Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment WIAT vs. WJ Ach. - your experiences?

I was trying to search older posts, but some of the most informative ones have been deleted.

We are going to have some updated achievement testing done for DS6 (late spring b-day, going into 1st), and I am trying to understand the differences between these tests - and what might better demonstrate his level of learning.

We need scores to complete the DYS application, as well as to possibly help him get some appropriate level work at school this year. He took the WJ Ach. at age 4 (subtest scores were very high), and even though he took the correct subtests for Broad Reading and Broad Math, the Broad Scores, from reports of others here - are bizarre (we never did get broad scores, but it sounds like for 4-year-olds, they might not even go up to DYS-levels, no matter how high the subtest scores are: http://giftedissues.davidsongifted...._on_bizarre_WJ_III_resul.html#Post196785). He recently took the WISC and has scores that should qualify for DYS. How well does the WIAT work for these kiddos? Are the ceilings a problem? Which test did you find to be a better measure?

I really,really just do not want him to be bored in school all day this year. He loves math, although he probably has gaps in knowledge - Dreambox is currently leveling him between 3rd and 4th grade (he needs to work on multi-digit addition and subtraction on paper -- I find mistakes, but he also knows many or most of multiplication tables and understands simple division and simple square roots). He is reading small chapter books, and has been reading very well since he was at least 2 or 3. So his knowledge might have gaps, but he understands quite a bit. He also seems to learn very, very quickly. I'd love for him to maintain his enthusiasm for learning!

TIA!

I have had children take both WIAT and WJ achievement tests.

Generally, I'd say that WJ allows for much more ceiling as the scores can be far above 160 and WIAT maxes at 160.

If you are looking for DYS qualification, either works. If you are looking for a real sense of level, I don't think either works at all. The results are crazy for advanced kids -- post high-school math and reading levels in elementary for WJ. Same issue for WIAT although not sure the levels are quite as excessively elevated.

Loy, I have no experience with the WJ achievement, however DD did take the WIAT for the results we needed for DYS.

The psych. gave us the option to wait until she was in 1st grade since there so many additional subsets that start at that grade level. We wanted the test done before 1st grade to qualify for DYS and for advocating purposes, so we tested her when she was in Kinder, but the tester gave her the subsets that start at the 1st grade level. In the report, she had two data sets, one for kinder and for 1st grade. Her kinder reading (which really only includes early reading) did max out and no broad reading was not calculated due to the missing subsets. However, she able to calculate a broad reading score for the 1st grade results because she was given the necessary subsets. Same for the broad math; you need to ask the tester give the additional subsets to calculate the broad score.

As far as figuring out where he is academically, I'm not sure if either the WIAT or WJ is a true indicator of how he will be performing in school, unlike the explore, etc. I get a better idea of that from working with her at home and what I have observed from school with my older DS8.
So if you wait a few months to test him, then you shouldn't run into any problems as far as the ceilings/scores he need for DYS. If you test now, ask the tester to go up a couple grades. HTH!

Just a reminder, this is because age/grade-equivalents reflect only that your student obtained the same raw score on the test as was obtained by the 50th %ile of the referenced age/grade on this same test, NOT that they are functioning at that level. They are not as elevated on the WIAT only because the reference group tops out at 12th grade.

If you want to know the instructional level of a student, these are not the appropriate instruments. The WJ and WIAT, like most norm-referenced standardized measures of cognition or achievement, are intended for comparing a student to their normative age/grade peers, which is why the most valuable (and most accurate) piece of information is the age-referenced standard score.

As to which is better for classification purposes, I would agree that either works. You just need to be aware of the limitations and strengths of each. I think I have mentioned elsewhere that the WIAT has item sets by grade for certain subtests (Reading Comprehension, Oral Reading Fluency), and a couple of subtests aren't available until grade 1 (or age six). The item set restrictions mean that some very skilled students will hit the test ceiling, which may underestimate their achievement in that area. OTOH, the WJ Broad achievement composites (BReading, BMath, BWritten Language) all include fluency measures, all of which are timed pencil-and-paper tasks, which can unduly penalize small children with age-appropriate fine motor skills, but advanced academic skills. The WIAT fluency subtests are not included in the area scores, and the reading fluency subtest is motor-free, unlike the WJ. Reading Comprehension and Written Expression on the WIAT are also deeper measures than the equivalents on the WJ, which, I suppose, may mean that some children score artificially high on the WJ in those skills.

Thank you for the feedback!

Also, thank you for your post aeh - you are always so informative!!!