SEA: Reading
Assessment Data Table
Daniel J. Barnes
Wilmington University
In the
classroom, teachers use a variety of tools, strategies, and assessments to
monitor students’ progress and abilities. Reading assessments and reading
inventories are tools that teachers often use to provide them with additional
information on a student’s reading ability and reading level. Strengths and
weaknesses can then be identified, and instructional support can be tailored to
the specific needs of the student. This information cannot be gathered from
every type of reading assessment or reading inventory. Some are highly
effective at determining oral reading skills, while others assess reading
skills such as decoding, fluency, and comprehension. The reading assessment(s)
that a teacher uses will depend on what information they are seeking to obtain
about the student(s). For the purposes of this paper, I will discuss and
analyze the following six formal and informal reading diagnostic assessments:
the Slosson Intelligence Test (SIT), the Slosson Oral Reading Test (SORT), the
Basic Reading Inventory (BRI), the Wepman’s Auditory Discrimination Test
(WADT), the Test of Visual Perceptual Skills – 3rd Edition (TVPS-3),
and the Woodcock Reading Mastery Test – 3rd Edition (WRMT-III).
The Slosson
Intelligence Test (SIT) provides a quick estimate of the general verbal
cognitive ability of those with learning disabilities, mental retardation,
blindness, and orthopedic disabilities, as well as those who are gifted or who
have no disabilities (Academic Therapy Publications). The SIT can be used for
any individual regardless of ability level, making it a reliable screening
test. The test measures IQ scores ranging from 10-164, encompassing individuals
ranging from extremely low mental retardation to those who are highly gifted.
Since it is meant as a screening test, it should not be used in final placement
decisions.
The SIT
consists of 187 questions across six cognitive domains including: vocabulary,
general information, similarities and differences, comprehension, quantitative
memory, and auditory memory. The test must be administered individually and
hand-scored, but it is relatively easy to score. The test takes about 15-30
minutes depending on the ability and age of the test taker. Very young
children, those with mental disabilities, and the very gifted may take longer
to finish the test. The cost of the SIT makes the test an attractive option for
those looking to administer a reading assessment and intelligence test. The
reliability of the SIT is one reason that the test should not be used in final
placement decisions. Since the SIT measures verbal cognitive ability, many
individuals may not be as successful when taking this test as they might if the
test was administered in a different manner. Underrepresented minorities, very
young children, and those with auditory discrimination disabilities might
struggle with the SIT due to the verbal component.
The Slosson
Oral Reading Test (SORT) is used to provide a quick estimate of target word
recognition levels for children and adults (Collaborative Center for Literacy
Development). The test can be used for grade levels 1-12, and consists of providing
students with a list of 20 words to assess word recognition and a basal reading
level. Students are given lists containing 20 words each, and proceed until
they miss a word on a list. This information determines the student’s grade
level. Words are chosen from a variety of reading lists and textbooks at
selected grade levels so that they represent a steady progression of difficulty
from the pre-primer to high school level (Collaborative Center for Literacy
Development). Words are not chosen according to their phonic characteristics,
therefore the SORT cannot be used to determine a person’s knowledge of
grapheme/phoneme relationships (Westby, 1995).
The entire
test is very quick and easy to administer, taking only about 5 minutes or so to
finish. There is some evidence as to the reliability and validity of the SORT
as an assessment tool. Reliability can be
attributed to the SORT containing a large number of items, a good sampling of
test items, and test specificity as only oral reading is being measured (Kids
IQ Test Center). Perhaps the greatest aspect of the SORT is that it is aligned
with the Common Core State Standards. The CCSS are the foundation for
everything that is done in the classroom, and lessons and assessments should
reflect the standards and what students should know by the end of their grade
level. The SORT does contain limitations, however. The SORT does not provide
norms that are disaggregated by individuals of differing cultures or needs.
The
Basic Reading Inventory (BRI) is an individually administered informal reading
test. The test consists of graded word lists and graded passages that help
teachers gain insights into students’ reading behavior (Johns, 2012, p. 4). The
goal of the BRI is to help teachers make instructional decisions based on the
needs of individual students. Information can be obtained relating to word
recognition, fluency, and comprehension, and instructional support can then be
provided to meet deficiencies in one or more of these areas. The BRI helps
determine a student’s three reading levels: independent level, instructional
level, and frustration level. If students are placed in instructional materials
where they are able to pronounce approximately 95 percent of the words, they
tend to be successful readers who are on task (Johns, 2012, p. 4).
The BRI can be used for
students of all grade levels, provided they can read the words on the lists and
in the graded passages. The assessment is time consuming to complete, but
provides the teacher with extremely valuable information on a student’s reading
ability, including strengths and weaknesses. The graded word lists reflect a
progression in difficulty as the grade level increases, and the comprehension
questions relating to the graded passages include five different types: topic,
fact, inference, evaluation, and vocabulary. The BRI is an excellent resource
and tool for teachers that have the time to conduct it for students, as they
will then be able to differentiate instruction to better reach the needs of
individual students.
The
Wepman’s Auditory Discrimination Test (WADT) is designed to measure the ability
of children to recognize small differences between English phonemes (Encyclopedia
of Children’s Health). The test consists of 40 pairs of words that
require the child to differentiate between words that are identical and words
that differ by a single phoneme. The test is administered orally by the
examiner reading each word-pair only once, followed by the child indicating
whether the word-pair consists of different or identical words (Encyclopedia of
Children’s Health). The child’s performance is then rated from “very good
development” for the child’s age to “below adequate” for the child’s age.
The WADT is
widely considered to be both reliable and valid, with norms based on the scores
of 2,000 children (Encyclopedia of Children’s Health). Limitations exist with
the WADT, however. There is concern about bias against students of low socioeconomic
status and those with differing cultural or linguistic needs. These students
may have phonological patterns that are different than students from middle
class or those who practice what would be called standard English. In addition,
since the test is read orally to students, it cannot be used as a sole measure
of reading ability. Additional tests would need to be administered that relate
to the other components associated with reading ability.
The Test of
Visual Perceptual Skills – 3rd Edition (TVPS-3) is intended to give
professionals a reliable and valid measure of a child’s perceptual abilities
(Martin). The TVPS-3 assesses the visual perceptual strengths and weaknesses of
students aged 4 years 0 months through 18 years 11 months. The test takes
approximately 30 minutes depending on the age of the child, and degree of
difficulty experienced, as well as the experience of the examiner (Martin). The
test utilizes 112 black and white designs organized in seven subtests arranged
in order of difficulty including: visual discrimination, visual memory, spatial
relationships, form constancy, sequential memory, visual figure ground, and
visual closure.
The test is
given in multiple choice format by the child indicating their choices verbally,
by pointing, or by some other agreed upon method of communication. Perhaps the
tests biggest strength is that it can be administered to students with or
without disabilities. Limitations exist in a few key areas, however. Scoring
can be difficult and confusing as to the child’s responses to the visual
images. In addition, based on the child’s response rate, the test may take some
time to administer. Overall, this test is a highly reliable and valid
assessment for testing a child’s visual perceptual skills.
The
Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests – 3rd Edition (WRMT-III) is designed
to assess a child’s reading readiness and reading achievement levels. The
WRMT-III consists of nine subtests: phonological awareness, listening
comprehension, letter identification, word identification, rapid automatic
naming, oral reading fluency, word attack, word comprehension, and passage
comprehension. The test can be administered to students in grade levels K-12.
The WRMT-III is a comprehensive reading assessment that addresses the main
components necessary to become a successful reader. Perhaps the greatest aspect
of the WRMT-III is that it identifies individual strengths and weaknesses so
that RTI support can be provided to the student, and instruction can be
differentiated to reach the needs of all students. The limitation with the
WRMT-III is that it is time consuming to conduct due to the fact that it is so
comprehensive. Also, students may struggle with certain sections, making the
response rate much longer for those areas.
|
ASSESSMENT
|
PURPOSE
|
STRENGTHS
|
WEAKNESSS
|
APPROPRIATENESS
|
|
Slosson Intelligence Test (SIT)
|
- Used to estimate the cognitive ability of an individual.
|
- Provides a quick, reliable index of intellectual ability in
children and adults.
- Can be administered to those who are visually impaired or blind.
- Can be used for ages 4 and up.
|
- Should not be used in final placement decisions.
- Not suitable for children under 4 years old.
|
- Can be used at the beginning of the year to predict reading
achievement or to plan a child’s educational program.
- Useful in screening students with reading disabilities.
|
|
Slosson Oral Reading Test (SORT)
|
- Used to assess an individual’s level of oral word recognition, word
calling or reading level.
- Can be used multiple times throughout the year to measure and
evaluate progress.
|
- Can be used for individuals from preschool to adult.
- Very quick and easy to administer.
|
- Does not measure other elements of reading such as fluency,
comprehension, and vocabulary.
- Intended for screening purposes only.
- Not useful as a continual progress monitoring tool to collect
multiple data points of students’ performance (Slosson Publications, Inc.)
|
- Can be used at all times of the year. In the beginning of the year,
it can be used to determine a student’s grade level in reading. In the middle
of the year, it can be used to assess a student’s progress. At the end of the
year, it can be used to determine if a student is in need of further
diagnostic assessment.
|
|
Basic Reading Inventory
|
- Used to gain insights into students’ reading behavior.
- Used to determine reading ability relating to word recognition,
fluency, and comprehension.
|
- Can be used at every grade level.
- Easy to administer.
- Results can help support instructional decisions.
|
- Requires a lot of time to complete the necessary components.
|
- Can be used throughout the year to determine and measure students’
ability and progress.
|
|
Wepman’s Auditory Discrimination Test (WADT)
|
- Used to test for an auditory discrimination deficit.
- Assesses childrens’ ability to recognize differences between
phonemes.
|
- Very quick and easy to administer.
- Can be used for children as young as preschool age.
- Inexpensive
|
- Cannot be used as primary factor in predicting reading ability or
learning disabilities.
|
- Can be used at half year intervals for children age 4-8 to monitor
progress.
|
|
Test of Visual Perceptual Skills – 3rd Ed. (TVPS-3)
|
- Designed to measure a child’s perceptual abilities.
|
- Used to assess the visual perceptual strengths and weaknesses of
students aged 4 years 0 months through 18 years 11 months.
- Can be administered to students with or without disabilities.
|
- Scoring can be difficult and confusing.
-Administration can be lengthy depending on child’s response rate.
- The child requires good receptive language skills to complete the
assessment.
|
- May be used to track progress over time.
|
|
Woodcock Reading Mastery Test – 3rd Ed. (WRMT-III)
|
- Designed to assess reading readiness and reading achievement.
|
- Helps evaluate struggling readers.
- Helps identify strengths and weaknesses for remediation.
|
- Due to comprehensiveness, can be time consuming to complete.
|
- Can be used to assess multiple reading skills at different points
during the year to provide support where needed.
|
References
Academic Therapy Publications. Slosson Intelligence Test – 3(SIT-R3).
2013. Retrieved from: http://www.academictherapy.com/detailATP.tpl?eqskudatarq=DDD-802&eqTitledatarq=Slosson%20Intelligence%20Test%20-%203%20(SIT-R3)&
Collaborative Center for Literacy
Development. Slosson oral reading test
(sort). Retrieved from: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=7&cad=rja&uact=8&sqi=2&ved=0CE4QFjAG&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kentuckyliteracy.org%2F~literacy%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fresource_tools%2FSlosson%2520Oral%2520Reading%2520Test.pdf&ei=iYUiVJDyFdOmyAT9r4Io&usg=AFQjCNHRQp2dUAr1a0rWmB_gYMIPidzqGA
Encyclopedia of Children’s Health. Auditory discrimination test. Retrieved
from: http://www. Healthofchildren.com/A/Auditory-Discrimination-Test.html
Johns, J.L. (2012). Basic reading inventory: eleventh edition. Kendall Hunt Publishing
Company: Dubuque, IA.
Kids IQ Test Center. Slosson oral reading test. Retrieved from: http://www.kidsiqtestcenter.com/slosson-oral-reading-test.html
Martin, N.A. Test of visual perceptual skills – 3rd edition.
Pearson Education. (2014). Woodcock reading mastery tests, third
edition. Retrieved from: http://www.pearsonclinical.com/education/products/100000264/woodcock-reading-mastery-tests-third-edition-wrmt-iii.html#tab-details
Slosson Intelligence Test. Retrieved
from: http://www.cps.nova.edu/~cpphelp/SIT.html
Slosson Oral Reading Test. Retrieved
from: http://cps.nova.edu/~cpphelp/SORT.html
Slosson Publications, Inc. Slosson oral reading test. Retrieved
from: http://www.slosson.com/onlinecatalogstore_c51705.htmlWestby, C.E. (1998). Review of the Slosson Oral Reading Test. Mental Measurements Yearbook, 12.
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