WJ-IV – Test of Achievement

The WJ IV Test of Achievement takes a student approximately 90 minutes to complete thirteen core activities called subtests. The above labeled rows describe all 20 subtests.

Using the above matrix, one can determine which subtests when combined create a cluster score, which appears as the title of each column (ex. Letter-Word Identification and Passage Comprehension yield a READING cluster). Cluster scores will appear on a child’s score page in all CAPITALS. The subtests that makeup the cluster score are typically indented.

Cluster scores are compared to a child’s intellectual quotient (IQ) because these scores are more robust and valid than individual subtests.

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WJ-IV SCORING Cluster / Subtest Qualitative Standard Score Range Descriptive Percentiles 131 and above Very Superior 98 to 99.9 121-130 Superior 92 to 97 111-120 High Average 76 to 91 90-110 Average 25 to 75 80-89 Low Average 9 to 24 70-79 Low 3 to 8 69 and below Very Low .1 to 2

Specific Learning Disability (SLD).

According to N.J.A.C. 6A:14-3.5(c)12 Special Education Code, "Specific learning disability" … means a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia. i. A specific learning disability can be determined when a severe discrepancy is found between the student's current achievement [WJ IV] and intellectual ability [WISC-V] in one or more of the following areas: (1) Basic reading skills; (2) Reading comprehension; (3) Oral expression; (4) Listening comprehension; (5) Mathematical calculation; (6) Mathematical problem solving; (7) Written expression; and (8) Reading fluency.

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WJ-IV READING

READING Letter-Word Identification Passage Comprehension

BROAD READING

Letter-Word Identification Passage Comprehension Sentence Reading Fluency

BASIC READING SKILLS

Letter-Word Identification Word Attack

READING COMPREHENSION

Passage Comprehension Reading Recall

READING FLUENCY

Oral Reading Sentence Reading Fluency

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Reading Cluster Subtests

Letter-Word Identification – This subtest measures ability to read isolated words aloud.

1. This is the letter “T” Find the “T” down here

J T P E

2. What is this word? Portrait

Passage Comprehension – This subtest measures ability to understand written discourse. The items require the student to read a short passage and identify a missing key word that made sense in the context of the passage.

1. Point to the one that tells about the big picture

2. There was a hole in the _________________. That is where the cow got through.

Word Attack – This subtest measures student’s skill in applying phonics and structural analysis skills to the pronunciation of unfamiliar non-words.

1. Point to the picture that begins with /f/.

2. Read this word. Frime

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Oral Reading – This subtest measures oral sentence reading fluency. Points are deducted for errors in mispronunciation, omission, insertion, substitution, hesitation, repetition, transposition, and ignoring punctuation.

The trees are big.

During one year, a mature tree will absorb more than 48 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Sentence Reading Fluency – This subtest measures a student’s ability to quickly read and comprehend sentences. In this time test, a student is required to indicate whether each sentence was true or false.

Reading Fluency: 3-minute time limit.

An apple is green Y N

A cow can dance Y N

Reading Recall – This subtest measures a student’s ability to read a short story silently and then reconstruct the story from memory.

Ken was going on his dad’s boat. His dad said, “Don’t jump in.” Ken stepped in the boat and sat down.

It was July 21, 1969, and Neil Armstrong awoke with a start. It was the day he would become the first human being to ever walk on the moon. The journey had begun several days earlier, when on July 16th, the Apollo 11 launched from Earth headed into outer space. On board with Neil Armstrong were Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin. The crew landed on the moon in the Sea of Tranquility a day before the actual walk.

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WJ-IV MATH

MATHEMATICS Applied Problems Calculation

BROAD MATHEMATICS

Applied Problems Calculation Math Facts Fluency

MATH CALCULATION SKILLS

Calculation Math Facts Fluency

MATH PROBLEM SOLVING

Applied Problems Number Matrices

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Math Cluster Subtests

Applied Problems – This subtest measures mathematics achievement that requires students to analyze and solve practical problems.

1. How many circles are there? 2. Mary went to sleep at 7 o’clock on Sunday night. She woke up at 6 o’clock on Monday

morning. How many hours did she sleep?

Calculation – This subtest measures ability to perform mathematical computations.

1. 3+6 = 2. 10x + 8 = 28

x = ___

Math Facts Fluency – This subtest measures a student’s ability to quickly solve simple addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication problems during a timed setting (3 minutes).

1. 4+4 = 2. 6x4 =

Number Matrices – This subtest is a test of mathematics problem solving. This test requires a student to supply the missing number that must simultaneously complete two or more sequences of numbers.

1. 5 6 7

2.

50 40 30

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WJ-IV WRITING

WRITTEN LANGUAGE

Spelling Writing Samples

BROAD WRITTEN LANGUAGE

Spelling Writing Samples Sentence Writing Fluency

WRITTEN EXPRESSION

Writing Samples Sentence Writing Fluency

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Writing Cluster Subtests

Spelling – This subtest measures ability to write orally-presented words correctly.

1. Spell the word milk. The boy dropped his glass of milk. Milk 2. Spell the word efficient. The hybrid car was more efficient than the gas car. Efficient.

Writing Samples –This subtest provides a rating of a student’s quality of written expression in sentence construction.

1. This boy is jumping. The first sentence says, “This boy is jumping.” Write a second sentence on the line that tells what the other boy is doing.

2. Accidentally ________________________________________________________________ Write a sentence that tells about the picture and uses the word accidentally.

Sentence Writing Fluency – This subtest measures a student’s fluency for quickly formulating and writing simple sentences.

Use these three words and any other words you need to write a short sentence about the picture. You may put the words in any order.

1. ice cream _________________________________________________ cold is _________________________________________________

2. diver _________________________________________________ splashes water _________________________________________________

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WJ-IV – Test of Oral Language

The WJ IV Test of Oral Language is administered to calculate Oral Expression and Listening Comprehension cluster scores. Additional subtests may be administered depending on the scope of the evaluation.

ORAL EXPRESSION Picture Vocabulary Sentence Repetition

LISTENING COMPREHENSION Oral Comprehension Understanding Directions

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WJ-IV ORAL LANGUAGE

Oral Expression Subtests Picture Vocabulary – This subtest requires the naming of pictures from familiar to less familiar. It measures vocabulary, verbal ability, and knowledge of culture.

1. Here is a picture of a dog and a picture of a bus. Put your finger on the dog.

2. What is this called?

Sentence Repetition – This subtest requires students to listen and recall sentences of increasing length and complexity. It measures short-term memory span.

Prompt: I am going to say some words and then I want you to repeat it.

1. Big bird.

2. The girl stopped to smell the flowers.

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Listening Comprehension Subtests

Oral Comprehension – This subtest requires listening to a short passage and providing the final missing word. It measures listening ability and language development.

Prompt: You will hear some sentences and then fill in the blank at the end.

1. A cow goes ___________.

2. Picking apples is a tiring activity. It requires special machines and many workers to pick apples in the ____________.

Understanding Directions – This subtest requires listening to instructions and then pointing to objects in pictures. It measures listening ability and language development.

1. Point to the animal directly below the lion.

2. Point to the animal to the left of the elephant then the animal flying in the sky.

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Understanding Test Scores

Norm-Referenced Tests. Normed reference tests compare an individual child’s performance to that of his or her classmates or some other, larger group. The WISC-V was normed on 2,200 children while the WJ IV was normed on over 7,000 children. Such tests will tell you how your child compares to similar children on a given set of skills and knowledge, but it does not provide information about what the child does and does not know. Scores on norm-referenced tests indicate the student’s ranking relative to that group. Typical scores used with norm-referenced tests include: Standard Scores. A standard score is derived from raw scores using the norming information gathered when the test was developed. Standard scores indicate how far above or below the average an individual score falls using a common scale with a mean of 100. The WISC-V Index scores, WJ IV subtest and cluster scores all are reported via standard scores. Scores from 90 – 110 are considered in the average range. Percentiles. A percentile is a score that indicates the rank of the student compared to others (same age or same grade). An average standard score of 100 would fall at the 50th percentile. This indicates the child’s performance equals or surpasses 50% of his/her peers from the standardization group. A percentile is not the same as a percent – a percentile does not mean that the student answered 50% of the questions correctly. Percentiles from 25 to 75 are considered in the average range. Scaled Scores (WISC-V subtests only). Psychoeducational tests are typically made of several mini-tests, or subtests, which assess more specific skill sets. Performance on each subtest results in a scaled score ranging from 1 to 19. Scale scores are often combined to form standard scores. On the WISC-V, scaled scores from 8 to 12 are considered in the average range. Qualitative Descriptors. Qualitative descriptors are quick ways to report the interpretation of the scores in relation to similar peers, such as Low Average, Average, and High Average. Each normed referenced test has separate guides on applying qualitative descriptors. Confidence Intervals. Since a child’s performance on a test can vary on any given day, the confidence interval is the hypothetical range of scores predicted if your child were given this test 100 times. For example, a 95% confidence interval means there is a 95% likelihood that your child would score in the given range if administered the test 100 times.

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Bell Shaped Curve. Percentile ranks, qualitative descriptors, and standard scores can all be compared using the normal or bell-shaped curve. Most tests in education are develop in order to yield a standard curve of scores, where the majority of all students would fall within an average range.

*Content for Understanding Test Scores was obtained from the Frenchtown School District https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.ftsd.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx%3Fmoduleinstanceid%3D1447%26dataid%3D3124%26FileName%3DUnderstanding%2520Test%2520Scores.pdf&sa=U&ved=0ahUKEwjH6sbG4sfSAhXkDsAKHb38DWEQFggEMAA&client=internal-uds-cse&usg=AFQjCNEcCCxim7j4NoOAz1XMG4OVtXk42w