Introduction to the WIAT-III Presented by George McCloskey, Ph.D. Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine [email protected] [email protected]

Introduction to the WIAT-III

Presented byGeorge McCloskey, Ph.D.

Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine

[email protected]@aol.com

WIAT-III: What’s New?

•New Age Range (temporary): 4-0 to 19-11•Adult Norms planned for 2010

WIAT-III: What’s New? Materials

• Record Form–Longer – 52 pages, but space is well-used to improve ease of administration– All administration and item directions are in the Record Form; no need to refer to the manual during testing

Quick Administration Guide for Each Subtest on Record Form

General Directions for Each Subtest on Record Form

Correct Answer Key for Each Subtest Item on Record Form


• Stimulus Booklet– Only one booklet, not two– Contains only items; no subtest directions in easel– Items on both sides of easel pages; work through one side then flip over to continue– More durable construction


• Oral Reading Fluency Booklet– Durable, reusable, washable booklet; student reads from this booklet

•Word Reading and Pseudoword Decoding Cards– New items but no design changes


• Response Booklet– Longer - 32 pages– Used for 9 different Subtests– Improved Item layout for Numerical Operations


• Examiner’s Manual– Administration and scoring; analysis and interpretation– Not used for test administration– Appendices contain expanded scoring guidelines for specific subtests


• Technical Manual on CD only– Contains Norms Tables– Information about psychometric properties


• Scoring Assistant– Provided as part of basic kit– Expanded capabilities• Item Scoring (interactive scoring guide for Essay Composition)• Item skill analyses•Goal & Objective statements

Derived Scores for Composites and

Subtests

• Standard Score• Percentile Rank• Normal Curve Equivalent• Stanines

• Grade Equivalent• Age Equivalent• Growth Scale Values

Status Scores

GrowthScores

15

Assessment in a Three Tier Model

Educators need to be aware of psychometric pitfalls in attempting to assess response to intervention using standard scores from norm-referenced tests.

16

100100

78?

Attempting to Assess Response to Intervention Using Standard Scores

Time 1 Time 2

17

100100

7878


Time 1 Time 2

18

100100

7878?


Time 1 Time 2

19

Time 1 Time 2

100100

787870


20

The score graphs demonstrate the fact that the use of age- or grade-referenced standard scores to monitor performance across time will not effectively characterize progress in situations where the amount of progress made is less than the average amount of progress made by same-age or same-grade peers.


30

25

20

15

10

0

K.6 2.6 3.6 4.6 5.6 6.61.62.9

Constructing Grade Equivalents

Interpolate

22

Time 111/03

Grade 4.3

Time 26/04

Grade 5.10

Time 33/06

Grade 7.7

100 100

82

109

100

102

(1.6)

(6.3)(7.1)

Word Reading Subtest

WIAT-III: What’s New? Growth Scale

Values• Growth Scale Values can be used

to monitor progress instead of Standard Scores or Grade Equivalent• Grow Scale Values are

psychometrically sound and reflect change in a more accurate manner than Grade Equivalents

24

453503

360

445

Assessing Response to Intervention Using Growth Scale Values

Time 1 Time 2

WIAT-III: What’s New? Growth Scale

Values• When interpreting student

performance:• Use Standard Scores to report

how the student is performing compared to same age or same grade peers• Use Growth Scale Values to

reflect intra-individual growth

Subtest Administration Order

• Whenever possible, subtests should be administered according to the order of subtests in the Record Form– Simply skip any unwanted subtests

• Alterations to the order should be based on clinical need (not examiner preference)

• Every effort should be made to administer subtests in one session.

Start and Stop Points

• Generally acceptable to choose an earlier or later start point if the grade-appropriate start point is too easy/difficult

• HOWEVER – If you choose an earlier start point and then child gets credit on grade-appropriate start item and next 2 items–THEN full credit is rewarded on all items

preceding grade-appropriate start point

ERASERS - WHY NOT???

• “The student must write his or her responses using a pencil without an eraser. Students who participated in the standardization sample were required to use pencils without erasers because erasure marks can make the student’s response difficult to read and score. FOR THIS REASON, STUDENTS MUST CORRECT ERRORS BY MARKING OUT AND REWRITING.”

WIAT-III: What’s New? Subtests and

Scores• Reading– 5 Subtests; 9 Scores

• Oral Language– 2 Subtests; 7 Scores

• Written Expression– 4 Subtests; 9 Scores

• Mathematics– 5 Subtests; 5 Scores

Reading Subtests

Reading Subtests

Word Reading

Pseudoword Decoding

Early Reading Skills

Word Reading

Pseudoword Decoding

Reading Comprehension

Oral Reading Fluency


Reading Scores


Word Reading

Pseudoword Decoding


Oral Reading FluencyOR Accuracy

OR Rate

Word Reading Rate

PseudowordDecoding Rate

Written ExpressionSubtests

Written Expression Subtests

Spelling

Written Expression

Spelling

Alphabet Writing Fluency

Sentence Composition

Essay Composition

Written Expression Scores

Word Count

Spelling



Essay Composition Theme Dev & Text Org

Grammar & Mechanics

Sentence Combining

Sentence Building

Oral Language Subtests


ListeningComprehension

OralExpression


OralExpression

Oral Expression Scores

Expressive Vocabulary


OralExpression Oral Word Fluency

Sentence Repetition

Receptive Vocabulary

Oral DiscourseComprehension

MathematicsSubtests

Math Subtests

NumericalOperations

MathReasoning

NumericalOperations

MathProblemSolving

Math Fluency - Addition Math Fluency - SubtractionMath Fluency - Multiplication

Math Scores

NumericalOperations

MathProblemSolving

Math Fluency - Addition Math Fluency - SubtractionMath Fluency - Multiplication

Copyright 2007 George McCloskey, Ph.D. 42

Achievement Testing vs Diagnostic Skill Assessment

• Achievement testing indicates overall level of performance in a very global manner• Diagnostic skills assessment identifies specific component skill strengths and weaknesses

Copyright 2007 George McCloskey, Ph.D. 43

Achievement Testing vs Diagnostic Skill Assessment

• Achievement testing focuses on composite scores• Diagnostic skills assessment focuses on subtest and process scores

Copyright 2007 George McCloskey, Ph.D.

44

Task Cognitive Capacities

Level

Item Level

Subtest Level

Specific Composite Indexes / Clinical Clusters

Level

Global CompositeLevel

Interpretive Levels Framework

Reading Subtests


• Item types originally included on WIAT-II Word Reading Subtest (Items 1-47):–Letter Names (Items 1-11)–Letter-Sound Relationship (Items 12, 13, 27-29)–Rhyming (Items 14-17)–Sound Awareness (Items 18-24)–Sound Blending (Items 25, 26)–Orthographic Awareness (Items 30-34)

Early Reading Skills• Grades PK-3• 34 Items (47 Items on WIAT-II)• All students start with Sample A and Item 1• Administer ALL subtest items• Use routinely for PK-1, for low functioning

in grades 2 & 3• Total Raw Score to Standard Score

Word Reading

• Grades 1-12• 75 Items (84 Items on WIAT-II)• All students start with Item 1• Discontinue after 4 items (7 on

WIAT-II)• Time and Record number of

items completed in first 30 seconds

Word Reading

• Student are told to read words aloud but not to read as quickly as possible

• Students can use their fingers but do not provide materials for place marking

• Credit should be given for regional or dialectal pronunciations of words

• Pronunciations must be fluent to receive credit. For dysfluent attempt, say “Say it all together.” If 2nd attempt not fluent, score 0.

Word Reading

• Total Raw Score to Standard Score• Words Read in 30 seconds to Word Reading Speed Cumulative Percentage

Pseudoword Decoding

• Grades 1-12• 52 Items (55 Items on WIAT-II)• Items revised to measure a broader

range of symbol-sound relationships• All students start with Item 1• Discontinue after 4 items (7 on

WIAT-II)• Time and Record number of items

completed in first 30 seconds

Pseudoword Decoding• Student are told to decode words aloud

but not to decode as quickly as possible• Students can use their fingers but do

not provide materials for place marking• Credit should be given for regional or

dialectal pronunciations of words• Pronunciations must be fluent to

receive credit. For dysfluent attempt, say “Say it all together.” If 2nd attempt not fluent, score 0.

Pseudoword Decoding• Total Raw Score to Standard Score• Nonsense Words Decoded in 30 seconds to Pseudoword Decoding Speed Cumulative Percentage


• Grades 1-12• 84 Items (140 Items on WIAT-II)• Pre-passage items replaced with a

new lower level reading passage• All other passages retained from

WIAT-II• Oral reading sentence items deleted• Supplemental scores dropped• Administered in item sets like WIAT-II


• Start administration with grade level item set; administer all items in the set

• Can start one set lower if student is known to be a very poor reader; otherwise, use reverse rule

• Can reverse only a maximum of 3 levels below grade level

• Reverse Rule: less than 2 points earned on items from 1st passage

Reading Comprehension• Total Raw Score to Weighted Raw Score to Standard Score• Note: The Weighted Raw Score Table is reversed from WIAT-II; Weighted Scores in outside column; Raw scores in body of table



• If the student performs poorly on lower item set–Probably means they have a

weakness in comprehension

• OR If the student performs well on lower item set–Probably means they have a

weakness in word identification and/or decoding and/or vocabulary


• While Reading Comprehension Subtest Scores, in general, correlate highly between measures such as the WIAT-III, KTEA-II, and WJ-III, scores for individual students can vary greatly due to:• Differences in Output Demands (free response [WIAT-II, KTEA-II] vs cloze [WJ-III])• Differences in Processing Demands (e.g., literal vs inferential item types and passage length variations resulting in different demands for reasoning, reading speed, working memory, and executive functions)


• Grades 1-12• Student reads two passages• Administer grade level passages• Can start one grade level lower if

student is known to be a very poor reader; otherwise, use reverse rule

• Reverse rule: If reading of 1st passage takes longer than the reverse rule time limit go back one level


• Provide unknown words after 5 seconds• A comprehension question is asked

after the reading; these questions are not scored formally; the items are used to cue the student to read at a level that engages comprehension

• Student reads entire passage; record the total reading time per passage

• Keep track of and record word addition errors and other word reading errors


• Oral Reading Fluency Administration Steps:

1. Begin timing as student begins reading

2. Record errors as student reads• Addition Errors: Any word added•Other Errors: Words supplied after 5” of attempted reading of word (mark with G for “given”); mispronunciations, substitutions, omissions and transpositions




3. End timing as student finishes passage and record stop time

4. Repeat administration steps for 2nd passage

5. Transfer Completion Time, Addition Errors, Other Errors, and Word Count Totals to the ORF Passage Subtotal Raw Scores Table on Page 46



6. Calculate Oral Reading Fluency Total Raw Score, Oral Reading Accuracy Total Raw Score, and Oral Reading Rate Total Raw Score

7. Use Total Raw Scores to find Weighted Raw Scores in Appendices A.2, A.3 and A.4

8. Convert Weighted Raw Scores to Standard Scores using Table B.1 or C.1

Written ExpressionSubtests


• Grades PK-3 Only• Student writes letters of the

alphabet for 30”• Raw Score is number of legible

letters produced in 30”• If all letters are made before 30”

record completion time


• Scoring Criteria are in Appendix B.1

• Scoring Criteria are extremely flexible in order to reduce scoring time and difficulty

• Typically used for Grades PK-2, can be used for lower functioning 3rd graders

Spelling

• Grades K-12• First 5 items are pre-spelling

skills (12 items on WIAT-II)• 63 Items (53 Items on WIAT-II)• Start at Grade Level Start Point• Can start 1 level below but give

full credit if basal at Grade Level Start Point is met

Spelling

• Basal: score of 1 on all of the first three items in Start Point Set

• Reverse Rule: Incorrect on any of first 3 items administered; give items in reverse order until basal is met

• Discontinue after 4 items (7 on WIAT-II)

• Raw Score to Standard Score• Intra-item error analysis optional


• Grades 1-12• 5 Sentence Combining Items (Most

from WIAT-II) and 7 Sentence Building Items (“Write a sentence using the word ___”)• All students start with Sentence

Combining Sample A and Items 1 and 2• Discontinue Sentence Combining if

score of 0 on first 2 items


• If at least 1 point is earned on first 2 items, administer ALL remaining Sentence Combining items

• After completing Sentence Combining, ALL students take Sentence Building Sample A and Items 1 and 2

• Discontinue Sentence Building if score of 0 on first 2 items


• If at least 1 point is earned on first 2 item, administer ALL remaining Sentence Building items

• Separate Raw Scores and Standard Scores for Sentence Combining and Sentence Building

• Add SC and SB standard scores and use as Raw Score to obtain Sentence Composition Standard Score


• Sentence Composition Scoring: Appendix B.2 provides Basic Rules of Written Grammar and Mechanics

• Sentence Combining Scoring (Appendix B.3): Prerequisite Scoring Criteria– Does response include essential information?– Does response simply restate original

sentences?– Does response have more than one sentence,

run-on sentence or sentence fragment?


• Sentence Combining: If a sentence does not meet all 3 Prerequisite Criteria, score the sentence 0

• Sentence Combining: If a sentence does meet all 3 Prerequisite Criteria, use the additional scoring criteria to determine the raw score for each scoring criterion:–Semantics & Grammar–Mechanics –Extra Credit


• Sentence Building Scoring (Appendix B.4): Prerequisite Scoring Criteria

• Does response include the target word?• Is the response a fragmented sentence?• Is the target word use in a title or as the

subject or object of the sentence?

• Sentence Building: If a sentence does not meet all 3 Prerequisite Criteria, score the sentence 0


• Sentence Building: If a sentence does meet all 3 Prerequisite Criteria, use the additional scoring criteria to determine the raw score for each scoring criterion:–Semantics & Grammar–Mechanics

• The Scoring Workbook provides unscored and scored samples

Essay Composition

• Grades 3-12• Writing from a prompt; identical to

the WIAT-II Paragraph sub-item (My favorite game is…)

• All students write using same prompt

• 10 minutes maximum time• Scoring Criteria in Appendix B.5

and B.6

Essay Composition• Essays are scored for:–Word Count–Theme Development and Organization• Introduction (0-2)• Conclusion (0-2)• Paragraphs (0-5)• Transitions (0-5)• Reasons Why (0-3)• Elaborations (0-3)

–Grammar and Mechanics

Essay Composition

• The Scoring Workbook provides unscored and scored samples• The Scoring Assistant Includes an interactive scoring guide that can be used to complete the scoring process

Essay Composition

• Raw Scores for Word Count, Theme Development & Text Organization (TDTO) and Grammar & Mechanics are converted into Standard Scores using B.1 or C.1

• Word Count and TDTO Standard Scores are summed to derive the Essay Composition Raw Score to obtain the Essay Composition Standard Score in B.1 of C.1


Listening Comprehension

• Grades PK-12• Receptive Vocabulary retained –

19 items (16 items on WIAT-II)• Oral Discourse Comprehension

(27 items) replaces Sentence Comprehension format (10 items)

• Expressive Vocabulary moved to Oral Expression Subtest


• ALL students start with Receptive Vocabulary (RV) Item 1

• Discontinue RV after 4 consecutive scores of 0

• All students go on to Oral Discourse Comprehension (ODC)

• ODC administered best using the audio CD


• Grades PK-3 start with Item 1; Grades 4-12 start with Item 6

• All items scored objectively 0 or 1• Apply Reverse Rule for Grades 4-

12, move backward until 3 consecutive scores of 1 are obtained

• Discontinue ODC after 4 consecutive scores of 0


• Raw Scores for RV and ODC are converted into Standard Scores for each using B.1 or C.1

• RV and ODC Standard Scores are summed to derive the Listening Comprehension Raw Score to obtain the Listening Comprehension Standard Score in B.1 of C.1

Oral Expression

• Grades PK-12• Oral Word Fluency Expanded

into a sub-area (2 items instead of 1)

• Sentence Repetition expanded to 15 items (9 items on WIAT-II)

• Expressive Vocabulary expanded to 17 items and moved to OE from LC

Oral Expression• ALL students start with Expressive

Vocabulary (EV) Item 1• Discontinue EV after 4 consecutive

scores of 0• ALL students go on to Oral Word

Fluency (OWF) and take both items• ALL students go on to Sentence

Repetition (SR) and start with Sample A and Item 1

Oral Expression

• Discontinue SR after 4 consecutive scores of 0

• Raw Scores for EV and OWF and SR are converted into Standard Scores for each using B.1 or C.1

• EV and OWF and SR Standard Scores are summed to derive the Oral Expression Raw Score to obtain the Oral Expression Standard Score in B.1 of C.1

MathematicsSubtests

Math Problem Solving

• Grades PK-12• Name changed from Math

Reasoning• Items increased to 72 (67

items on the WIAT-II)• Pencil and paper are

permitted, but calculators are not

Math Problem Solving

• Start points vary based on Grade Level

• Basal: score of 1 on first three items in Start Point Set

• Reverse Rule: Incorrect on any of first 3 items administered; give items in reverse order until basal is met.


• Raw Score to Standard Score

Numerical Operations

• Grades K-12• Items increased to 61 (54 items

on the WIAT-II)• Starts with 7 Pre-calculation

concept items for Grades K-1• Start points vary based on Grade

Level• Items completed in Response

Booklet

Numerical Operations

• Basal: score of 1 on first three items in Start Point Set

• Reverse Rule: Incorrect on any of first 3 items administered; give items in reverse order until basal is met.


• Raw Score to Standard Score

Math Fluency

• Addition and Subtraction Grades 1-12; Multiplication Grades 3-12

• Items completed in Response Booklet

• Administer only 1 item set of each Fluency Subtest; 60 second time limit for all item sets

Referenced Resources

• Berninger, V. & Richards, T. (2003).Brain Literacy for Educators and Psychologists. Academic Press

• Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock (2001). Classroom Instruction that Works: Research-based Strategies for Improving Student Achievement. ASCD

Documents

Introduction to the WIAT-III Presented by George McCloskey, Ph.D. Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine [email protected] [email protected]