the
Starry Plough and has been used as a political symbol. It is also occasionally referred to as the Butcher's Cleaver in northern England. In Hindu astronomy, it is referred to as (Vrihat) Sapta Rishi meaning "The Seven (Great) Sages". Throughout eastern Asia, these stars compose the Northern Dipper. They are colloquially named "The Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper" (Chinese: pinyin: běidǒu qīxīng; Japanese Hiragana; Korean: Hangul:, Romaja: Bukduchilseong; Vietnamese : chòm sao Bắc Đẩu). The seven stars are very important in Taoist astrology. In Malaysia, it is known as Buruj Biduk (The Ladle). An Arabian story has the four stars of the dipper's bowl as a coffin, with the three stars in the handle as mourners, following it. The constellation of Ursa Major (the Great Bear) contains probably the most famous group of stars ever: The Plough, sometimes known as The Big Dipper. This is technically an Asterism (a group of stars that form some noticeable shape).
THE TAKE-HOME LESSON ON ALL TESTS IS TO CHECK OUT UNEXPECTED RESPONSES. AFTER ASKING FOR ANOTHER ANSWER (WITHOUT IMPLYING THE FIRST RESPONSE WAS WRONG), ASK THE EXAMINEE TO TELL YOU MORE. USE GOOGLE. USE A LIBRARY. ASK A TRIVIA BUFF. IF THE TEST MANUAL ALLOWS YOU TO ACCEPT CORRECT ANSWERS THAT ARE NOT LISTED, DO SO. IF THE TEST MANUAL EXPLICITLY FORBIDS CREDIT FOR ANSWERS NOT LISTED, AND THE ITEM MAKES A DIFFERENCE IN THE SCORE, DISCUSS IT IN YOUR REPORT.
SOCIAL STUDIES Item 7: Question: “Tell me what you know about weather near the North Pole.” Answer: “I know nothing!” 1 point
for honesty? Item 11. How can you tell that the woman in the lab coat is not a nurse? Item 15. Zone Improvement Plan code? Item 21: Correct “Canada, Mexico.” Incorrect “Mexico, Canada” Item 24. Sadly, "urban" is becoming a code word for African-American. Item 26. War Between the States? War of Northern Aggression? Item 35. (John) (John Broadus) Watson? Is Skinner correct because of the stress on modern day?
HUMANITIES: Check for color blindness – several items require correct color identification
Differences required for statistical significance are based on the standard errors of measurement of each test for each age group and calculated with the following formula:
Critical Value of Difference Score =Z√𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆2 + 𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆2
Where Z is the normal curve value associated with the desired two-tailed significance level and SEMa and SEMb are the standard errors of measurement for the two test scores. Reliabilities for LPM and PC are test-retest and are reported only for three age ranges.
Approximate Percentage of Population Expected to Obtain Discrepancies Between Various WJ IV Tests
Cognitive Efficacy
Letter-Pattern Matching vs Numbers Reversed Age 3-5 6-8 9-13 14-19 20-39 40-90+
Correlation .47 .41 .45 .44 .51 Percentage either
direction Percentage in a specific direction
50 11 11 11 11 10 25
25 18 19 18 18 17 12.5
20 20 21 20 20 19 10
10 25 27 26 26 25 5
5 30 32 31 31 29 2.5
2 36 38 37 37 35 1
1 40 42 41 41 38 .5
.1 51 54 52 52 49 .05
To use this table, find the column appropriate to the examinee's age. Locate the discrepancy that is just less than the one obtained by the examinee. The first column in that same row gives the percentage of the population obtaining discrepancies as large as or larger than the located discrepancy.
For example, for 7-year-old examinees, an Oral Vocabulary - General Information discrepancy of 25 points would be found in approximately 5% of the population.
The method used to compute the discrepancy between scales that reflect the percentage of the population obtaining the discrepancy is as follow:
Discrepancy = Sd z square root(2-2rxy)
The first term is the standard deviation of the test (15), the second is the selected z value, and the last is the correlation between the two scales.
For example, for a 7-year-old child the discrepancy between the WJ IV Oral Vocabulary and General Information tests that represents 5% of the population is
15 (1.96) square root(2-2(.65)) = 24.60 24.60 is then rounded to 25 to obtain the whole number difference
• Test by complete group (note marking on record form) • Write down what the person says if different from the record form or if incorrect. • Do not penalize for mispronunciation. • Synonyms: There are 3 possible starting items depending on grade. Accept only one-word responses as correct. • Antonyms: There are 4 possible starting items depending on grade. Accept only one-word responses as correct. • There are 4 possible starting items depending on grade.
Number Series:
• Provide corrective feedback ONLY for Samples A and B • Test by complete group (note marking on record form) • Use paper or hand to show items one at a time if needed • Provide paper and pencil at item ii or if needed • 1 minute time limit UNLESS subject is actively working toward solution • There are 2 possible starting items depending on grade.
Verbal Attention:
• Uses audio recording • Typically ONLY Samples A is provided orally – all other samples and items use audio recording • If necessary, you may present the items orally – see easel for directions • Do not repeat any item • You may pause or stop the audio recording if needed • Do not penalize for mispronunciation. • There are 2 possible starting items depending on grade. Accept only one-word responses as correct.
Letter-Pattern Matching:
• Provide error correction only for Samples A and B and the Practice exercise • 3-minute time limit • Use a stopwatch • Everyone starts with Samples A and B and the Practice exercise
Phonological Processing: Test 5A: Word Access
• Uses audio recording • Responses must be in English • Accept only one-word responses as correct. • You may repeat any item if needed • Samples and items 1 through 3 are presented orally. All others use the audio recording. • You may pause or stop the audio recording if needed • Do not penalize for mispronunciation. • There are 3 possible starting items depending on grade.
Test 5B: Word Fluency
• Responses must be in English • You may repeat any item if needed • Each item has a 1-minute time limit • Administer both items to all subjects • Do not count repeated words or words used as examples. • All start with item 1
Test 5C: Substitution
• Uses audio recording • Responses must be in English • You may repeat any item if needed • Samples and items 1 and 2 are presented orally. All others use the audio recording. • If necessary, you may present the items orally – see easel for directions • You may pause or stop the audio recording if needed • Do not penalize for mispronunciation. • Start point is determined by raw score earned on 5A.
• Uses audio recording • Pause or stop the audio recording after each story • If necessary, you may present the items orally – see easel for directions • Scoring is based on key words in elements • There are 4 possible starting items depending on grade.
Visualization:
7A: Spatial Relations • Use paper or hand to show items one at a time if needed • Test by complete group (note marking on record form) • All start with Introduction
7B: Block Rotation:
• Use paper or hand to show items one at a time if needed • Test by complete group (note marking on record form) • Use a stopwatch • Provide corrective as directed • There are 2 possible starting items depending on grade.
General Information:
• Know exact pronunciation of words • Responses must be in English • Do not penalize for mispronunciation • If a subject responds to a What question with a Where response, give reminder (this is allowed only once) • For both the Where and What questions, there are 3 possible starting items depending on grade.
Concept Formation:
• You may cover up lines of items if it appears that the multiple lines confuse the person. • Acknowledge correct responses for all items through item 35. • On all but the last 5 items, if the subject makes an error, they are told the correct answer. • Cutoff scores are based on the running total of errors. • Items 1 through 26 have no time limits. • Items 27 through 40 have a 1-minute time limit. • Answers that are synonyms are allowed • There are 2 possible starting items depending on grade.
Numbers Reversed:
• Uses audio recording • Samples A, B, and C and Items 1 through 10 are given orally • If necessary, you may present the other items orally – see easel for directions • Do not repeat any item • You may pause audiotape if necessary • If presented orally, items are presented at a rate of one digit per second • There are 3 possible starting items depending on grade.
Number-Pattern Matching:
• Provide error correction only for Samples A and B and the Practice exercise • 3-minute time limit • Use a stopwatch • Everyone starts with Samples A and B and the Practice exercise
Nonword Repetition:
• Uses audio recording • Samples A and B and Items 1 through 7 are given orally • If necessary, you may present the other items orally – see easel for directions • Do not repeat any item • You may pause audiotape if necessary • Words must be pronounced smoothly to receive credit • There are 2 possible starting items depending on grade.
• This is a controlled learning task. On all errors or no response, point to the symbol and say the correct word. • There is a 5 second response time for each symbol. • You may cover up lines of symbols if it appears that the multiple lines confuse the person. • Do not accept synonyms as correct responses • Cutoff scores are based on the running total of errors. • All start with Introduction 1
Picture Recognition:
• Exactly 5 second exposure • One point if the subject correctly identifies the correct picture(s) • For items with multiple pictures, the subject must name all the pictures • Order of response is not important • Both pointing to the picture(s) or naming the letter(s) associated with the picture(s) are acceptable • There are 2 possible starting items depending on grade.
Analysis-Synthesis:
• Acknowledge correct responses on Items A through 28 • Correct errors on Items A through 28 • On all but the last 7 items, if the subject makes an error, they are told the correct answer. • Cutoff scores are based on the running total of errors. • Items 1 through 28 have no time limits. • Items 29 through 35 have a 1-minute time limit. • All subjects start with the color pretest
Object-Number Sequencing:
• Uses audio recording • Sample A is given orally, all others should use the audio recording • If necessary, you may present the other items orally – see easel for directions • Do not repeat any item • You may pause audiotape if necessary • If presented orally, items are presented at a rate of one digit per second • Responses that rhymes with or sounds like to the test word is scored as correct • To score as correct, the words must be repeated in correct order followed by the numbers in correct order • Do not penalize for mispronounciation • All subjects start with Sample A after which there are 2 possible starting items depending on grade
Pair Cancellation:
• Three minute time limit • Record exact time • Do not cover lines • Use pencil with eraser • To be correct, the pair must be a ball followed by a dog in the same row. • All subjects start with Sample A and the practice exercise
Memory for Words:
• Uses audio recording • You may pause audiotape if necessary • Sample A is given orally, all others should use the audio recording • If necessary, you may present the other items orally – see easel for directions • Do not repeat any item • You may pause audiotape if necessary • If presented orally, items are presented at a rate of one word per second • Words must be repeated in correct order • Score as correct words that rhyme with or sound like the test word • Do not penalize for mispronunciation • All subjects start with Sample A after which there are 2 possible starting items depending on grade
Immediate Symbol Translation (Associative Memory)*
Delayed Symbol Translation (Associative Memory)*
Recognition Symbol translation (Associative Memory)*
Naming Speed Literacy (Speed of Lexical Access)* (Some theorists classify naming speed or
Naming Speed Quantity (Speed of Lexical Access)* Rapid Automatized Naming [RAN] as Glr NA)
Gf - Fluid Reasoning
Matrix Reasoning (Inductive Reasoning)
Figure Weights (Quantitative Reasoning)
Picture Concepts (Inductive Reasoning, General (Verbal) Information)
Gq – Quantitative
Arithmetic (Math Achievement, Working Memory, Fluid Reasoning) * The WISC-V does not consider these subtests as measures of intelligence Note: Ga – Auditory Processing is not measured specifically by any WISC-V subtest
VCI = Verbal Comprehension VSI = Visual Spatial FRI = Fluid Reasoning WMI = Working Memory PSI = Processing Speed FSIQ = Full Scale IQ QRI = Quantitative Reasoning AWMI = Auditory Working Memory NVI = Nonverbal GAI = General Ability CPI = Cognitive Proficiency NSI = Naming Speed STI = Symbol Translation SRI = Storage and Retrieval VKI = Verbal Knowledge BVI = Broad Verbal Index
(VKI and BVI computed with Tellegen & Briggs [1967] formula)
1. May be substituted for Block Design (only one substitution allowed [if unavoidable] and only in FSIQ). 2. May be substituted for Digit Span (same rules). 3. May be substituted for Coding (same rules). 4. May be substituted for Similarities or for Vocabulary (same rules). 5. May be substituted for Matrix Reasoning (same rules). 6. May be substituted for Figure Weights (same rules).
Tellegen, A., & Briggs, P. F. (1967). Old wine in new skins: Grouping Wechsler subtests into new scales. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 31, 499-506.
The WISC-V (Wechsler, 2014a) offers several new subtests, a new arrangement of index scores, and myriad score options. These changes and the associated terminology are new to those of us who have used the WISC-IV (more so for those of us who used the 1949 WISC [Wechsler, 1949]). The following tables outline the WISC-V subtests, composites, and scores. Any errors here were made by us, not by the PsychCorp or Pearson Education or its affiliates, who hold the copyrights and trademarks for “WISC,” “WISC-IV,” “WISC-V,” the Psi and PsychCorp designs, and, of course, the entire contents of the WISC-V. The information in these tables is adapted from Wechsler (2014a, 2014b, 2014c) and Wechsler, Raiford, and Holdnack (2014).
The summary table we have created summarizes the various types of scores (scaled, standard, base rate) available for each subtest and process subtest.
First Column
Subtests (e.g., Similarities) are listed in bold uppercase and lowercase print.
Additional “process” subtests (e.g., Block Design No Time Bonus) are indented in shaded rows, and are printed in uppercase and lowercase. None of these subtests can be used in any composite score.
Complementary composites (e.g., NAMING SPEED) are listed in all uppercase print and are underscored.
Second Column
FSIQ indicates the seven subtests that are included in the Full Scale IQ. (A single substitution is permitted in the Full Scale IQ and it must be a subtest in the same composite, subject to some additional substitution rules.) The FSIQ subtests allow computation of the FSIQ and Verbal Comprehension and Fluid Reasoning composites.
P Indicates the three additional Primary subtests in the Visual Spatial, Working Memory, and Processing Speed composites that are used with the FSIQ subtests to derive all five Primary Index scores. (No substitutions are permitted for composite Index scores.)
S Indicates Secondary subtests that can be used for additional information and one of which can be substituted in the Full Scale IQ for a Primary subtest in the same composite, subject to some additional substitution rules. (Only one substitution is permitted in the FSIQ and none in the composites.)
C indicates Complementary subtests and composites that can be used to provide additional information. These subtests are never included in the FSIQ or primary composites.
Type of Score
Scaled A check in the Scaled score column indicates that the WISC-V provides a scaled score with a mean of 10 and standard deviation of 3 for the subtest.
Standard A check in the Standard score column indicates that the WISC-V provides a standard score with a mean of 100 and standard deviation of 15 for the subtest. You will see that the Complementary subtests are reported in standard scores, not scaled scores.
Base Rate A check in the Base Rate column indicates that the WISC-V provides a base rate for scores or other measures (e.g., Longest Digit Span Forward correctly repeated by the examinee) on the subtest. Base rates reflect the frequency of scores or differences between scores in the WISC-V norming sample (or in selected segments of the total sample, such as different ability levels as measured by the FSIQ). Base rates answer the question, “How unusual or how uncommon is such a high score or such a large difference? For example, according to Table C.17, p. 118, in the WISC-V Administration and Scoring Manual Supplement (Wechsler, 2014c), 91.5% of ten-year-olds correctly repeated 5 digits in the same order they had been dictated, but only 18.5% repeated 5 digits in correct reversed order. However, according to Table C.19, p. 123, that zero difference between 5 digits forward and 5 digits backward was very common: 98.5% of the ten-year-olds in the norming sample.
Many of the subtests provide additional “Process” observations to enhance the clinical value of the WISC-V assessment. These observations are quantified as base rates in the WISC-V Technical and Interpretive Manual (Wechsler, 2014c, Appendix D).
DK Examinee responds that he or she does not know the answer or solution (marked each time on the Record Form as RR).
NR Examinee gives no response (marked each time on the Record Form as NR).
Rep Examiner repeats the item (marked each time on the Record Form as IR).
Req Rep Examinee requests repetition of an item, but item is not repeated because of subtest rules (marked each time on the Record Form as IR).
Sub Voc Examinee can be heard to subvocalize (whispers to herself or himself about the item while working) (marked each time on the Record Form as SV).
SC Examinee spontaneously corrects his or her own error (marked each time on the Record Form as SC).
Bibliography
Wechsler, D. (1949). Wechsler intelligence scale for children. New York, NY: The Psychological Corporation. (WISC) Wechsler, D. (1974). Wechsler intelligence scale for children--Revised. New York, NY: The Psychological Corporation. (WISC-R) Wechsler, D. (1991). Wechsler intelligence scale for children (3rd ed.).San Antonio, TX: The Psychological Corporation. (WISC-III) Wechsler, D. (2003). Wechsler intelligence scale for children (4th ed.). San Antonio, TX: Pearson. (WISC-IV) Wechsler, D. (2014a). Wechsler intelligence scale for children (5th ed.): Administration and scoring manual. Bloomington, MN:
Pearson. (WISC-V) Wechsler, D. (2014b). Wechsler intelligence scale for children (5th ed.): Administration and scoring manual
supplement. Bloomington, MN: Pearson. (WISC-V) Wechsler, D. (2014c). Wechsler intelligence scale for children (5th ed.): Technical and interpretive manual. Bloomington, MN:
Pearson. (WISC-V) Wechsler, D., Raiford, S. E., & Holdnack, J. A. (2014). Wechsler intelligence scale for children (5th ed.): Technical and interpretive
manual supplement: Special group validity studies with other measures and additional tables. Bloomington, MN: Pearson. Retrieved fromhttp://downloads.pearsonclinical.com/images/Assets/WISC-V/WISC-V-Tech-Manual-Supplement.pdf
Publisher's Information on the WISC-V. Keep checking for updates! http://www.pearsonclinical.com/psychology/products/100000771/wechsler-intelligence-scale-for-childrensupsupfifth-edition--wisc-v.html Q-interactive Technical Report 8 Mark H. Daniel, PhD Dustin Wahlstrom, PhD Ou Zhang, PhD September 2014 Equivalence of Q-interactive™ and Paper Administrations of Cognitive Tasks: WISC®–V http://downloads.pearsonclinical.com/images/Assets/WISC-V/Q-interactive-WISC-V.pdf Q-interactive® Special Group Studies: The WISC® –V and Children with Intellectual Giftedness and Intellectual Disability Q-interactive Technical Report 9 Susan Engi Raiford, PhD James Holdnack, PhD Lisa Drozdick, PhD Ou Zhang, PhD November, 2014 http://images.pearsonclinical.com/images/assets/wisc-v/Q-i-TR9-WISC-V.pdf WISC-V Integrated http://www.pearsonclinical.com/psychology/products/100001322/wechsler-intelligence-scale-for-childrensupsupfifth-edition-integrated-wisc-v-integrated.html#tab-resources
WISC-V COMPARISONS – See WISC-V Manuals for further elaboration
Composite Comparisons
VCI > VSI indicates a relative strength in using verbal stimuli in problem solving compared to visual-spatial
problem solving.
VSI > VCI implies a strength in the ability to understand and apply visual-perceptual/visual-spatial
information in comparison to verbal reasoning skills.
VCI > FRI implies a strength in crystallized abilities relative to fluid reasoning abilities,
FRI > VCI implies a strength in fluid abilities relative to crystallized abilities.
VSI > FRI implies stronger concrete visual-perceptual processing skills relative to fluid reasoning.
FRI > VSI suggests better ability to understand the relationship of visual information to abstract concepts
relative to the use visual and spatial information for design construction.
VCI > VSI and FRI, and VSI = FRI suggests a strength in verbal reasoning compared to the ability to use visual
information for problem solving.
VCI < VSI and FRI, and VSI = FRI suggests a general weakness in language functioning and verbal problem
solving and reasoning.
VSI > VCI and FRI, and VCI = FRI suggests a strength in visual-perceptual/visual-spatial processing relative to
conceptual and abstract thinking.
VSI < VCI and FRI, and VCI = FRI suggests a relative weakness in visual perceptual and spatial reasoning skills
compared to abstract conceptual reasoning abilities.
FRI > VCI and VSI, and VCI = VSI suggests a strength in the ability to link visual information to semantic and
quantitative constructs compared to visual spatial and verbal conceptual reasoning.
FRI < VCI and VSI, and VCI = VSI suggests a relative weakness in the ability to link visual information to
semantic and quantitative constructs compared to visual spatial and verbal conceptual reasoning.
WMI > PSI implies the ability to identify and register information in short-term memory is a strength relative
compared to speed of decision making using this information.
PSI > WMI suggests that the child may be more proficient at rapid decision making with information
registered in short-term memory than in manipulating that information.
WMI > VCI, VSI, or FRI implies the ability to mentally manipulate information is superior to the ability to
solve complex problems.
WMI < VCI, VSI, or FRI implies the relatively lower working memory ability may not be interfering with
complex problem solving.
High QRI scores suggest a well-developed capacity to perform mental math operations and to understand quantitative relationships.
Low QRI scores may occur for a number of reasons, including difficulties with mental math operations or understanding and applying quantitative relationships, low working memory ability, or general difficulties with abstract conceptual reasoning.
SA Trees SB Animals 1 Fruits or Berries* 2 Tools or Things that cut 3 Sports 4 Live in ocean 5 Lights 6 Transportation 7 Play things 8 Contain water 9 Used to transport things
10 Outdoor? Nature 11 Use wind 12 Used/found at the beach 13 Make marks with 14 Forms of water 15 Float 16 Melt 17 Old or geological 18 Grow or young 19 Spin 20 Float 21 Secure something 22 Twist or screw or threads 23 Healthy 24 Information 25 Open or close 26 Can give age of something 27 Signals
* Technically, a strawberry is an "accessory fruit" because the seeds are on the outside.
To use this table, find the column appropriate to the examinee's age. Locate the discrepancy that is just less than the one obtained by the examinee. The first column in that same row gives the percentage of the population obtaining discrepancies as large as or larger than the located discrepancy.
For example, for 7-year-old examinees, a Verbal Comprehension - Nonverbal Index discrepancy of 25 points would be found in approximately 5% to 10% of the population. The method used to compute the discrepancy between scales that reflect the percentage of the population obtaining the discrepancy is as follow:
Discrepancy = Sd z square root(2-2rxy) The first term is the standard deviation of the test (15), the second is the selected z value, and the last is the correlation between the two scales. For example, for a 7-year-old child the discrepancy between the WISC-V Verbal Comprehension and Nonverbal Indexes that represents 5% of the population is
15 (1.96) square root(2-2(.65)) = 26.62
26.62 is then rounded to 27 to obtain the whole number difference
SCORES USED WITH THE TESTS IN THIS REPORT When a new test is developed, it is normed on a sample of hundreds or thousands of people. The sample should be like that for a good opinion poll: female and male, urban and rural, different parts of the country, different income levels, etc. The scores from that norming sample are used as a yardstick for measuring the performance of people who then take the test. This human yardstick allows for the difficulty levels of different tests. The student is being compared to other students on both difficult and easy tasks. You can see from the illustration below that there are more scores in the middle than at the very high and low ends. Many different scoring systems are used, just as you can measure the same distance as 1 yard, 3, feet, 36 inches, 91.4 centimeters, 0.91 meter, or 1/1760 mile. PERCENTILE RANKS (PR) simply state the percent of persons in the norming sample who scored the same as or lower than the student. A percentile rank of 50 would be Average – as high as or higher than 50% and lower than the other 50% of the norming sample. The middle half of scores falls between percentile ranks of 25 and 75. STANDARD SCORES ("quotients" on some tests) have an average (mean) of 100 and a standard deviation of 15. A standard score of 100 would also be at the 50th percentile rank. The middle half of these standard scores falls between 90 and 110. SCALED SCORES ("standard scores on some tests) are standard scores with an average (mean) of 10 and a standard deviation of 3. A scaled score of 10 would also be at the 50th percentile rank. The middle half of these standard scores falls between 8 and 12.
Adapted from Willis, J. O. & Dumont, R. P., Guide to identification of learning disabilities (1998 New York State ed.) (Acton, MA: Copley Custom Publishing, 1998, p. 27). Also available at http://alpha.fdu.edu/psychology/test_score_descriptions.htm.
Namexx's Scores for hxx Age on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, 5th ed. (WISC-V)
Test scores in Italics are not included in the factor and full scale scores.
Subtests Test
Score1 95%
Confidence2
PR3 Qualitative Descriptor4
Verbal Comprehension Subtests explaining how two different things could be similar (SI) defining vocabulary words (VC) answering questions of social and practical comprehension (CO) answering questions of general information (IN) Verbal Comprehension Index (SI VC)
Visual-Spatial Subtests copying geometric designs with patterned cubes (BD)** same subtest by norms without bonus points for speed (BDN) visually selecting puzzle pieces to match a whole puzzle (VP)* Visual-Spatial Index (BD VP)
Fluid Reasoning Subtests completing multiple-choice, logical matrix puzzles (MR) solving mental equations using pictures of weights (FW)* choosing one picture from each group to illustrate a concept (PCn) oral math applications problems without paper and pencil (AR)* Fluid Reasoning Index (MR FW) General Ability Index (GAI) (SI VC BD MR FW)
Working Memory Subtests repeating series of dictated digits forward and backward (DS) score for accuracy in repeating dictated digits forward score for accuracy in repeating digits in reverse order score for accuracy in repeating digits in numerical sequence recalling previously seen pictures in the same sequence (PS) repeating digits and letters digits first, then letters (LN) Working Memory Index (DS PS)
Processing Speed Subtests speed of transcribing a digit-symbol code on paper (CD)** speed of finding matching symbols in rows of symbols.(SS)** speed of marking animal pictures among many others (CA) score for pictures scattered randomly on the page score for pictures arranged in rows on the page Processing Speed Index (CD SS) Cognitive Proficiency Index (CPI) (DS PS CD SS)
Full Scale total (SI VC BD MR FW DS CD)
1 These are scaled scores for subtests and standard scores for totals and factors. Please see the explanation of test scores on p. i of the
Appendix. 2 Test scores can never be perfectly reliable, even on the very best tests. Lucky and unlucky guesses, barely beating or missing time
limits, and other random influences inevitably alter scores. This score interval shows how much scores are likely to vary 95% of the time just by pure chance.
3 PR = Percentile Ranks that tell the percentage of students of the same age or grade whose scores Namexx tied or exceeded. For example, a percentile rank of 36 would mean that Namexx scored as high as or higher than 36 percent of peers and lower than the other 64 percent.
4 Qualitative descriptors are arbitrary, are not evidence-based, and can make a difference of a single point appear meaningful. The descriptors used here are taken from xx.
* Time limits. ** Time limits and bonus points for speed.
Namexx's Ancillary and Complementary Scores for hxx Age
on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, 5th ed. (WISC-V)
Subtests Test
Score5 95%
Confidence6
PR7 Qualitative Descriptor8
Full Scale IQ (FSIQ) (SI VC BD MR FW DS CD) Ancillary Composites
solving mental equations using pictures of weights (FW)* oral math applications problems without paper and pencil (AR)* Quantitative Reasoning Index (QRI) repeating series of dictated digits forward and backward (DS) repeating digits and letters digits first, then letters (LN) Auditory Working Memory Index (AWMI) copying geometric designs with patterned cubes (BD)** completing multiple-choice, logical matrix puzzles (MR) speed of transcribing a digit-symbol code on paper (CD)** solving mental equations using pictures of weights (FW)* visually selecting puzzle pieces to match a whole puzzle (VP)* recalling previously seen pictures in the same sequence (PS) Nonverbal Index (NVI) explaining how two different things could be similar (SI) defining vocabulary words (VC) copying geometric designs with patterned cubes (BD)** completing multiple-choice, logical matrix puzzles (MR) solving mental equations using pictures of weights (FW)* General Ability Index (GAI) repeating series of dictated digits forward and backward (DS) recalling previously seen pictures in the same sequence (PS) speed of transcribing a digit-symbol code on paper (CD)** speed of finding matching symbols in rows of symbols.(SS)** Cognitive Proficiency Index (CPI)
Complementary Composites Naming Speed Literacy (speed of naming pictures and letters) Naming Speed Quantity (speed of counting small shapes) Naming Speed Composite (NSI) Immediate Symbol Translation (learning rebus symbols for words) Delayed Symbol Translation Recognition Symbol Translation Symbol Translation Composite (STI) Storage & Retrieval Composite (SRI = NSI + STI)
5 These are scaled scores for subtests and standard scores for composites and complimentary subtests (Naming Speed and Symbol
Translation). Please see the explanation of test scores on p. i of the Appendix. 6 Test scores can never be perfectly reliable, even on the very best tests. Lucky and unlucky guesses, barely beating or missing time
limits, and other random influences inevitably alter scores. This score interval shows how much scores are likely to vary 95% of the time just by pure chance.
7 PR = Percentile Ranks that tell the percentage of students of the same age or grade whose scores Namexx tied or exceeded. For example, a percentile rank of 36 would mean that Namexx scored as high as or higher than 36 percent of peers and lower than the other 64 percent.
8 8 Qualitative descriptors are arbitrary, are not evidence-based, and can make a difference of a single point appear meaningful. The descriptors used here are taken from xx.
* Time limits. ** Time limits and bonus points for speed.
Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, 5th ed., Integrated (WISC-V). David Wechsler, The Psychological Corporation (Pearson), 2014.
The WISC-V is an individual test that does not require reading or writing. Verbal Comprehension (VCI)
subtests are oral questions requiring oral answers. Fluid Reasoning (FRI) subtests are nonverbally presented,
unfamiliar problems that require logical reasoning. Visual-Spatial (VSI) subtests are visual puzzles. Working
Memory (WMI) subtests require remembering data (e.g., repeating dictated digits) or remembering and mentally
manipulating data (e.g., repeating dictated digits in reversed order). Processing Speed (PSI) subtests measure
speed on fairly simple paper-and-pencil tasks. Each composite includes two subtests. Seven of these subtests are
included in the Full Scale IQ (FSIQ). One additional subtest of the same ability can be substituted for one
primary subtest in the FSIQ if absolutely necessary. Subtest scores and composite scores are based on the scores
of the 2,200 children originally tested in a very carefully designed, nationwide sample, but still must be
interpreted very cautiously for any individual, especially one who may have somewhat unusual patterns of
strengths and weaknesses. As with any test, influences such as anxiety, motivation, fatigue, rapport, and
experience may invalidate test scores.
Verbal Comprehension Composite Similarities: explaining how two different things (e.g., horse and cow) or concepts (e.g., hope and fear) could be
alike. Scoring is 2-1-0, according to the quality of the responses. (FS) Vocabulary: giving oral definitions of words. Scoring is 2-1-0, according to the quality of the responses. (FS)
Additional Verbal Comprehension Subtests Comprehension: oral questions of social and practical understanding. Scoring is 2-1-0, based on quality. Information: oral, “trivia”-style, general information questions. Scoring is pass/fail.
Visual-Spatial Composite Block Design**: copying small geometric designs with four or nine larger plastic cubes.
The most difficult items offer bonus points for speed. (FS) Visual Puzzles*: selecting the three out of six shapes that could fit together to make the
complex shape shown above the choices.
Visual-Spatial Process Subtest Block Design subtest by norms without bonuses for speed; pass/fail scoring only. Time
limits still apply.
Fluid Reasoning Composite Matrix Reasoning: completing logical arrangements of designs with missing parts; multiple-choice. (FS) Figure Weights*: multiple-choice, algebra-like problems using pictures on a balance scale (e.g., = ; = ; = how many ? (FS)
Additional Fluid Reasoning Subtests Picture Concepts: choosing one picture from each of two or three rows so that the selected pictures all illustrate
the same concept. Arithmetic*: oral, verbally framed math applications problems without paper. Scoring is pass/fail.
Standard Working Memory Composite Digit Span: repeating increasingly long dictated series of digits (e.g., 4 1 7 9) forwards, other series backwards,
and other series in numerical order. Series begin with two digits and keep increasing in length, with two trials
at each length. (Separate scores are also provided for Digit Span Forward, Digit Span Backward, and Digit Span Sequencing.) (FS)
Picture Span: the child sees one or more pictures on a page and then must find the same picture or pictures within a larger group of pictures on the next page. Scoring is 2 points for the correct pictures in the correct sequence and 1 for the correct pictures out of sequence. The sequences increase in length.
Additional Working Memory Subtest Letter-Number Sequencing: repeating dictated series of letters and digits (e.g., 4 3 R 9 B) in numerical, then
alphabetical order (e.g., 3 4 9 B R).
Processing Speed Composite Coding A**: marking rows of shapes with different lines according to a code
as quickly as possible for 2 minutes (under age 8) (FS) Coding B**: transcribing a digit-symbol code as quickly as possible for two
minutes (age 8 and older). (FS) Symbol Search**: deciding if target symbols appear in a row of symbols and
marking YES or NO accordingly. Additional Processing Speed Subtest Cancellation: speed of marking all the animals among pictures of many things. (Separate scores are also provided
for the Random and Structured tasks.)
The Full Scale IQ score is derived from the sum of the scaled scores on the seven subtests marked with (FS) above with one substitution of a subtest in the same category permitted if absolutely necessary. The Full Scale IQ summarizes overall performance on the abilities measured by the WISC-V, but its usefulness diminishes as variability increases among the component scores. Also, it obviously does not reflect abilities not measured by the WISC-V.
The General Ability Index (GAI) is derived from the sum of scaled scores on Block Design, Similarities, Matrix Reasoning, Vocabulary, and Figure Weights. It measures higher-level verbal and nonverbal thinking abilities without the Working Memory and Processing Speed subtests.
The Cognitive Proficiency Index (CPI) is derived from the sum of scaled scores on the four Working Memory and Processing Speed subtests. It measures more automatic, less intellectual "processing" abilities.
The Quantitative Reasoning Index (QRI) is derived from scores on Figure Weights and Arithmetic.
The Auditory Working Memory Index (AWMI) is derived from Digit Span and Letter-Number Sequencing.
The Nonverbal Index (NVI) includes Block Design, Matrix Reasoning, Coding, Figure Weights, Visual Puzzles, and Picture Span.
Complementary Subtests Naming Speed Literacy measures the speed of naming colored objects (e.g., "green horse" or "big green horse") and, for older examinees, reading random letters aloud. Naming Speed Quantity measures the speed of saying how many little objects are shown in each frame. The Naming Speed Index (NSI) is derived from these subtests.
Immediate Symbol Translation requires the examinee to learn and "read" rebus symbols for words. Delayed Symbol Translation is a retest after about a half hour. Recognition Symbol Translation is a delayed retest of individual rebus symbols. The Symbol Translation Index (STI) is derived from these subtests.
The Storage and Retrieval Index (SRI) is derived from the NSI and STI scores.
When a new test is developed, it is normed on a sample of hundreds or thousands of people. The sample should be like that for a good opinion poll: female and male, urban and rural, different parts of the country, different income levels, etc. The scores from that norming sample are used as a yardstick for measuring the performance of people who then take the test. This human yardstick allows for the difficulty levels of different tests. The student is being compared to other students on both difficult and easy tasks. You can see from the illustration below that there are more scores in the middle than at the very high and low ends. Many different scoring systems are used, just as you can measure the same distance as 1 yard, 3, feet, 36 inches, 91.4 centimeters, 0.91 meter, or 1/1760 mile. PERCENTILE RANKS (PR) simply state the percent of persons in the norming sample who scored the same as or lower than the student. A percentile rank of 50 would be Average – as high as or higher than 50% and lower than the other 50% of the norming sample. The middle half of scores falls between percentile ranks of 25 and 75. STANDARD SCORES ("quotients" on some tests) have an average (mean) of 100 and a standard deviation of 15. A standard score of 100 would also be at the 50th percentile rank. The middle half of these standard scores falls between 90 and 110. && && There are 200 &s. &&&&&& &&&&&& Each && = 1%. &&&&&& &&&&&& && &&&&&& &&&&&& && &&&&&& &&&&&& &&&&&& &&&&&& &&&&&& &&&&&& &&&&&& &&&&&& & &&&&&& &&&&&& &&&&&& &&&&&& & &&&&&& &&&&&& &&&&&& &&&&&& &&&&&& &&&&&& & & & & &&&&&& &&&&&& &&&&&& &&&&&& &&&&&& &&&&&& & & & & Percent in each 2.2% 6.7% 16.1% 50% 16.1% 6.7% 2.2% Standard Scores – 69 70 – 79 80 – 89 90 – 109 110 – 119 120 – 129 130 – Scaled Scores 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Percentile Ranks – 02 03 – 08 09 – 24 25 – 74 75 – 90 91 – 97 98 – Woodcock-Johnson Classif.
Very Low Low Low
Average Average
(90 – 110) High Average (111 – 120)
Superior (121 – 130)
Very Superior (131 – )
Adapted from Willis, J. O. & Dumont, R. P., Guide to Identification of Learning Disabilities (3rd ed.) Peterborough, NH: Authors, 2002, pp. 39-40). Also available at http://www.myschoolpsychology.com/testing-information/sample-explanations-of-classification-labels/
RELATIVE PROFICIENCY INDEXES (RPI) show the examinee's level of proficiency (accuracy, speed, or whatever is measured by the test) at the level at which peers are 90% proficient. An RPI of 90/90 would mean that, at the difficulty level at which peers were 90% proficient, the examinee was also 90% proficient. An RPI of 95/90 would indicate that the examinee was 95% proficient at the same level at which peers were only 90% proficient. An RPI of 75/90 would mean that the examinee was only 75% proficient at the same difficulty level at which peers were 90% proficient. RPI Proficiency with Age- or Grade-Level Tasks Age- or Grade-Level Tasks will be: 100/90 Very Advanced Extremely Easy 98/90 to 100/90 Advanced Very Easy 95/90 to 98/90 Average to Advanced Easy 82/90 to 95/90 Average Manageable 67/90 to 82/90 Limited to Average Difficult 24/90 to 67/90 Limited Very Difficult 3/90 to 24/90 Very Limited Extremely Difficult 0/90 to 3/90 Extremely Limited Nearly Impossible Adapted from Jaffe, L. E. (2009). Development, interpretation, and application of the W score and the relative proficiency index (Woodcock-Johnson III Assessment Service Bulletin No. 11). Rolling Meadows, IL: Riverside Publishing. http://www.riverpub.com/products/wjIIIComplete/pdf/WJ3_ASB_11.pdf.
Namexx's WJ IV Test Scores in Standard Scores and Percentile Ranks for hxx Age Cognitive (COG), Oral Language (OL), and Achievement (ACH) Batteries
WJ IV COG Test Scores
Test Score9
95% Confidence10
PR11
Qualitative Descriptor12
Oral Vocabulary: synonyms and antonyms Number Series: completing logical series of numbers Verbal Attention: repeating dictated information in altered order Letter-Pattern Matching: speed of matching letters in rows Phonological Processing: sounds in spoken words Story Recall: retelling stories after hearing them Visualization: matching two- and three-dimensional shapes General Intellectual Ability (GIA) Cluster Oral Vocabulary: synonyms and antonyms Number Series: completing logical series of numbers Verbal Attention: repeating dictated information in altered order Brief Intellectual Ability (BIA) Cluster Oral Vocabulary: synonyms and antonyms Number Series: completing logical series of numbers General Information: "where" and "what" factual questions Concept Formation: determining rules that divide shapes into 2 sets Gf-Gc Cluster Oral Vocabulary: synonyms and antonyms General Information: "where" and "what" factual questions Picture Vocabulary (from OL): naming pictures Comprehension-Knowledge (Gc) Cluster Number Series: completing logical series of numbers Concept Formation: determining rules that divide shapes into 2 sets Analysis-Synthesis: solving quasi-mathematical equations of colors Fluid Reasoning (Gf) Cluster Verbal Attention: repeating dictated information in altered order Numbers Reversed: repeating dictated numbers backwards Object-Number Sequencing: altering order of words and numbers Short-Term Working Memory (Gwm) Cluster Letter-Pattern Matching: speed of matching letters in rows Pair Cancelation: speed of finding specified pairs of pictures in rows Cognitive Processing Speed (Gs) Cluster Phonological Processing: sounds in spoken words Nonword Repetition: accuracy of repeating spoken nonsense words Auditory Processing (Ga) Cluster
9 These are the standard scores used by the test publisher (please see the second page of this appendix). The percentile ranks and stanines in the last columns provide a common measurement that is the same for all of the tests (please see the first page of this appendix). 10 Test scores can never be perfectly reliable, even on the very best tests. Lucky and unlucky guesses, barely beating or missing time limits, and other random influences inevitably alter scores. This score interval shows how much scores are likely to vary 95% of the time just by pure chance. 11 PR = Percentile Ranks that tell the percentage of students of the same age or grade whose scores Namexx tied or exceeded. For example, a percentile rank of 36 would mean that Namexx scored as high as or higher than 36 percent of peers and lower than the other 64 percent. 12 Qualitative descriptors are arbitrary, are not evidence-based, and can make a difference of a single point appear meaningful. The descriptors used here are taken from xx.
Story Recall: retelling stories after hearing them Visual-Auditory Learning: learning and reading symbols for words Long-Term Retrieval (Glr) Cluster Visualization: matching two- and three-dimensional shapes Picture Recognition: multiple-choice matching from memory Visual Processing (Gv) Cluster Number Series: completing logical series of numbers Analysis-Synthesis: solving quasi-mathematical equations of colors Quantitative Reasoning (Gf RQ) Cluster Memory for Words: repeating increasing series of dictated words Memory for Sentences (from OL): repeating dictated sentences Auditory Memory Span (Gwm MS) Numbers Reversed: repeating dictated numbers backwards Number-Pattern Matching: speed of matching numbers in rows Number Facility (Gs N) Cluster Letter-Pattern Matching: speed of matching letters in rows Number-Pattern Matching: speed of matching numbers in rows Perceptual Speed (Gs P) Cluster Oral Vocabulary: synonyms and antonyms Picture Vocabulary (from OL): naming pictures Vocabulary (Gc VL/LD) Cluster Verbal Attention: repeating dictated information in altered order Letter-Pattern Matching: speed of matching letters in rows Numbers Reversed: repeating dictated numbers backwards Number-Pattern Matching: speed of matching numbers in rows Cognitive Efficiency Cluster
13 These are the standard scores used by the test publisher (please see the second page of this appendix). The percentile ranks and stanines in the last columns provide a common measurement that is the same for all of the tests (please see the first page of this appendix). 14 Test scores can never be perfectly reliable, even on the very best tests. Lucky and unlucky guesses, barely beating or missing time limits, and other random influences inevitably alter scores. This score interval shows how much scores are likely to vary 95% of the time just by pure chance. 15 PR = Percentile Ranks that tell the percentage of students of the same age or grade whose scores Namexx tied or exceeded. For example, a percentile rank of 36 would mean that Namexx scored as high as or higher than 36 percent of peers and lower than the other 64 percent. 16 Qualitative descriptors are arbitrary, are not evidence-based, and can make a difference of a single point appear meaningful. The descriptors used here are taken from xx.
Picture Vocabulary: naming pictures Oral Comprehension: saying missing words in dictated sentences Oral Language Cluster Picture Vocabulary: naming pictures Oral Comprehension: saying missing words in dictated sentences Understanding Directions: following complex oral instructions Broad Oral Language Cluster Picture Vocabulary: naming pictures Sentence Repetition: repeating dictated sentences verbatim Oral Expression Cluster Oral Comprehension: saying missing words in dictated sentences Understanding Directions: following complex oral instructions Listening Comprehension Cluster Segmentation: saying words as separate sounds (cat = /k/ ă /t/) Sound Blending: recognizing words spoken as separate sounds Phonetic Coding Cluster Rapid Picture Naming: speed of naming pictures in rows Retrieval Fluency: speed of saying words in specified categories Speed of Lexical Access Cluster Vocabulario sobre dibujos: naming pictures in Spanish Comprensíon oral: saying missing words in Spanish sentences Lenguaje oral Cluster Vocabulario sobre dibujos: naming pictures in Spanish Comprensíon oral: saying missing words in Spanish sentences Comprensíon de indicaciones: following Spanish oral instructions Amplio lenguaje oral Cluster Comprensíon oral: saying missing words in Spanish sentences Comprensíon de indicaciones: following Spanish oral instructions Comprensíon auditiva Cluster Picture Vocabulary: naming pictures Oral Vocabulary (from COG): synonyms and antonyms Vocabulary Cluster repeating random, dictated words in the same sequence Sentence Repetition: repeating dictated sentences verbatim Memory for Words (from COG): repeating dictated series of words Auditory Memory Span Cluster
17 These are the standard scores used by the test publisher (please see the second page of this appendix). The percentile ranks and stanines in the last columns provide a common measurement that is the same for all of the tests (please see the first page of this appendix). 18 Test scores can never be perfectly reliable, even on the very best tests. Lucky and unlucky guesses, barely beating or missing time limits, and other random influences inevitably alter scores. This score interval shows how much scores are likely to vary 95% of the time just by pure chance. 19 PR = Percentile ranks that tell the percentage of students of the same age or grade whose scores Namexx tied or exceeded. For example, a percentile rank of 36 would mean that Namexx scored as high as or higher than 36 percent of peers and lower than the other 64 percent. 20 Qualitative descriptors are arbitrary, are not evidence-based, and can make a difference of a single point appear meaningful. The descriptors used here are taken from xx.
Letter-Word Identification: reading words aloud from a list Passage Comprehension: supplying missing words in sentences Reading Cluster Letter-Word Identification: reading words aloud from a list Passage Comprehension: supplying missing words in sentences Sentence Reading Fluency: speed of silent reading, marking yes/no Broad Reading Cluster Letter-Word Identification: reading words aloud from a list Word Attack: accuracy in reading nonsense words aloud from a list Basic Reading Skills Cluster Passage Comprehension: supplying missing words in sentences Reading Recall: retelling stories after reading them one time Reading Vocabulary: synonyms and antonyms Reading Comprehension Cluster Oral Reading: accuracy of reading stories aloud Sentence Reading Fluency: speed of silent reading, marking yes/no Reading Fluency Cluster Sentence Reading Fluency: speed of silent reading, marking yes/no Word Reading Fluency: speed or reading words from a list Reading Rate Cluster Applied Problems: "story" or "word" problems with scratch paper Calculation with paper and pencil Mathematics Cluster Applied Problems: "story" or "word" problems with scratch paper Calculation with paper and pencil Math Facts Fluency: speed of performing simple calculations Broad Mathematics Cluster Calculation with paper and pencil Math Facts Fluency: speed of performing simple calculations Math Calculation Skills Cluster Applied Problems: "story" or "word" problems with scratch paper Number Matrices: supplying missing numbers in logical grids Math Problem Solving Cluster
21 These are the standard scores used by the test publisher (please see the second page of this appendix). The percentile ranks and stanines in the last columns provide a common measurement that is the same for all of the tests (please see the first page of this appendix). 22 Test scores can never be perfectly reliable, even on the very best tests. Lucky and unlucky guesses, barely beating or missing time limits, and other random influences inevitably alter scores. This score interval shows how much scores are likely to vary 95% of the time just by pure chance. 23 PR = Percentile Ranks that tell the percentage of students of the same age or grade whose scores Namexx tied or exceeded. For example, a percentile rank of 36 would mean that Namexx scored as high as or higher than 36 percent of peers and lower than the other 64 percent. 24 Qualitative descriptors are arbitrary, are not evidence-based, and can make a difference of a single point appear meaningful. The descriptors used here are taken from xx.
Spelling: written spelling of dictated words Writing Samples: writing sentences according to specific directions
Written Language Cluster Spelling: written spelling of dictated words Writing Samples: writing sentences according to specific directions
Sentence Writing Fluency: speed of writing short sentences Broad Written Language Cluster Spelling: written spelling of dictated words Editing: editing typed sentences with deliberate errors Basic Writing Skills Cluster Writing Samples: writing sentences according to specific directions
Sentence Writing Fluency: speed of writing short sentences Written Expression Cluster Letter-Word Identification: reading words aloud from a list Spelling: written spelling of dictated words Calculation with paper and pencil Academic Skills Cluster Sentence Reading Fluency: speed of silent reading, marking yes/no
Math Facts Fluency: speed of performing simple calculations Sentence Writing Fluency: speed of writing short sentences Academic Fluency Cluster Applied Problems: "story" or "word" problems with scratch paper
Passage Comprehension: supplying missing words in sentences
Writing Samples: writing sentences according to specific directions
Academic Applications Cluster Science: oral science questions Social Studies: oral social studies questions Humanities: oral art, music, and literature questions Academic Knowledge Cluster Word Attack: accuracy in reading nonsense words aloud from a list
Spelling of Sounds: accuracy in spelling dictated nonsense words
Phoneme-Grapheme Knowledge Cluster
25 These are the standard scores used by the test publisher (please see the second page of this appendix). The percentile ranks and stanines in the last columns provide a common measurement that is the same for all of the tests (please see the first page of this appendix). 26 Test scores can never be perfectly reliable, even on the very best tests. Lucky and unlucky guesses, barely beating or missing time limits, and other random influences inevitably alter scores. This score interval shows how much scores are likely to vary 95% of the time just by pure chance. 27 PR = Percentile Ranks that tell the percentage of students of the same age or grade whose scores Namexx tied or exceeded. For example, a percentile rank of 36 would mean that Namexx scored as high as or higher than 36 percent of peers and lower than the other 64 percent. 28 Qualitative descriptors are arbitrary, are not evidence-based, and can make a difference of a single point appear meaningful. The descriptors used here are taken from xx.
Letter-Word Identification: reading words aloud from a list Applied Problems: "story" or "word" problems with scratch paper Spelling: written spelling of dictated words Brief Achievement Cluster Letter-Word Identification: reading words aloud from a list Applied Problems: "story" or "word" problems with scratch paper Spelling: written spelling of dictated words Passage Comprehension: supplying missing words in sentences Calculation with paper and pencil Writing Samples: writing sentences according to specific directions Sentence Reading Fluency: speed of silent reading, marking yes/no Math Facts Fluency: speed of performing simple calculations Sentence Writing Fluency: speed of writing short sentences Broad Achievement Cluster
29 These are the standard scores used by the test publisher (please see the second page of this appendix). The percentile ranks and stanines in the last columns provide a common measurement that is the same for all of the tests (please see the first page of this appendix). 30 Test scores can never be perfectly reliable, even on the very best tests. Lucky and unlucky guesses, barely beating or missing time limits, and other random influences inevitably alter scores. This score interval shows how much scores are likely to vary 95% of the time just by pure chance. 31 PR = Percentile Ranks that tell the percentage of students of the same age or grade whose scores Namexx tied or exceeded. For example, a percentile rank of 36 would mean that Namexx scored as high as or higher than 36 percent of peers and lower than the other 64 percent. 32 Qualitative descriptors are arbitrary, are not evidence-based, and can make a difference of a single point appear meaningful. The descriptors used here are taken from xx.
Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability, Academic Achievement, and Oral Language, Fourth Edition (WJ IV COG, ACH, & OL). Fredrick A. Schrank, Kevin S. McGrew & Nancy Mather, Riverside Publishing, 2014. Unlike many individual ability tests, the WJ IV Cognitive Ability tests are explicitly designed to assess a
student’s abilities on many specific McGrew, Flanagan, and Ortiz Integrated Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) broad
cognitive abilities, not just a total score or a few composite factors. Each of first seven tests in the Standard
Battery is designed to measure one broad ability as well as General Intellectual Ability (GIA). The remaining
three Standard Battery and ten Extended Battery tests provide a second test for each broad ability and a third test
for an extended versions of some clusters and allow computation of Narrow Ability and Other Clinical Clusters.
The 20 Tests of Achievement are organized into 6 Reading, 5 Mathematics, 4 writing, and 6 Cross—Domain
Clusters. The Tests of Oral Language include 8 English language tests in 9 clusters, 2 clusters with one COG and
one OL test each, and 3 Spanish language tests forming 3 clusters. Most auditory tests are presented from a CD
through earphones unless this proves impossible. Examiners are permitted to select the tests they need to assess
abilities in which they are interested for a particular student. The WJ IV was normed on an extremely large,
carefully selected sample including 664 preschoolers, 3,891 students in grades K-12, 775 college and graduate
students, and 2,086 other adults drawn from 46 states and the District of Columbia. The same persons also
provided norms for the WJ IV Tests of Cognitive Ability, Achievement and Tests of Oral Language, so the
cognitive, achievement, and oral language tests can be compared directly, and cognitive and oral language tests
can be combined to measure CHC factors. Abbreviations for broad and narrow Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC)
Tests of Cognitive Ability Comprehension-Knowledge (Gc)
1. Oral Vocabulary: saying synonyms or antonyms for words presented both orally and in print. (Compare to ACH Reading Vocabulary.)
8. General Information: answering "where would you find" and "what would you do with” factual questions.
OL 1. Picture Vocabulary: saying the names of pictures. This Oral Language test contributes to the Extended Comprehension-Knowledge Cluster.)
Fluid Reasoning (Gf) . 2. Number Series: the examinee tries to determine the missing number(s) in each logical series. 9. Concept Formation: for each item, the examinee tries to figure out the rule that divides a set of
symbols into two groups. 15. Analysis-Synthesis: the examinee tries to solve logical puzzles involving color codes similar to
mathematical and scientific symbolic rules. Part of the Extended Fluid Reasoning cluster.) Short-Term Working Memory (Gwm)
3. Verbal Attention: the examinee listens to a series of animals and numbers and then answers a question such as, "Tell me the first animal" or "Tell me the two numbers between 'goat' and 'toad.'"
10. Numbers Reversed: repeating increasingly long series of dictated digits in reversed order (e.g., 41 14 or 65931 13956).
16. Object-Number Sequencing: the examinee tries to repeat dictated words and numbers (e.g., cow 9 up run 3 5) with the words first in the order they were dictated and then the numbers in the order they were dictated. Part of the Extended Short-Term Working Memory cluster.)
Cognitive Processing Speed (Gs) 4. Letter-Pattern Matching: as quickly as possible for three minutes, the examinee draws lines though
the two identical letters or sets of letters in each row of six letters or sets of letters. 17. Pair Cancellation: the examinee scans rows of pictures and tries, as quickly as possible for 3 minutes
to circle each instance in which a certain picture is followed by a certain other picture (e.g., each cat followed by a tree).
Auditory Processing (Ga) 5. Phonological Processing includes three subtests. In Word Access the examinee selects or names
words that begin with or end with or contain in the middle a specified sound (e.g., "Tell me the word that has the /f/ sound in the middle of the word. /f/." For Word Fluency the examinee must say in one minute as many words as possible that begin with a specified sound, such as /k/ as in "cat." Substitution asks the examinee to change a sound in a word (e.g., "Change the /h/ in 'hope' to /k/." [cope]).
12. Nonword Repetition: the examinee tries to accurately repeat dictated nonsense words, such as flurp or pallistrinka.
Long-Term Retrieval (Glr) 6. Story Recall: the examinee listens to several dictated stories and retells each one as accurately as
possible. (Compare to ACH Reading Recall.) 13. Visual-Auditory Learning: the examinee is taught rebus symbols for words and tries to “read”
sentences written with those symbols. Visual Processing (Gv)
7. Visualization includes two subtests. In Visualization-Spatial Relations, the examinee tries to select by sight alone, from many choices, the fragments that could be assembled into a given geometric shape. In Visualization-Block Rotation, the examinee tries to match drawings of three-dimensional block constructions that have been rotated in space
14. Picture Recognition: the examinee is shown one or more pictures and then tries to identify it or them on another page that includes several similar pictures.
2. Number Series: the examinee tries to determine the missing number(s) in each logical series. 15. Analysis-Synthesis: the examinee tries to solve logical puzzles involving color codes similar to
mathematical and scientific symbolic rules. Auditory Memory Span (Gwm MS)
18. Memory for Words: the examinee tries to repeat dictated random series of words in order. OL 5. Sentence Repetition: the examinee attempts to repeat increasingly long dictated sentences.
Number Facility (Gs N) 10. Numbers Reversed: repeating increasingly long series of dictated digits in reversed order (e.g., 41
14 or 65931 13956). 11. Number Pattern Matching: as quickly as possible for three minutes, the examinee draws lines though
the two identical one-, two-, or three-digit numbers in each row of six numbers. Perceptual Speed (Gs P)
4. Letter-Pattern Matching: as quickly as possible for three minutes, the examinee draws lines though the two identical letters or sets of letters in each row of six letters or sets of letters.
11. Number Pattern Matching: as quickly as possible for three minutes, the examinee draws lines though the two identical one-, two-, or three-digit numbers in each row of six numbers.
Vocabulary (Gc VL/LD) 1. Oral Vocabulary: saying synonyms or antonyms for words presented both orally and in print.
(Compare to ACH Reading Vocabulary.) OL 1. Picture Vocabulary: saying the names of pictures. This Oral Language test contributes to the
4. Letter-Pattern Matching: as quickly as possible for three minutes, the examinee draws lines though the two identical letters or sets of letters in each row of six letters or sets of letters.
10. Numbers Reversed: repeating increasingly long series of dictated digits in reversed order (e.g., 41 14 or 65931 13956).
3. Verbal Attention: the examinee listens to a series of animals and numbers and then answers a question such as, "Tell me the first animal" or "Tell me the two numbers between 'goat' and 'toad.'" Part of the Extended Cognitive Efficiency cluster.)
11. Number Pattern Matching: as quickly as possible for three minutes, the examinee draws lines though the two identical one-, two-, or three-digit numbers in each row of six numbers. Part of the Extended Cognitive Efficiency cluster.)
Tests of Oral Language Oral Language 1. Picture Vocabulary: saying the names of pictures. This Oral Language test also contributes to the WJ IV COG Extended Comprehension-Knowledge Cluster.) 2. Oral Comprehension: the examinee says the word missing at the end of each dictated sentence or very brief paragraph. (Compare to ACH Passage Comprehension.) Broad Oral Language 1. Picture Vocabulary: saying the names of pictures. This Oral Language test also contributes to the WJ IV COG Extended Comprehension-Knowledge Cluster.) 2. Oral Comprehension: the student says the word missing at the end of each dictated sentence or very brief paragraph. (Compare to ACH Passage Comprehension.)
6. Understanding Directions: the examinee follows oral directions to point to different parts of pictures.
Oral Expression 1. Picture Vocabulary: saying the names of pictures. This Oral Language test also contributes to the WJ IV COG Extended Comprehension-Knowledge Cluster.) 5. Sentence Repetition: the examinee must accurately repeat increasingly long dictated sentences. Listening Comprehension 2. Oral Comprehension: the examinee says the word missing at the end of each dictated sentence or very brief paragraph. (Compare to ACH Passage Comprehension.)
6. Understanding Directions: the examinee follows oral directions to point to different parts of pictures.
Phonetic Coding 3. Segmentation: the examinee listens to dictated words and must repeat them as separate syllables (e.g., catapult cat – a – pult) or sounds (e.g., crack /k/ /r/ ă /k/). 7. Sound Blending: the examinee tries to identify dictated words broken into separate sounds (e.g., /k/ ă /t/ cat). Speed of Lexical Access 4. Rapid Picture Naming: the examinee tries to name simple pictures as quickly as possible for
two minutes. This test measures Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN). 8. Retrieval Fluency: the student tries to name as many things as possible in one minute in each
of three specified categories, e.g., fruits. Vocabulary (Gc VL/LD) (COG 1. Oral Vocabulary: saying synonyms or antonyms for words presented both orally and in print.)
(Compare to ACH Reading Vocabulary.) 1. Picture Vocabulary: saying the names of pictures. Auditory Memory Span (Gwm MS) (COG 18. Memory for Words: the examinee tries to repeat dictated random series of words in order). 5. Sentence Repetition: the examinee attempts to repeat increasingly long dictated sentences.
Tests of Oral Language (Spanish Tests) Lenguaje Oral 10. Vocabulario sobre dibujos: saying the names of pictures in Spanish. 11. Comprensíon oral: the examinee says the word missing at the end of each dictated Spanish sentence or very brief paragraph. Amplio lenguaje oral 10. Vocabulario sobre dibujos: saying the names of pictures in Spanish. 11. Comprensíon oral: the examinee says the word missing at the end of each dictated Spanish sentence or very brief paragraph.
12. Comprensíon de indicaciones: the examinee follows Spanish oral directions to point to different parts of pictures.
Comprensíon auditiva 11. Comprensíon oral: the examinee says the word missing at the end of each dictated Spanish sentence or very brief paragraph.
12. Comprensíon de indicaciones: the examinee follows Spanish oral directions to point to different parts of pictures.
1. Letter-Word Identification: naming letters and reading words aloud from a list. (Compare to ACH Spelling.)
4. Passage Comprehension: matching printed words to pictures (for beginning readers) and orally supplying the missing word removed from each sentence or very brief paragraph (e.g., “Woof,” said the _____, biting the hand that fed it.”). (Compare to OL Oral comprehension.)
Broad Reading 1. Letter-Word Identification: naming letters and reading words aloud from a list. (Compare to ACH
Spelling.) 4. Passage Comprehension: matching printed words to pictures (for beginning readers) and orally
supplying the missing word removed from each sentence or very brief paragraph (e.g., “Woof,” said the _____, biting the hand that fed it.”). (Compare to OL Oral Comprehension.)
9. Sentence Reading Fluency: speed (for three minutes) of silently reading sentences and marking "yes" or "no" for each to indicate its truth.
Basic Reading Skills 1. Letter-Word Identification: naming letters and reading words aloud from a list. 7. Word Attack: reading sounds (e.g., pl) and nonsense words (e.g., plurp, fronkett) aloud to test phonetic word attack skills. (Compare to ACH Spelling of Sounds.)
Reading Comprehension 4. Passage Comprehension: matching printed words to pictures (for beginning readers) and orally
supplying the missing word removed from each sentence or very brief paragraph (e.g., “Woof,” said the _____, biting the hand that fed it.”). (Compare to OL Oral Comprehension.)
12. Reading Recall: the examinee reads several short stories and retells each story from memory after reading it. (Compare to COG Story Recall.)
(17. Reading Vocabulary: orally stating synonyms and antonyms for printed words. Part of Extended Reading Comprehension cluster). (Compare to COG Oral Vocabulary.)
Reading Fluency 8. Oral Reading: accuracy of oral reading of passages.
9. Sentence Reading Fluency: speed (for three minutes) of silently reading sentences and marking "yes" or "no" for each to indicate its truth.
Reading Rate 9. Sentence Reading Fluency: speed (for three minutes) of silently reading sentences and marking "yes"
or "no" for each to indicate its truth. 15. Word Reading Fluency: number of words read correctly from a printed list in three minutes.
2. Applied Problems are oral, math “word problems,” some with illustrations or printed instructions, solved with paper and pencil. 5. Calculation involves arithmetic computation with paper and pencil.
Broad Mathematics 2. Applied Problems are oral, math “word problems,” some with illustrations or printed instructions, solved with paper and pencil. 5. Calculation involves arithmetic computation with paper and pencil. 10. Math Facts Fluency: speed of performing simple calculations for 3 minutes.
Math Calculation Skills 5. Calculation involves arithmetic computation with paper and pencil. 10. Math Facts Fluency: speed of performing simple calculations for 3 minutes.
Math Problem Solving 2. Applied Problems are oral, math “word problems,” some with illustrations or printed instructions, solved with paper and pencil.
13. Number Matrices: supplying the missing number in each grid of numbers in which numbers change according to different rules in the rows and the columns. Written Language
3. Spelling: writing letters and words from dictation. 6. Writing Samples: writing sentences according to directions; many items include pictures; spelling
does not count on most items. Most examinees write 12 sentences. Broad Written Language
3. Spelling: writing letters and words from dictation. 6. Writing Samples: writing sentences according to directions; many items include pictures; spelling
does not count on most items. Most examinees write 12 sentences. 11. Sentence Writing Fluency: writing simple sentences, using three given words for each item and
describing a picture, as quickly as possible for seven minutes. Basic Writing Skills
3. Spelling: writing letters and words from dictation. 14. Editing: orally correcting deliberate spelling, punctuation, and grammar errors in typed sentences.
Written Expression 6. Writing Samples: writing sentences according to directions; many items include pictures; spelling
does not count on most items. Most examinees write 12 sentences. 11. Sentence Writing Fluency: writing simple sentences, using three given words for each item and
describing a picture, as quickly as possible for seven minutes. Academic Skills
1. Letter-Word Identification: naming letters and reading words aloud from a list. 3. Spelling: writing letters and words from dictation. 5. Calculation involves arithmetic computation with paper and pencil.
Academic Fluency 9. Sentence Reading Fluency: speed (for three minutes) of silently reading sentences and marking "yes"
or "no" for each to indicate its truth. 10. Math Facts Fluency: speed of performing simple calculations for 3 minutes. 11. Sentence Writing Fluency: writing simple sentences, using three given words for each item and
describing a picture, as quickly as possible for seven minutes.
2. Applied Problems are oral, math “word problems,” some with illustrations or printed instructions, solved with paper and pencil. 4. Passage Comprehension: matching printed words to pictures (for beginning readers) and orally
supplying the missing word removed from each sentence or very brief paragraph (e.g., “Woof,” said the _____, biting the hand that fed it.”). (Compare to OL Oral Comprehension.)
6. Writing Samples: writing sentences according to directions; many items include pictures; spelling does not count on most items. Most examinees write 12 sentences.
Academic Knowledge (Compare to COG Comprehension/Knowledge.) 18. Science: oral questions of science information. 19. Social Studies: oral questions of social studies information. 20. Humanities: oral questions of art, music, and literature information. Phoneme-Grapheme Knowledge
7. Word Attack: reading sounds (e.g., pl) and nonsense words (e.g., plurp, fronkett) aloud to test phonetic word attack skills. (Compare to ACH Spelling of Sounds.) 16. Spelling of Sounds: written spelling of dictated nonsense words. The examinee repeats the nonsense word and then writes it.
Brief Achievement 1. Letter-Word Identification: naming letters and reading words aloud from a list. 2. Applied Problems are oral, math “word problems,” some with illustrations or printed instructions, solved with paper and pencil. 3. Spelling: writing letters and words from dictation.
Broad Achievement 1. Letter-Word Identification: naming letters and reading words aloud from a list. 2. Applied Problems are oral, math “word problems,” some with illustrations or printed instructions, solved with paper and pencil. 3. Spelling: writing letters and words from dictation. 4. Passage Comprehension: matching printed words to pictures (for beginning readers) and orally
supplying the missing word removed from each sentence or very brief paragraph (e.g., “Woof,” said the _____, biting the hand that fed it.”). (Compare to OL Oral Comprehension.)
5. Calculation involves arithmetic computation with paper and pencil. 6. Writing Samples: writing sentences according to directions; many items include pictures; spelling
does not count on most items. Most examinees write 12 sentences. 9. Sentence Reading Fluency: speed (for three minutes) of silently reading sentences and marking "yes"
or "no" for each to indicate its truth. 10. Math Facts Fluency: speed of performing simple calculations for 3 minutes. 11. Sentence Writing Fluency: writing simple sentences, using three given words for each item and
describing a picture, as quickly as possible for seven minutes.
1. There is no evidence of a disorder in a basic psychological process involved in
understanding or in using language, spoken or written, so Ralph cannot be identified as having a specific learning disability.
2. The discrepancy between Ralph's "ability" (WISC-V FSIQ = 92, percentile rank 30) and
lowest "achievement" (WJ IV Broad Reading Custer = 70, percentile rank 2) is only 22 points, so Ralph cannot be identified as having a specific learning disability.
3. Ralph does not have a specific learning disability.
1. There is clear evidence of disorders in two basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written: phonological awareness (standard score 70, percentile rank 2) and rapid automatized naming (RAN) (standard score 61, percentile rank 0.5). These processes have been shown by research to be related to achievement in reading and writing. Ralph might be eligible for identification as having a specific learning disability. 2. However, the discrepancy between Ralph's "ability" (WISC-V FSIQ = 92, percentile rank 30) and lowest "achievement" (WJ IV Broad Reading Custer = 70, percentile rank 2) is only 22 points, so Ralph cannot be identified as having a specific learning disability. 3. Ralph does not have a specific learning disability.
1. There is clear evidence of disorders in two basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written: phonological awareness and rapid automatized naming (RAN). These processes have been shown by research to be related to achievement in reading and writing. Ralph might be eligible for identification as having a specific learning disability. 2. The discrepancies between Ralph's "ability" (WISC-V FSIQ = 92, percentile rank 30) and reading rate (standard score 60 [2.67 standard deviations below the mean]) and Reading Fluency (69, percentile rank 2) "achievement" on the WJ IV are, respectively 32 and 23 points (both greater than 22.5 points), so Ralph might be eligible for identification as having a specific learning disability. 3. Ralph clearly has a specific learning disability in reading fluency and is clearly eligible for special education services.