Academic Achievement Assessment: Reading Anne Clohessy, Ph.D. Evelyn Johnson, Ed. D. Overview Review of SLD Eligibility Process How Academic Achievement Ahi tassessment tfits in to the process Standards for assessment Examples of Reading assessments Interpreting results within the SLD eligibility process 1
Federal & State Definition SLD Eligibility Process ID Criteria Procedure 1. Imperfect ability to 1. Eid Evidence of 1. Progress Monitoring i learn insufficient progress and achievement Data, ISAT, Academic Achievement Tests 2. Disorder in a basic psychological process 2. Pattern of strengths and weaknesses in 2. Assessment of psychological psychological processing skills processing skills 3. Not a result of other factors 3. Student s lack of achievement is not the primary result of other factors 3. Team consideration of other factors (examining evidence when other factors suspected) Standards for Assessments Psychometric Property Reliability Validity Type of Scores Norms Standardized Administration Criteria Coefficients >.80; Use of composite or cluster score OR 2 or more subtests Coefficients >.70; Valid for the intended use; Specific and related to the area of concern Standard Scores, Percentile Ranks Norm group is representative of the population especially if student is CLD Professional administering the test has training in the administration, scoring and interpretation of assessments 2
Developing a Hypothesis Fluency scores need to be carefully analyzed R CBM is a proxy measure for decoding, fluency and comprehension student performance needs to be analyzed to understand the nature of the child s reading difficulties 3
Source: Wren, S. (2001) Cognitive Foundations of Learning to Read, Austin, TX: Southwest Educational Development Laboratory Reading Academic Assessments 4
Assessment Woodcock Johnson III Tests of Achievement, 3 rd Edition (WJ III) Ages 2 to 90+ Reading Cluster Broad Reading Composite also includes Reading Fluency and Letter Word Identification Nelson Denny Reading Test (NDRT) Grades 9 16 Total Test NDRT includes a separate Reading Rate measure Cluster/Composite Score Reading Cluster Test 9 Passage Test 17 Reading Vocabulary Total Test Vocabulary Assessment Wechsler Individual Achievement Test, 3 rd Edition (WIAT III) Ages 4 0 to 50 11 Total Reading Composite also includes Oral Reading Fluency, Word Reading, Pseudoword Decoding; Reading and Fluency Composite also includes Oral Reading Fluency Gray Oral Reading Test, 4 th Edition (GORT 4) Ages 4 6 to 21 11 11 (Grades K 12) Subtest(s) Reading Subtest Score Oral Reading Quotient also includes Fluency Score 5
Woodcock Johnson Reading Subtests WJ III: Passage Subtest One or two sentences with a missing word Student is asked to orally provide the word Sample Item: Dogs have four. (legs, paws) WJ III: Reading Vocabulary Subtest Three sections: Synonyms, Antonyms, and Analogies Synonyms Read each of these words out loud and tell me another word that means the same. Sample Item: large (big, gigantic, huge) Antonyms Read each of these words out loud and tell me another word that means the opposite. Sample Item: right (wrong, incorrect, left) Analogies Read this to yourself and tell me the answer. Sample item: he she boy (girl) Nelson Denny Reading Test Subtests NDRT: Subtest Student reads passages silently Each passage is followed by a set of multiple choice e questions Student marks answers on a bubble sheet Normed for both standard and extended time administrations NDRT: Vocabulary Subtest Student reads an opening statement, and chooses a word to complete the sentence Student marks answers on a bubble sheet Normed for both standard and extended time administrations Sample Item: To repair is to: a. destroy b. finish c. fix d. work e. show 6
Reading Subtests GORT 4: Subtest Student reads passages aloud Examinertimes reading, marks errors Page is turned away from the story to 5 multiple choice questions Examiner reads each question and the choices aloud Student chooses response WIAT III: Reading Subtest Student reads a passage/story silently Examiner asks several oral, open ended questions about each passage Student responds orally Passage remains in front of the student during the questions Some answers receive partial credit Additional Vocabulary Measures Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT 4) Measure of receptive vocabulary Student chooses 1 of 4 pictures that illustrates a word spoken by examiner Ages 2½ to 90+ Expressive One Word Vocabulary Test (EVT 2) Student labels pictures Co normed with PPVT 4; Ages 2½ to 90+ Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals (CELF 4) Expressive Vocabulary; Ages 5 9 (student labels pictures) Word Definitions; Ages 10 21 (student defines words) 7
Strengths and Limitations of Reading Measures WJ III Strengths Items are short, so less demanding on working memory than longer passages. Convenient to have two comprehension subtests available in the same battery. Requires clear understanding of statement tt tto respond accurately. Alternate forms available for pre and post testing. WJ III Limitations The task kthe student tis asked to perform in the Passage subtest (filling in a missing word) is not typical reading. Seems more rigorous for students with ih expressive language or retrieval needs. Strengths and Limitations of Reading Measures WIAT III Strengths The task is similar il to what a student might face in school (reading a passage or story and answering questions). Student can refer back to the passage to aid memory of details. Less demanding on expressive language than the WJ III. WIAT III Limitations Some students t can find answers in the text but not truly understand what has been read. Easy to miss language or retrieval problems a student may have. No alternate form available for post testing. The WIAT III has only one measure of reading comprehension, so a separate subtest from another battery will also be needed for SLD process. 8
Strengths and Limitations of Reading Measures GORT 4 Strengths Oral reading format helps some students stay focused on reading. Multiple choice questions reduce impact of retrieval/language needs. Passages are not in front of the student during questions, so student must hold the story in mind to answer questions. Alternate form available for preand post testing. GORT 4 Limitations The test has been criticized for a lack of rigor some questions could be answered without reading the text. Oral reading and timing are anxietyprovoking for some students, which could interfere with their ability to comprehend. More demand on working memory because passage does not remain in front of student during questions. Will need to administer a separate comprehension subtest from another battery. Strengths and Limitations of Reading Measures NDRT Strengths Students take test independently (can be in a group). Student can refer back to passage during questions. Norms allow for standard and extended time administrations; helps document need for extended time on tests. Alternate forms allow pre and post testing. NDRT Limitations Test thas been criticized i for lower than optimal reliability. Sustained silent reading often more challenging for students with attention problems. Timing creates confound with fluency andcan be anxiety provoking for some. Grade level norms only (not age norms); 9 th grade and up. 9
Date Nov 15 2011 Nov 15 Nov Area of Concern Reading Name of Assessment Nelson- Denny Reading Test Subtest(s) SS %ile Evaluator/Title Total Reading Test Vocabulary 98 45 th 88 21 st Ms. Friendly/Special Education Teacher Nov 78 7 th 15 Description of assessment measure, validity statement, and interpretive information: The Nelson-Denny Reading Test is standardized measure of reading. The Total Test Score includes Vocabulary and measures. Both tasks are timed and have multiple-choice answers. Student showed average Vocabulary skills on the test (with and without extended time). However, her score was well Below Average (with and without extended time). Her overall performance fell in the low average range compared to others at her grade level. Student put forth good effort on all subtests therefore test results are considered valid. Area of Concern Reading Date Sept 23 2011 Name of Assessment WJ-III Subtest(s) Reading Passage Avg %ile Evaluator/Title SS 88 21 st Ms. Friendly/Special Education Teacher 80 9 th Sept 23 2011 GORT-4 Score 95 37 th Description of assessment measures, validity statement, and interpretive information: The WJ-III and the GORT-4 are individually administered assessments of achievement. The WJ-III Passage test is untimed and requires the student to fill in a missing word. The GORT-4 is a timed oral reading measure with multiple-choice comprehension questions. As indicated above Student s performance on these measures varied. On the WJ-III, she scored in the Below Average range. On the GORT-4, she scored in the average range. The variability in performance is consistent with her processing needs in long-term retrieval and expressive language. Overall, her performance on reading comprehension measures is low average. Student put forth good effort on all subtests therefore test results are considered valid. 10
For more information Please visit the Idaho Training Clearinghouse Specific Learning Disability Learning Community http://itcnew.idahotc.com/specific learning disability.aspx Live chat session for your Q&A on academic achievement assessment to be scheduled in March 2012 Improving the lives of people who learn differently through prevention, evaluation, treatment, and research. LPLC This webinar was provided in partnership with the Idaho State Department of Education and the Center for School Improvement and Policy Studies at Boise State University 3324 Elder Street t Boise, ID 208 333 0008 www.lplearningcenter.org 11