WILMINGTON UNIVERSITY

Reading Diagnostic Assessments

Practicum III

Jordan Barton 2/6/2013

COMPARISON OF READING DIAGNOSTIC ASSESSMENTS

TEST	PURPOSE	STRENGTHS	WEAKNESSES	APPROPRIATNESS
SLOSSON INTELLIGENCE TEST (SIT)	-Measures academic abilities. -Creates expectations for reading achievement.	- Can be used in a short period of time. -Newer versions of the test that is more legitimate and dependable.	-Non-trained examiners make scoring judgments.	-Outdated, but can be used as a comparison to other tests.
SLOSSON ORAL READING TEST (SORT)	-Assesses a student’s word recognition - Evaluates progress as students get older.	-Can be used by the visually impaired. -Students can be compared across the country. -Shows progression through the school years.	-Older reading lists -Does not test comprehension.	-Can be used at every grade level. -Used at the beginning and end of the year to determine progress.
BASIC READING INVENTORY (BRI)	Uses comprehension and fluency to find students’ reading levels.	-Can be used at all grade levels. -Easy to administer. -Includes comprehension. -Helps to create a reading plan.	-Time consuming.	-Can be used as a pretest to establish reading level and create a plan or as a posttest to measure progress.
WEPMAN’S TEST OF AUDITORY DISCRIMINATION	-Used to determine problems with phonemes and identify delays in speech.	-Cheap, quick and easy.  -5 minutes to complete entire test. -Can be used with young children.	-Limited uses for results. -Outdated standards	-Easy to administer and use in conjunction with/compare to other tests.
VISUAL MOTOR INTEGRATION TEST	-Helps to determine visual issues in children so that a plan can be created.	-Covers different languages and cultures -Spotlights reading skills.	-Cannot be used to show progression -Mainly for very young children	-Very good for young children
COMPREHENSIVE TEST OF PHONOLOGICAL PROCESSING (CTOPP-2)	-Measures of phonological awareness and processing.	-Short administration period (30 minutes) -Detailed results that are easy to understand	- Expensive.	-Can be used for a wide range of ages

References:

Campbell, Chari A., Ashmore, Robert J. Test Review: The Slosson Intelligence Test-Revised 

(SIT-R). Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 07481756, 19950701, Vol. 28, Issue 2

Slosson Oral Reading Test. Collaborative Center for Literacy Development. 

http://www.kentuckyliteracy.org/sites/ccldzen/files/literacy_tool/tools/Slosson%20Oral%

20Reading%20Test.pdf

http://www.appstate.edu/~koppenhaverd/rcoe/5710/read/assessment/iricompare.pdf

http://www.ecasd.k12.wi.us/student_services/assessments/ADT.pdf

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2602743/

http://www.proedinc.com/customer/productView.aspx?ID=3094

http://www.readingrockets.org/article/23373/

http://www.sedl.org/reading/rad/chart.html

http://teachingreadingpracticum3.blogspot.com/2012/09/test-strengths-weaknesses-purposes.html?m=1

            Diagnostic reading tests come in all shapes, and sizes.  Some are only for younger students while others are for older students.  Some take just a few minutes and others take hours.  Some are free while others are very expensive.  In the end however, the best test is the one that works best for you and your student.  A few tests that I have researched include the Slosson Intelligence Test, the Slosson Oral Reading Test, Basic Reading Inventory, Wepman’s Test of Auditory Discrimination, Test of Visual Perceptual Skills, and the Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing.  After researching these tests I have found that no one test exceeds all others.  Each test has its own set of strengths and weaknesses and therefore they work best in conjunction with each other.

            The Slosson Intelligence Test is an older test that is constantly being revised.  This test can be used to determine cognitive intelligence on both ends of the spectrum.  The test covers vocabulary, comprehension, auditory memory, etc.  The SIT’s strengths include its relatively short time frame for administration, low cost, and it is user friendly.  However, the scoring has been questioned due to lack of training of those responsible for evaluating the test.  Also, the test does not seem to carry over well through multiple languages and/or cultures.

            The Slosson Oral Reading Test is used for evaluating a student’s word recognition level.  One of the major strengths of the SORT is its versatility throughout the school years.  The SORT can be used as early as 1^st grade and as late as 12^th.  This is made possible by the test’s format of leveled word lists these word lists allow for a shortened testing period.  Although the test may have some culture bias, it does however lend itself to the visually impaired through Braille and large font formats.  Some drawbacks to the SORT include its focused results.  This test is very good for sight words but provides no indication of comprehension.

            The Basic Reading Inventory is a reading test focused on fluency.  It measures comprehension, accuracy and rate which are the three main components of fluency.  The BRI can identify a student’s needs through its leveling process of independent, instructional and frustration.  These levels help teachers to plan interventions and direct their lesson plans toward student needs.  The test also lends itself to all school age children K-12.  The word lists and passages help to cover both sight reading and comprehension.  Although the passages have been criticized for occasionally being confusing to students.  Also the length of the test has sporadically led to a lack of interest on the student’s part which could affect their scores.  The test is considered to be relatively short but is still much longer than the SIT. 

            The Wepman’s Test of Auditory Discrimination uses English speech to evaluate student’s abilities to differentiate phonemes.  This test is often used in preschool and the early school years.  The test is a verbal list of 40 pairs of words read by the administrator and therefore takes only a few minutes to complete.  The child is simply to respond as to whether the words are the same or not.  The test tends to identify children with delayed speech however the word lists have been ridiculed for their possible culture bias as well as the age of the word lists.  Not to mention, it may present lower than normal scores for students with hearing or attention issues.  The test is often used as a baseline for further testing rather than a standalone statistic.

            The Visual Motor Integration Test assesses the reading level of students with visual problems.  It is intended for very young children, often 3-6 years old.  The VMIT is a very versatile test in that it can cross many cultures and still be an effective tool.  There are however a few drawbacks to the VMIT including its one time use effectiveness, the test is not designed for long term progression, it more of a snapshot of the student’s current reading level.  Also, it is very limited as to the age group it is intended for.  Even with its small age group, the VMIT is useful as a stepping stone into other testing as students age.

            The Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing Version 2 can be used from ages 7-24 years old to identify shortcomings of students’ phonological skills.  The test only takes about half an hour and produces several statistically relevant categories.  The CTOPP has very user friendly statistical categories including grade equivalents which make the data very easy to convey to parents and other educators.  Its downfall is in the cost.  With a price tag over $300, this test is much too expensive to test several students, or for lower income school districts to afford.

            Reading is a skill taught to all but perfected by few.  These tests try to find either what the student is missing in their reading, the progress they have made or the success of the educational system.  Each have their own strengths and weaknesses ranging from price to age discrepancies.   They also can test several areas of reading such as comprehension and phonemic awareness.  We will likely never find one perfect test that covers all of our needs, instead we have a number of successful testing avenues that can be used in conjunction to help the next generation of readers become more successful than the last.