Riverside Publishing and the

Transcription

1 A Riverside Bulletin for Professionals Vol Woodcock-Johnson III Normative Update Available Fall 2006 Riverside Publishing and the Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ III ) authors announce the release of the WJ III Normative Update a recalculation of the WJ III normative data based on the 2005 U.S. census projections. The 2005 norms are reflected in the WJ III NU Compuscore and Profiles Program and the WJ III NU Technical Manual. The new Compuscore and Technical Manual comprise the normative update. The WJ III Test Books, Subject Response Books, and Examiner s Manuals are unchanged. Examiners can use their current Test Records because the ageequivalent and grade-equivalent scores listed for each test are intentionally provided as estimated scores only they may vary slightly from the age- and grade-equivalent scores produced by the WJ III NU Compuscore. The U.S. Census Bureau has reported changes in the general population characteristics and these changes are reflected in the newly revised normative statistics. Early reports of changes to the U.S. population such as geographic shifts, increased urbanization, and greater percentages of young children and some minorities in the overall population provided the impetus for Dr. Richard Woodcock to investigate how such changes would be reflected in the calculation of norms. Then, based on the 2005 census data specifications, 8,782 of the original WJ III subjects were selected for inclusion in the calculation of the WJ III NU norms. The development of an intermediate set of norms that is, before a major content revision of the battery is a significant advancement in individual cognitive and educational assessment. Recalculation of revised normative data has been a common practice in largescale (group) educational assessments for many years. Now, the WJ III NU provides examiners with the most current data for comparison of an individual s performance to others in the U.S. population. The new norms are available to WJ III professionals for a small fraction of the cost of a revised battery of tests. There s more to the WJ III NU than the updated norms, however. The WJ III NU Compuscore includes several new interpretive procedures and report options. The new Compuscore also provides a normative update for the Batería III. The WJ III NU Technical Manual provides new sources of validity information, particularly for clinical groups. The WJ III NU is released simultaneously with the all new WJ III Tests of Achievement, Form C/Brief Battery. The Brief Battery includes selected achievement tests that introduce several new brief achievement assessment options. The WJ III NU provides unique advantages for screening, documenting limitations in academic achievement, and identifying any limitations in cognitive processing that may contribute to learning problems. Inside WJ III NU Compuscore 2 Brief Battery 4 Cognitive Processing 7 WJ III Three-Tier Model 9 Dr. Richard W. Woodcock, senior author of the WJ III, seems to be always working and enjoying his work. Dr. Woodcock s analysis of the changes in population characteristics was the impetus for the development of the WJ III Normative Update. WJ III NU Meets Changing Assessment Needs Assessment needs are changing, and the WJ III NU provides some unique advantages for screening, documenting limitations in academic achievement, and identifying the cognitive processes that may contribute to learning problems. The WJ III NU provides a set of tools and procedures for integration of norm-referenced academic and cognitive measures in a three-tiered model of assessment and intervention. New federal guidelines for special education eligibility evaluations require professionals to use technically sound instruments that assess the relative contribution of cognitive and developmental factors. No other battery of cognitive and achievement tests is more comprehensive for assessment of academic achievement and cognitive processing. WOODCOCK

2 New Compuscore Provides Updated Norms, New Interpretive Options The Compuscore for the WJ III NU, Version 3.0 provides all derived scores for the Tests of Cognitive Abilities, Diagnostic Supplement, Tests of Achievement, and Brief Battery based on the 2005 census projections that form the basis for the WJ III NU. The new Compuscore also includes several new interpretive options for the WJ III. These options provide the examiner with more information in less testing time and offer new report options including a parent report and new and enhanced summary descriptions. More Information in Less Testing Time The new and enhanced Compuscore provides more information to the examiner than ever before and it will require less testing time to obtain the new information. Users of the Tests of Achievement will have the option of two new Intra-Achievement score comparison procedures. These procedures make comparisons between an individual s reading, math, and writing abilities to determine if any relative strengths and weaknesses exist. The new Intra-Achievement Variation Procedure (Brief) provides a comparison between an individual s Brief Reading, Brief Math, and Brief Writing cluster scores (see Brief Battery, pg. 4). This option requires the administration of only six tests. The new Intra-Achievement Variation Procedure (Broad) is similar to the current Intra-Achievement Standard Procedure, but it differs in a very important way: the Oral Language tests are not required to be administered to calculate relative strengths and weaknesses. This new procedure provides a comparison of Broad Reading, Broad Math, and Broad Written Language clusters. These two new score comparison procedures provide additional options to the examiner. The current Intra- Achievement Variation Procedures (Standard and Extended) are still available. With the WJ III NU Compuscore 3.0, any of these intraachievement variation procedures can be used with the WJ III ACH Forms A and B in addition to the new Brief Battery (Form C). Dr. Fredrick Schrank is the senior author of the WJ III NU Compuscore and Profiles Program. He is also an author of the new Brief Battery and the WJ III NU Technical Manual. Two new score comparison options for the Tests of Cognitive Abilities will be very helpful for time-saving selective testing. The WJ III NU Compuscore introduces the Intra- Cognitive Variation (Brief) procedure (see Cognitive Processing, p. 7). This comparison provides the examiner with an analysis of relative strengths and weaknesses among the first seven cognitive tests. In this procedure, each of the seven tests is used as a single indicator of the broad CHC ability it represents. These seven tests are all strong predictors of achievement and each account for the greatest amount of variance in their relative CHC cluster. The Intra-Cognitive Variation Procedure (Brief) will allow an examiner to administer the first seven tests in the cognitive battery, obtain an analysis of relative strengths and weaknesses among those tests, and use that information to guide any subsequent selective testing, if deemed necessary. Another special-purpose option allows examiners to calculate a discrepancy between an individuals WJ III GIA- Standard score and one or more selected WJ III cognitive clusters. This is called the GIA-Standard/Cognitive Cluster Discrepancy Procedure. Although the Intra-Cognitive Variation Procedure (Extended) is the most useful for comparison of seven different cognitive abilities to each other, the GIA-Standard/Cognitive Cluster Discrepancy Procedure allows comparison of a single CHC cognitive cluster score to the GIA-Standard score. This can be useful for an examiner who wants to know if there is a significant difference between an individual s general intellectual ability and a specific aspect of information processing. In the GIA-Standard/Cognitive Cluster Discrepancy Procedure, the list of cluster scores available for comparison is not limited to the primary seven broad CHC ability scores provided by the standard and extended batteries of the WJ III COG. Several broad and narrow ability CHC cluster scores obtained from the Diagnostic Supplement can be compared using this discrepancy procedure. This procedure can expand the usefulness of the WJ III for determination of differences in information processing. New and Enhanced Report Options The WJ III NU Compuscore provides new report options that will be useful in providing information to parents GIA-Standard/Cognitive Cluster Discrepancy Procedure: Comprehension-Knowledge (Gc) Long-Term Retrieval (Glr) Visual-Spatial Thinking (Gv) Auditory Processing (Ga) Fluid Reasoning (Gf ) Processing Speed (Gs) Short-Term Memory (Gsm) Phonemic Awareness Working Memory Cognitive Fluency Perceptual Speed Associative Memory Visualization Sound Discrimination Auditory Memory Span Numerical Reasoning CHC broad and narrow ability scores that can be used in the GIA-Standard/Cognitive Cluster Discrepancy Procedure. and in monitoring progress in one or more areas of academic achievement. A Parent Report is available for each child and provides a brief narrative description of the tests administered and the child s proficiency with the measured tasks. This report includes a graph displaying the child s proficiency in each measured area. The TASK Negligible primary purpose of this report is for communication with parents about their child s levels of proficiency in reading, math, and writing. Two enhancements have been made to the Summary Report. Users may select to base the summary on either the person s standard scores or his or her proficiency in each area. This can be an important distinction because reports based on standard score categories can sometimes lead to incorrect conclusions. For example, a high school student was recently administered a set of tests from the WJ III and received a standard score of 85 on the Processing Speed cluster. The summary of his performance, if based on his standard score, would state that his performance falls in the low average range of standard scores. Alternatively, when the summary of performance is based on his proficiency with the tasks, as described by the RPI score of 53/90, the reader will receive a more accurate interpretation of proficiency namely, that the student s processing speed is limited. In this case, the change in the basis for interpretation of the student s Processing Speed cluster score may have made the difference between being found eligible vs. ineligible for an accommodation for extended time documentation was provided for a limitation in processing speed. This information, as well as Sample graph from the new Parent Report option in the Compuscore and Profiles Program. BRIEF READING BRIEF MATH BRIEF WRITING ACADEMIC SKILLS ACADEMIC APPLICATIONS Limited Very Limited Limited to Average Average Average to Advanced additional information related to behaviors associated with ADHD, was used to create a rationale to support the request for an accommodation of extended time on tests. For examiners who use the new Brief Battery, the WJ III NU Compuscore provides an additional narrative option to the Test Session Observation section of the Summary Report. For each test on the Brief Battery, a processobservation checklist is included. This information is included in the test session observations and helps provide a detailed task-by-task description of how the individual appeared to be applying strategies, evidencing any difficulties, or how slowly or rapidly he or she worked. This information may be important in documenting some observations associated with the quality of the person s performance on the test. The new WJ III NU Compuscore and Profiles Program, Version 3.0 offers significantly enhanced report and interpretive options in addition to the new norms. Whether purchased as part of the Normative Update package, the Brief Battery package, or simply by itself if multiple copies are needed, it offers an unprecedented asset to the WJ III professional. Advanced Very Advanced National Percentile Rank WOODCOCK 2006 WOODCOCK

3 Announcing the New Achievement Brief Battery The Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement now includes a completely new battery the Form C/Brief Battery. It is being called the Brief Battery for short because it introduces several new clusters, test records, and interpretive procedures that provide solutions for brief and focused achievement assessment needs. The Brief Battery can also be used as a third form (Form C) for the nine most frequently used WJ III achievement tests. New Brief Clusters The new Brief Battery clusters include Brief Achievement, Brief Reading, Brief Math, and Brief Writing. Each of these clusters is designed to provide a highly reliable prediction of future achievement in a minimum amount of testing time. The component tests and administration procedures that are included in the Brief Battery are already familiar to WJ III examiners, but the tests have all new items. The Brief Battery selective testing table shows the tests that are included in each brief cluster. Examiners Qualitative Observation for Test 1: Letter-Word Identifi cation. can obtain highly reliable test scores and high-quality interpretive information in very little testing time by administering only the clusters that meet their assessment needs. The Brief Achievement cluster can be administered in less than 15 minutes. The Brief Reading and Brief Math clusters will typically require about 10 minutes of testing time each. The Brief Writing cluster can be administered in about 20 minutes. New Test Records Each Brief Battery Test Record provides a new format for recording and scoring test item responses and documenting examiner observations of behavior during testing. When an examiner uses the behavior checklist items, the WJ III NU Compuscore provides a test-by-test narrative of the behaviors that were observed during testing. These behaviors are important for describing how an individual is processing information during task performance. Two types of test records are available. The WJ III Tests of Achievement, Form C/Brief Battery Test Record and corresponding Subject Response Booklet are designed to accommodate the needs of examiners who will use several, many, or all of the nine tests included in the battery. Alternatively, a special-purpose Brief Achievement Test Record and Subject Response Form are available for use when only the three tests included in the Brief Achievement cluster are required. The Brief Achievement Test Record and Subject Response Form option provides a significant savings of valuable resources when the Brief Achievement cluster is all that is needed. New Needs The Brief Battery will be especially useful for two important purposes: screening and reevaluation. Screening. The first three tests in the Brief Battery are particularly useful screening tests (see Three-Tiered Model, p. 9). The administration and scoring procedures for the tests included in the Brief Achievement cluster are easy to learn and simple to use. Each of these tests has a simple 0/1 scoring procedure. (And none of the tests in the Brief Battery requires use of an audio recording.) The tests in the Brief Achievement cluster can be learned by many types of school personnel, including psychometric assistants who have not received formal training in educational assessment. The Examiner s Manual provides a sequence of steps for learning how to administer and score the tests. The Brief Battery Test Book contains step-by-step instructions for administering and scoring each test. The Brief Achievement Test Record option makes using the Brief Battery very practical for screening purposes. For example, use of the test-by-test qualitative observation checklist facilitates documentation and transfer of the examiner s test session observations to the persons who are interpreting the test results. Reevaluation. The nine tests included in the Brief Battery are new Dr. Nancy Mather is an author of the WJ III Tests of Achievement, Form C/Brief Battery. forms of the most frequently used WJ III tests for reevaluation purposes. Use of the Brief Battery for reevaluations will reduce repeated exposure to the items on either Form A or Form B, which may have been previously administered to the student for a comprehensive evaluation or even a prior reevaluation. The new Brief Reading, Brief Math, and Brief Writing clusters are each comprised of two tests. This Selective Testing Table. Brief Achievement Brief Reading Brief Math Brief Writing Broad Reading Test 1: Letter-Word Identifi cation Test 2: Applied Problems Test 3: Spelling Test 4: Passage Comprehension Test 5: Calculation Test 6: Writing Samples Test 7: Reading Fluency Test 8: Math Fluency Test 9: Writing Fluency Broad Math Broad Written Language Academic Skills Academic Applications Academic Fluency Total Achievement Intra-Achievement Variations (Brief) Intra-Achievement Variations (Broad) 4 WOODCOCK 2006 WOODCOCK

4 Brief Battery Cognitive Processing and the WJ III NU significantly reduces reevaluation testing time. Even with the reduced amount of testing, new interpretive procedures are available. For example, when the first six tests in the Brief Battery are administered for a reevaluation, the new Intra- Achievement Variation Procedure (Brief) provides an analysis of relative strengths and weaknesses among the three achievement domains. New forms of the three academic fluency tests Reading Fluency, Math Fluency, and Writing Fluency are also included in the Brief Battery. When these three tests are administered, an overall indicator of academic performance rate can be determined. And, when all nine tests in the battery are administered, the Broad Reading, Broad Math, and Broad Written Language clusters are available. These clusters are used in the Intra-Achievement Variation Procedure (Broad). New Solutions The new WJ III Brief Battery provides new brief and reliable measures that are valid for many purposes particularly for screening and reevaluation. Because the administration procedures can be learned by a wide variety of personnel, implementation of an individually administered and norm-referenced screening system is practical. For example, scores from the Letter-Word Identification, Spelling, and Applied Problems tests provide reliable and valid screening scores. These tests combine to form the new Brief Achievement cluster. Additionally, information provided by the new testby-test observation checklist can be very important when interpreting test results. The Brief Battery may be especially useful for special education reevaluations when a brief, but valid and reliable, measure of one or more academic areas is needed. For example, the two tests that are included in each brief cluster may be administered as a means of establishing an individual s current level of proficiency in a targeted academic area. And each test in the Brief Battery is a new form Form C providing a new set of items when the WJ III Tests of Achievement Form A or Form B was used in a prior comprehensive evaluation or reevaluation. There are also two new focused cluster score variation procedures in the Brief Battery that were previously not available in the WJ III. These new procedures the Intra-Achievement Variation Procedure (Brief) and the Intra-Achievement Variation Procedure (Broad) allow the examiner to identify relative strengths and weaknesses among reading, math, and writing clusters by administering as few as six tests. For all these reasons and more the Brief Battery is your best assessment value. That is because the new WJ The Brief Battery may be especially useful for special education reevaluations when a brief, but valid and reliable, measure of one or more academic areas is needed. III Normative Update (the WJ III NU Compuscore and Profiles Program and WJ III NU Technical Manual) is included with the Brief Battery at an attractively low package price. Glad you asked Please visit for Frequently Asked Questions regarding the WJ III. Federal law retains the definition of a specific learning disability as a disorder in cognitive processing. The specification of a processing disorder frequently differentiates a learning disability from other causes of low achievement. As a practical consequence, assessments should be tailored to measure specific areas of cognition and not merely to provide a single general intelligence quotient. This is because an accurate identification of a specific learning disability and the provision of appropriate services requires an objective understanding of why the student is having difficulty learning. No battery of cognitive and achievement tests is more well suited to address professional needs to meet the new federal and state mandates than the WJ III. TheWJ III is the most highly sophisticated, comprehensive, and flexible system available for assessment of cognitive processing. For example, the interpretive plan for the WJ III Tests of Cognitive Abilities (WJ III COG ) does not emphasize the concept of general intellectual ability. Instead, interpretation is based on a multi-level approach that helps clinicians understand complex cognitive processes by breaking them down into their component parts. This approach allows professionals to assess and contrast performance in a variety of conditions and then draw conclusions about relative strengths and weaknesses in the individual s use of underlying cognitive processes, based on the performance measures. A new score variation procedure in the WJ III COG Compuscore demonstrates this approach to interpreting the cognitive processing requirements of each of the first seven tests included in the Tests of WJ III COG Test 1: Verbal Comprehension 2: Visual-Auditory Learning 3: Spatial Relations 4: Sound Blending 5: Concept Formation 6: Visual Matching 7: Numbers Reversed Cognitive Abilities. The new option provides examiners with a profile of relative strengths and weaknesses among the seven component tests each representing a different narrow cognitive ability and form of information processing. Called the Intra-Cognitive Variation Procedure (Brief), this comparison provides examiners with additional information that may be valuable in guiding further selective testing or may be helpful in understanding performance on other measured areas of performance. For example, a relative weakness in Test 6: Visual Matching which measures the cognitive process of visual perception Nature of Task Identifying objects; knowledge of antonyms and synonyms; completing verbal analogies Learning and recalling pictographic representations of words Identifying the subset of pieces needed to form a complete shape Synthesizing language sounds (phonemes) Identifying, categorizing, and determining rules Rapidly locating and circling identical numbers from a defined set of numbers Holding a span of numbers in immediate awareness while reversing the sequence Cognitive Process(es) Semantic matching and analogical reasoning in the mental lexicon Associative learning (encoding) and retrieval Visual feature detection and pattern matching Synthesis of phonemes Induction/inference in reasoning Speeded visual perception Span of apprehension in working memory under a speeded condition may suggest a need for further assessment in the broad ability of processing speed. Alternatively, a relative weakness in the process of phonemic synthesis as measured by Test 4: Sound Blending may help a professional understand why a student performed so poorly on the WJ III Tests of Achievement (WJ III ACH ) Word Attack test a measure of phonemic competence. Specification and discussion of the cognitive processing requirements of each of the tests in the WJ III COG, Diagnostic Supplement, and WJ III ACH is outlined in the new 6 WOODCOCK 2006 WOODCOCK

5 Cognitive Processing WJ III NU Technical Manual. The processing model included in the Technical Manual is based on two sources of information CHC Theory and a review of research in cognitive psychology the field that is based on the scientific study of human mental processes. Cognitive psychology is a discipline that attempts to unravel the complex questions of mental activity with tasks and measures of behavior that are quantifiable, open to scientific scrutiny, easily replicated by others, and faithful to the scientific empirical tradition. Like the field of cognitive psychology, the WJ III is based on the principle that human beings actively process the environmental stimuli around them, select some parts of that environment for further processing, relating those parts to information already in the stores of acquired knowledge, and then do something as a result of the processing. An objective, scientific assessment of cognitive processes can be accomplished using the quantifiable tests and standardized procedures in the WJ III. Most of the WJ III tests include tasks that are similar in some cases identical to tasks that are used in cognitive psychology research. For example, the WJ III includes measures of underlying cognitive processes as they occur during task performance. In the WJ III ACH, the Passage Comprehension and Oral Comprehension tests are examples of the online comprehension tasks used in cognitive psychology research tasks that measure comprehension as it happens (as contrasted to simple recall or accuracy tasks). In both of these WJ III tests, the individual is required to apply a variety of cognitive processes. First, basic word meanings must be retrieved from the mental lexicon and conceptual information must be retrieved from semantic memory (CHC Theory refers to the mental lexicon and semantic memory, the stores of acquired knowledge). As new words or concepts are introduced in the passage, they are incorporated through the process of mapping. The words are assigned to various case roles required by the relation expressed in the sentence. The propositional structure or semantic case assignments must be related (cognitive psychology calls this bridging) to the other structures within the sentence as well as across sentences in the passage. The task is solved Read this to yourself and tell me a word that goes in the blank space: It is one thing to demonstrate that modern war is harmful to the species. It is another thing to do something it. An example of an online reading comprehension task used in the WJ III. Example of CHC broad and narrow abilities and processing specifi cations for COG Test 13: Picture Recognition Test Test 13: Picture Recognition through a summative inference the process whereby the listener or reader determines the referents of words or ideas, draws connections between concepts, and derives a conclusion from the passage. Changes to federal law and regulations pursuant to implementing the IDEA have increased calls for scientific, research-based approaches to assessment practices, particularly for learning disabilities. An objective, scientific assessment of cognitive processes can be accomplished using the quantifiable tests and standardized procedures in the WJ III. Specification of strengths and weaknesses in cognitive processing is a key to a complete and useful understanding of any difficulties in learning. Derived from sound scientific principles, the information provided by the WJ III can be used to inform instruction or suggest accommodations. Primary Broad CHC Factor Narrow CHC Ability Stimuli Task Description Cognitive Process(es) Response Visual-Spatial Thinking (Gv) Visual memory Visual (pictures) Identifying a subset of previously present pictures within a fi eld of distracting pictures Formation of iconic memories via encoding of visual stimuli Oral (words) or Motoric (pointing) Some Suggested Uses of the WJ III in a Three-Tiered Assessment and Intervention Model Many local and state education agencies have adopted, or may soon adopt, a three-tiered assessment and intervention model for students at risk of developing learning problems. Additionally, many professionals are actively looking for technically sound and defensible identification procedures for selection of students for transitions between tiers within the model. This article suggests how use of selected tests in the WJ III can contribute to the successful implementation of a three-tiered model. The three-tiered model encourages early identification of educational needs. When needs are identified early, fewer students are expected to require assessments and interventions at each successive tier. At Tier 1, academic progress is documented and monitored over time. Next, those students identified as at risk receive high-focused interventions at Tier II. The students who have not responded to intensive interventions in general education then progress to a Tier III assessment. At Tier III, the objective is to conduct a full and comprehensive individual evaluation to identify cognitive and other factors that may be contributing to poor learning outcomes. The WJ III includes a wide variety of norm-referenced measures that can be used to help make decisions about transitions between tiers. Recently, WJ III authors reviewed the three-tier model of assessment and intervention. As a result, a set of suggested tests was developed for use at each tier, or at each junction between tiers, of the model. The suggestions were based on a combination of research and practical experience. Some of the WJ III achievement tests are suggested as screening measures. These tests may also be very useful in helping to determine who transitions from Tier I progress-monitoring to Tier II interventions. The same tests, and others, can be used to provide instructional information and plan appropriate and effective interventions at Tier II. At Tier III, the WJ III provides technically sound procedures for identifying strengths and weaknesses in cognitive processing and academic functioning. At any level, however, professionals should use the set of tests that best meet the unique needs of the individual being assessed. Tier I Screening Tier I models emphasize screening and continuous monitoring, frequently with criterion-referenced or curriculum-based measures of academic skills. For many students, a decision must be made about transitioning from progress monitoring to more intensive interventions. Selected tests from the WJ III Tests of Achievement are useful for this purpose, including Letter-Word Identification, Spelling, and Applied Problems. On the Letter-Word Identification test, the Dr. Kevin S. McGrew is the senior author of the WJ III Normative Update Technical Manual. student is asked to read and pronounce letters and words correctly; this test is a good predictor of later achievement in reading and writing. On the Spelling test, the student must write orally presented letters and words correctly; this test is also a good predictor of writing ability. The Applied Problems test requires the student to analyze and solve practical math problems a good predictor of later math achievement. In addition, each of these three tests has a simple, straightforward administration procedure. This makes them practical for use as screening measures. Each of these tests can be used to accurately identify a level of limitation or other indicator of at-risk performance because each test includes a number of items that are developmentally appropriate and sensitive down to the preschool level. Among these three tests at these age levels, all test reliabilities exceed.90 and each test has a number of early development items to ensure a sufficient floor for low-performing students. Additionally, using all three tests produces the Brief Achievement cluster. This cluster provides a highly reliable (median r =.97) and valid 8 WOODCOCK 2006 WOODCOCK

6 Three-Tiered Model Some suggested WJ III achievement tests for screening at Tier 1: Letter-Word Identification Applied Problems Spelling Other suggested screening tests: Sound Awareness Calculation overall measure of prereading and letter and word identification skills, developing mathematics skills, and skill in written production. For math screening in grades 2 and above, the Calculation test is an alternative to Applied Problems as a screening test. Calculation is useful as a screening test after students have had formal instruction, and at least some competency, in addition and subtraction. When Calculation is used together with Letter-Word Identification and Spelling, the Academic Skills cluster is obtained. The Academic Skills cluster is a highly reliable (median r =.95 in the school years) and valid overall achievement performance measure. Limited proficiency (RPI of 67/90 or lower) on any of these tests or the overall cluster provides an indicator of substantial risk. (An RPI of 67/90 indicates that the student is performing with only 67% success those tasks that average classmates perform with 90% success.) Limitedto-Average proficiency (67/90 to 82/90) denotes a potential risk. If limited proficiency on Letter-Word Identification was measured for a particular student, then the WJ III ACH Sound Awareness test might also be administered to help determine if phonological awareness may be related to the limited reading proficiency. Tier II Assessment and Progress Monitoring The WJ III NU introduces some new clusters that may be particularly appropriate for assessment needs at Tier II. These clusters include Brief Reading, Brief Math, and Brief Writing. Each cluster consists of two tests. Brief Reading includes reading decoding and the ability to comprehend while reading. Brief Math includes the ability to perform mathematical computations, analyze and solve math problems. Brief Writing includes skill in spelling Some suggested WJ III achievement clusters and tests for Tier II: Brief Reading Letter Word Identification Passage Comprehension Brief Math Calculation Applied Problems Brief Writing Spelling Writing Samples Broad Reading Letter Word Identification Passage Comprehension Reading Fluency Broad Math Calculation Applied Problems Math Fluency Broad Writing Spelling Writing Samples Writing Fluency single-word responses and writing responses to a variety of prompts. Three forms of these tests and clusters are now available. In addition to Form A and Form B, the WJ III Brief Battery contains a new form Form C. Individual assessment in reading, math, or writing using the two-test Brief cluster will document the student s current level of proficiency. In addition, any of the WJ III academic fluency tests (Reading Fluency, Math Fluency, or Writing Fluency) may also be useful at Tier II. The fluency tests are short, have a simple scoring system, and may even be administered in small group settings. Tier III Full and Individual Evaluation The guiding principle of the threetiered model is that early identification and intervention are more effective than later identification and intervention. In a well-implemented three-tiered model, fewer students will require in-depth comprehensive assessment at Tier III. Tier III consists of a full, comprehensive individual evaluation by a multidisciplinary team to determine eligibility for special education and related services. One purpose of assessment at Tier III is to identify any cognitive factors that may be contributing to academic failure. Individual comprehensive assessment is needed to identify strengths and weaknesses in cognitive abilities, processes, and academic performance and to rule out other disabilities or noncognitive factors as the primary cause of low achievement. The WJ III Tests of Cognitive Abilities contains the greatest breadth of cognitive abilities of any standardized battery of tests. A comparison of relative strengths and weaknesses among these abilities may suggest individual differences in information processing that are important to consider when determining the nature of a learning problem or disability. Because assessment needs differ for any individual, the WJ III includes a number of different diagnostic procedures that are useful for evaluating information about the nature of a learning problem. A new variability procedure in the WJ III COG allows examiners to administer Tests 1 7 and obtain a profile of strengths and weaknesses among the constituent narrow abilities and forms of information processing assessed at the test level. (See Cognitive Processing, p. 7). Another new discrepancy procedure available in the Compuscore allows examiners to compare any of several CHC broad or narrow cluster scores to the General Intellectual Ability-Standard score. This procedure provides the examiner with an automated calculation of the presence and severity of a discrepancy in a targeted area without administering all 14 tests that would be required in the Intra-Cognitive Extended variation procedure. The new discrepancy procedure may be particularly useful as a follow-up to the new Brief Intra-Cognitive variation analysis. TABLE OF SCORES: Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement Norms based on grade 4.1 CLUSTER/Test W GE Proficiency RPI BASIC READING SKILLS Limited 35/90 READING COMP Limited 61/90 MATH CALC SKILLS Average 83/90 MATH REASONING Average 89/90 BASIC WRITING SKILLS Limited 37/90 Letter-Word Identification Very Limited 11/90 Calculation Average 90/90 Math Fluency Limited to Avg 72/90 Spelling Very Limited 12/90 Passage Comprehension Limited 43/90 Applied Problems Average 93/90 Writing Samples Limited to Avg 77/90 Word Attack Limited to Avg 71/90 Editing Limited to Avg 73/90 Reading Vocabulary Limited to Avg 76/90 Quantitative Concepts Average 83/90 Two new variation procedures are available in the WJ III Tests of Achievement. Each of these procedures requires the administration of fewer tests than before. A brief variation procedure allows examiners to compare the Brief Reading, Brief Math, and Brief Writing clusters by administering only six tests. A new broad variation procedure allows examiners to Use of the WJ III will help professionals and school districts meet the following goals of the three-tiered model: 1. Technical adequacy. The WJ III is reliable and valid. 2. Comprehensiveness. The WJ III provides tests, clusters, and discrepancy procedures for use at each level of the model. 3. Capability to inform teaching. WJ III clusters and tests provide information on the student s current level of ability. 4. Independence from specific instructional techniques. Each WJ III cluster samples a broad domain and is not limited to what has specifically been taught. 5. Feasibility. Using the WJ III is a practical way to implement the assessment aspects of the model. make a similar comparison among the Broad Reading, Broad Math, and Broad Written Language clusters by administering nine tests. In order to qualify for special education services at Tier III, documentation of a limitation in academic performance must be established. The new Compuscore, Version 3.0 includes an option to automate a description of each area of measured performance in terms of any limitation, or below-average performance, directly on the Table of Scores. This feature will help professionals avoid the wait to fail model because the interpretation of the student s performance is based on a measured distance or gap between the student s performance and the average performance of peers rather than a number of years behind criterion. 10 WOODCOCK 2006 WOODCOCK

7 Three-Tiered Model The WJ III contains a wide variety of tests that are useful in a three-tiered model of assessment and intervention. The tests that are suggested for screening at Tier I can be administered, following training, by a wide variety of personnel. By using selected tests from the WJ III Tests of Achievement from Tier II, valid and reliable measures of academic proficiency and academic limitations can be obtained. Finally, if a student progresses to needing an evaluation for special education services at Tier III, use of the WJ III Tests of Cognitive Abilities provides a variety of procedures for determining strengths and weaknesses in cognitive processing. Would you like more information in less testing time? From names you can trust Riverside Publishing and Woodcock-Johnson Announcing the release of two new, unique products available in Fall 2006: Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ III ) Tests of Achievement, Form C/Brief Battery WJ III Normative Update which includes Compuscore and Profi les Program, Version 3.0 and Technical Manual Pricing Information Complete Kit w/compuscore Test Records and Subject Response Booklets Pkg. 25 Brief Battery Screening Test Records and Subject Response Worksheets Pkg. 25 (specifi cally designed for use with the Brief Achievement cluster) WJ III Normative Update Kit includes Compuscore and Profi les Program, Version 3.0 and Technical Manual $ $45.00 $34.50 $ WJ III Compuscore and Profi les Program, Version 3.0 $ WJ III Tests of Achievement, Form C/ Brief Battery Examiner s Manual Training CD-ROM Training VHS Examiner Training Workbook Pkg. 5 $65.00 $35.00 $15.00 $ WOODCOCK 2006