Learning (Achievement) Tests
Gray Oral Reading Tests – Fifth Edition (GORT-5)
The GORT-5 is an individually administered assessment of oral reading with accompanying strengths and weaknesses for individuals 6 to 23 years, 11 months. The test is most commonly used with students who are falling behind their same-age peers in reading. It consists of two forms with 16 different stories on each form that an individual must read in order to determine their scores in various domains. Five comprehension questions follow each story and the stories are ranged from lowest to highest in terms of reading level. Starting points are determined based on the child’s current grade in school and it takes anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes to administer. The GORT-5 is composed of five scores: Rate, Accuracy, Fluency, Comprehension, and a composite Oral Reading Index score. For Rate, Accuracy, and Fluency, raw and scaled scores with a mean of 10 and a standard deviation of 3 are provided along with age and grade equivalents and corresponding percentiles. The Oral Reading Index uses standard scores with a mean of 100 and standard deviation of 15 and accompanying percentile ranks. In addition an optional method for calculating the percentage of miscue substitutions and other deviations from print is available.
-J. Lee Wiederholt, Brian R. Bryant
Wechsler Individual Achievement Test – Third Edition (WIAT-III)
The WIAT-III is a test used to measure academic skills, provide information on academic strengths and weaknesses, and assist in educational programming with individuals ages 4 through 19 years, 11 months. The test is used across multiple settings to evaluate student achievement from Pre-Kindergarten up to grade 12. Administration time varies widely depending on the examinee and which subtests are given, anywhere from 30 minutes to 2.5 hours. The WIAT-III is comprised of 16 subtests organized across eight composite scores. The composite scores are listed as follows: Oral Language, Total Reading, Basic Reading, Reading Comprehension and Fluency, Written Expression, Mathematics, Math Fluency, and Total Achievement. The WIAT-III yields standard scores with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15, percentile ranks, and normal curve equivalents. Additionally, age and grade equivalents can be calculated for comparisons to peers.
-David Wechsler
Woodcock-Johnson Test of Achievement – Third Edition Normative Update (WJ-III ACH, NU)
The WJ-III ACH, NU is a test used to measure academic performance, provide information on academic strengths and weaknesses, and assist in educational programming with individuals ages 2 through 90+ years. It is comprised of four curricular domains: Reading, Math, Oral Language, and Written Language. There are six general clusters: Reading, Math, Oral Language, Written Language, Academic Knowledge, and a Special Purpose cluster. Each area is broken down into specific clusters which are broken down further into tests that assess more targeted abilities within each area. There are 12 tests in the Standard Battery, 11 tests in the Extended Battery, and 9 tests in the Brief Battery. The WJ-III ACH, NU yields standard scores, confidence intervals, and percentile ranks for the clusters and individual tests. Confidence intervals and percentile ranks on the WJ-III ACH, NU can be reported based on same-grade comparisons with an individual’s peers as well as with their same-aged peers.
-Richard W. Woodcock, Fredrick A. Shrank, Kevin S. McGrew, Nancy Mather