Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment WJ III Broad Scores calculation?? Confused...

My DS6 recently took the WJ III. I don't understand how the Broad scores are calculated. I researched this forum for answers, but I can't see any of Dottie's posts where she answers this question! Can someone else please explain?
Here are his scores:

Calculations 12 137 >99
Math fluency 34 127 99
Applied problems 30 136 >99
BROAD Math 139 >99

Spelling 31 141 >99
Writing Fl. 10 129 97
Writing sample 12-A 128 97
BROAD Written 139 >99

Letter-Word ID 50 144 >99
Reading Fluency 35 133 99
Passage Comp. 33 145 >99
BROAD Reading 137 >99

Total Achievement 141 >99

I don't understand how his Broad Reading is the lowest Broad score when his two highest individual scores are in the reading group. I would think his broad reading score would be at least 140. What am I missing? I was really hoping to apply for DYS soon. We have a qualifying FSIQ on the WISC and I was hoping to have achievement scores as well. I've heard the WIAT is better for HG kids because the tests are longer than the WJ III. Should I test him with the WIAT and see how he does or go ahead and apply with a portfolio? His WISC scores were:

VCI 138
Similarities 17
Vocab. 18
Comp. 14

PRI 147
Block 16
Pict. Concepts. 19
Matrix. 18

WMI 132
Digit 14
L-N seq. 17

PSI. 131
Coding 15
Symbol 16

FSIQ 148.
I've left a message for the tester about extended norms and was going to ask about the broad reading score as well. The university he was tested at is closed for spring break, so I figured I could get an answer much faster here! Thanks for your input!

So, I don't know either, but I noticed you had a total achievement for your WJ, my tester said there wasn't one for the WJ. UGh. frustrating!

I will also say that my son's WJ scores came in lower than I expected given his IQ as well. I will read about the WIAT.

We ended up in a similar situation with my DS6. His WISC-IV GAI qualifies him for DYS, but none of his achievement scores were high enough to use. Perhaps his achievement scores weren't higher because he has not been taught concepts beyond first grade as they aren't accelerating him at school or maybe it is because of his 2E. Not sure. We just applied last month to DYS with his IQ scores and a portfolio.

I think you are right to be questioning the computation of the "BROAD" scores from the components. I don't know how the calculation is done, but as a mathematician. I look at the numbers and think that something definitely doesn't look right.

I think you should ask the tester to please check their calculations. I bet BROAD Reading is supposed to be 145 or more.

Hi Kelli,

I don't know how the broad scores are calculated, but I looked back at the WJ-III tests that my ds has had, and compared his broad scores to subtest scores, and just summing + averaging doesn't equal the broad score - so there's some type of weighting or something attached to the calculation.

You might try googling for an explanation.

I know it's frustrating to be so close but not *quite* there - but fwiw, my ds always had lower-than-predicted scores on his WJ-III achievement tests, but once he was just a little bit older and started taking other types of achievement tests his achievement scores lined up more in the range of his ability scores.

Best wishes,

polarbear

My understanding is that the WJ III is computer scored. Also, we were told that as a rule achievement scores are going to come in lower than IQ scores. Evaluator said it is harder to get a broad reading score that is higher since it is calculated based on raw scores and more people in the norming population do very well on reading as compared to math or writing. It looks as though everything is greater than 99th. We were also told that many achievement test do not separate scores out beyond the 99th percentile (so, no 99.9 etc.) not sure if that is the case for the WJ though?

BTW, I was also given grade equivalents for the WJ III. Is there a way to determine if his test was normed for 1st grade or Kindergarten by looking at the results? He was just shy of 6 yrs 4 mos. at testing and in Kindergarten. I can provide the grade equivalents if that would be helpful.

I really don't know how they are calculated, but I have to think there is something off in the scoring on the reading. My DS was given WJ Achievement just before he turned 7. His scores were as follows

147 Broad Math
145 Calc
140 Applied Problems
109 Fluency

133 Broad Reading
141 LW ID
131 Pass. Comp
117 Fluency

His scores compared to your DS makes me think maybe there is a typo somewhere but I don't know?

Maybe the broad scores are based on more than the 3 subtests? My DS was in 1st grade when he took the test but I think it is age normed for the scores.

Percy, the broad scores are only based on the three subtests in each category (reading, writing, math).

polarbear