Kourtney Goodman

                                                Data Chart Summary

Throughout the years administrators and teachers have developed and used a variety of tests to determine reading skills.  All of these tests have their strengths and weaknesses and it is important to be aware of these when deciding which test to administer.  While testing a group of students it is important to be aware that one test does not work for all individuals.  By becoming aware of the individual’s capabilities, you may be able to figure out which test will give you the most accurate score.  It is important to keep in mind which skills you are actually trying to test, as well as the population you are testing (special needs or general education students).  Being aware of what you are looking for and who you are testing will make it much easier to decide which test to administer.

The purpose of each test varies a little.  When deciding which test to use, it is integral that you know which skills you are actually trying to assess.  The Slosson Intelligence test, for example, is great for testing a variety of skills.  It tests comprehension, ability to compare and contrast, vocabulary, etc.  It can be administered quickly and it can be scored during testing so it is very efficient.  In addition, it is very user-friendly which makes it a lot more accessible.  However, there is not enough information about test results for students with disabilities or those that are gifted, so it is not effective to use with these groups of people.  So while this may be an effective test for some, it does not work for all populations.  A test such as the Slosson Oral Reading Test may be more suitable in this situation.

The SORT is also a very quick screening.  It can be used to determine a student’s reading level by targeting word recognition.  It is also effective because it can be used with students with disabilities.  In addition, it can be used on children and adults.  Unfortunately, this test is not capable of measuring skills such as word knowledge, or comprehension.  Therefore, if you have a student with a disability and you want to test just word recognition this would be the test to use.  However, if you are trying to test skills such as comprehension or word knowledge, it would be better to use a different test. 

The Basic Reading Inventory is great for testing a wide variety of skills.  It helps determine reading grade level and can be used at the beginning and end of the school year to track progress.  This test assesses comprehension, word recognition, and speech.  Unfortunately, it takes a lot of time to administer.  Also, the results can be skewed if the student is not completely focused on the test.  This can make administering the test to young children extremely difficult.  When testing skills related to phoneme recognition, the Wepman’s test of auditory discrimination or the comprehensive test of phonological processing would be the best tests to use.

The Wepman’s test of auditory discrimination is very helpful in identifying children who can’t recognize English phonemes.  It is very economical and can be administered and scored in five minutes.  In addition, it has already been used on millions of children so the results are easy to compare.  Unfortunately, it cannot be used to identify specific learning disabilities.  Therefore, although it can test phonemic recognition, it can’t be used to determine the root of the problem or which individual disability the student has.  Due to the nature of what this test assesses, it is important to note that it can be used on preschool and elementary students. 

The other test that assesses phonological skills, the Comprehensive test of phonological processes, deals more with the process of recognition.  It assesses the processing skills and where there are strengths and weaknesses.  This test can also be used to identify those individuals who are not on the same level as their peers in phonological abilities.  The CTOPP-2 can serve as a measurement device in the studies investigating phonological processing.  Unfortunately this test is very time consuming which can lead to difficulties when administering.  The last test covered is the Test of visual perceptual skills.  It is very helpful with students who cannot use words to express their responses.

The Test of visual perceptual skills can also be very time consuming.  However, it is effective as an assessment of individual strengths and weaknesses.  This test can track progress over time which makes it a very useful tool.  The TVPS-3 is useful for students with various disabilities because students are able to respond in a variety of ways.  This way, even if a student cannot speak, they are able to show their understanding with another gesture.  It is important to be aware of these differences when deciding which test to use.  Just as these tests assess different skills, they are also more effective with different populations.  Through this compare and contrast assignment it is easy to see how certain tests would be a lot more effective with special needs students than others.

While reviewing the various tests it is clear that some work better with special needs students while others will work more efficiently with general education students.  For example, it would not be as effective to use the SIT because they do not have enough data collected on people with disabilities or those that are gifted so it would be difficult to determine where your results fall in the spectrum.  On the other hand, the TVPS-3 is easily used with students with various disabilities because its’ response format allows for students to answer in a variety of ways.  This means that just because a student may not be able to speak, they can still show that they understand with a hand gesture, visual gesture, etc.  This is very important because lack of speech does not equate to lack of intelligence and we need to know what these students are capable of understanding too.  Just as it is important to keep in mind the needs of the student, it is also important to be aware of the skills you are actually trying to test.

Although it may seem daunting to have all of these choices when it comes to picking the best reading skills assessment, it becomes much easier if you know what age you are testing, what skills you are looking for, and whether the students have special needs.  All of these tests have their own strengths and weaknesses and it is important to be aware of these when deciding which assessment to administer.  These tests can also be done in conjunction to ensure that you are getting valid information.  It is also wise to administer the tests multiple times so that you can track the students’ progress.  If used correctly, these tests can be very helpful in identifying specific needs of the students. 

Johns, J., (2012). Basic Reading Inventory. (11^th Ed.).  Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt Publishing Company.

Martin, N., (2206).  Test of Visual Perceptual Skills.

McKechnie, J., & Bradley, E. (2001).  Test review Slosson Intelligence test- revised (sit-r).  Retrieved from http://aac.ncat.edu/newsnotes/y01win.html.

Slosson, R., (2014).  Slosson Oral Reading Test- Revised (sort-r3). Slosson Educational Publications Company. 

Wepman, J., & Reynolds, W., (1987).  Wepman’s auditory discrimination test. (2^nd Ed.).  Retrieved from http://wpspublish.com/store/p/2649/wepmans-auditory-discrimination-test-second-edition-adt.

Comparing and Contrasting Reading Assessments

 

 

                           Purpose                    Strength                      Weakness                Appropriateness

SIT (Slosson Intelligence Test)	-provides a quick, reliable index of intellectual ability -tests a lot of different skills	-can be done quickly -can be used on the blind/visually impaired -administration and scoring can be done at the same time	-it can’t be used on it’s own as a screening -lack of information regarding the percentage of people with disabilities or those who have been identified as gifted	-as an initial screening or used in conjunction with other tests -as an assessment of verbal skills and ability -can be used as a quick screen for mental retardation
SORT (Slosson Oral Reading Test)	-quick screening to determine a student’s reading level -targets word recognition -can be used for regular education students as well as for many special needs populations	-quick and easy to use -can be administered at a very young age	-it doesn’t measure all aspects of reading (example: word knowledge) -it is not a diagnostic tool -does not measure vocabulary or comprehension	-easily used at every grade level -can be used at beginning and end of the year (to track progress)
BRI (Basic Reading Inventory)	-helps determine reading grade level by testing a number of skills	-tests a variety of skills -easy to administer -can be used at any grade level	-takes a lot of time to administer -results can be unreliable if the student has a lack of focus	-pretest can help teacher determine a lesson plan that will help the student and posttest will help determine progress
Wepman’s Test of auditory discrimination)	-helps identify children who can’t recognize English phonemes	-economical -quick (can be administered and scored in five minutes) -already used on millions of children	-cannot be used to identify specific learning disabilities	-can be used for preschool, kindergarten, and elementary children -can be used at half year intervals (for children from 4-8) to find a baseline and track progress with phonemic discrimination
Test of visual perceptual skills (TVPS-3)	-can track progress over time -assesses individual strengths and weaknesses	-response format suits all children including those that are disabled -can be administered at a range of ages	-difficult to score -time consuming	-for children with various disabilities
Comprehensive test of phonological processing (CTOPP-2)	-assessment of reading related phonological processing skills	-determines strengths and weaknesses among developed phonological processes	-time consuming	-identifying those individuals who are not on the same level as their peers in phonological abilities -serves as a measurement device in studies investigating phonological processing