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    Joined: Feb 2014
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    Dubsyd Offline OP
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    So practically speaking, what do these results tell us? I know that tests that give age/grade equivalents are saying how a child of a certain age/grade would have performed on that test, but how much can I derive about the target educational level for my child from the results?

    DS5 scored 142 (Gr. Eq. 5.0) for broad reading (like some other posts on here, this score looked low compared to his subscores of 153, 145, 142, 155). and his brief reading was 153 (Grade 5.1). The report says his overall reading skills are on par with a year 5 student, while his comprehension is at year 4. The recommendation in the report is that his instructional level is likely year 4-6. Does WJ-iii ach for reading give fairly reliable estimates of reading levels?

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    aeh Offline
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    In this prior post, I offered a possible explanation for the odd broad reading score. My discussion was specifically about four year-olds, but it happens to apply to five year-olds as well:

    http://giftedissues.davidsongifted...._on_bizarre_WJ_III_resul.html#Post196822

    As to reading levels: they are no more reliable or unreliable on the WJIII than on most other decently robust psychometric instruments. They are just subject to the GE/AE limitations previously mentioned. In the absence of any better measure (preferably leveling/placement assessments taken from the actual curriculum to be used), the estimates are adequate as ballparks. Keep in mind that most students at a particular nominal grade level do not perform independently at the same level at which they are instructed. Also, in any given group of grade peers, there will be easily a two grade-level range, even without including significant outliers, like children with disabilities or giftedness. So a child who demonstrates achievement on a particular task equivalent to that obtained by the median member of the norm group at that grade level is not necessarily appropriate for instruction at that level.

    As I've mentioned before, the GE/AE curves are also not linear, as some skills increase quite rapidly at certain grade levels, but may plateau early, or have varying rates of expected progress. Consequently, a one- or two-point difference in raw score can have a dramatic impact on GE/AE, depending on which one or two points it is.

    But if all you're looking for is a general sense, then, yes, it is reasonable to assume that his instructional level in reading skills and reading comprehension of sentences and very brief passages is probably middle grades/elementary.


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    Dubsyd Offline OP
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    Thanks aeh.

    I am just trying to get an idea for advocating. We are in the process of applying to another school for next year, if he gets in, I am not sure if we will bother to give his current school his new report or try to do much more advocating, as If he gets in to the new school he only has about 10 weeks left at his current school.

    As far as reliability across tests, I have to say his results seemed quite consistent with the NEALE iii which said he hit the test ceiling with fluency and accuracy at year 4 and comprehension at year 3.



    Last edited by Dubsyd; 08/29/14 03:39 PM.
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    aeh Offline
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    Hmm. I am not familiar with the Neale III, which appears to be more properly called the NARA-III, but in looking it up, find that the age range goes up to 12-11, which in USA/CA would be year 6. So hitting the ceiling would presumably have included a fair number of gaps on the way up. (And it would suggest that Aussie children read OTA about a year ahead of USA kiddos, if yours is at all representative!)


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    Dubsyd Offline OP
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    Well he only hit the ceiling for age and grade equivalents. So he was able to be given a raw score, but apparently there was not enough sample data to calculate his equivalents and a lower score than his raw score was used to give an estimate.estimate. I didn't exactly understand, but that is how the psychologist explained it.

    Edit: I don't know much about how testing works. But I think the sample size here is also a lot smaller, so maybe trickier for outliers?

    Last edited by Dubsyd; 08/29/14 05:52 PM.
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    aeh Offline
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    I did some more poking around, and varying sources indicate that the NARA-III generates standard scores, age/grade equivalents ("Reading Age"), percentiles, and stanines (but many consumers use only the reading age). I'm going to guess that his raw scores were well above the score necessary to obtain the GEs you were given (hence, hit a ceiling), which is why the GE/AE is a considered to be a low estimate. But that would suggest that the max GE/AE obtainable on the instrument is fully two years below the alleged range of the test. Still odd.

    Anyway, the results do seem grossly in line with the WJ results.


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    ndw Offline
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    Interesting article on the NARA II about inter relationship between reading and comprehension and effect of decoding skills. Not sure if it still applies to version III but it is interesting reading.

    http://www.york.ac.uk/res/wml/Spooner,%20baddeley,%20gathercole.pdf


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