Tests to Assess and Evaluate a Literacy Program

This is a list, with descriptive summaries, of the types of tests that can be used by schools to assess and evaluate their literacy program. This list includes samples of standardized tests, diagnostic informal reading tests, and literacy assessments for observational and qualitative analysis.

Standardized Tests Gates-MacGintie Reading Test Gray Oral Reading Test Gray Oral Reading Test—Diagnostic Woodcock Reading Mastery Test Test of Reading Comprehension Test of Language Development Test of Word Knowledge Test of Word Reading Efficiency Diagnostic Assessment of Reading

Diagnostic Informal Reading Tests Basic Reading Inventory Bader Reading and Language Inventory Yopp-Singer of Phoneme Segmentation Test

Literacy Assessment for Observational and Qualitative Analysis McREL Early Literacy Advisor The Learning Record The Work Sampling System Observation Survey High/Scope Child Observation Record

Gates-MacGintie Reading Test (GMRT)

General Information:

Gates-MacGintie Reading TestFourth EditionMacGintie, W. H., MacGintie, R. K., Katherine, M., & Dreyer, L. G.Riverside Publishing425 Spring Lake DriveItasca, IL 60143-9921800-323-9540www.riverpub.com

Age Levels Tested:

Kindergarten-12 and Adult Reading

Reliability:

Internal consistency along with means and standard deviations for total scores and subscales for each level of the GMRT is evident for both spring and fall administrations. These are quite satisfactory and fall in the upper .80s and .90s for grades 1-12 (Swerdlik, 1992).

Validity:

Validity data support the intercorrelations among subtests. Validity data also provide evidence that the GMRT is a power test for assessing reading achievement at the lower and upper levels.

The bulk of the validity evidence relates to providing data that support substantial relationships between the GMRT and other instruments that are assumed to measure that same constructs of reading vocabulary and comprehension. These test include general achievement screening batteries such as the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS), Tests of Achievement and Proficiency (TAP), the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills (CTBS), California Achievement Test (CAT), Metropolitan Achievement Test (MAT), the Survey of Basic Skills (SBS), the Verbal and Mathematics sections of the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) and the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), and the English, Math, Social Science, Natural Science, and Composite sections of the American College Test Program (ACT) (Swerdlik, 1992).

Areas Assessed:

Literacy concepts Oral language concepts Letter and letter-sound correspondences Listening comprehension Initial consonants and consonant clusters Final consonants and consonant clusters

Vowels Basic story words Word decoding Comprehension Word knowledge Vocabulary

Swerdlik, M. (1992). Review of the Gates-MacGintie reading tests, third edition. In J. Kramer and J. Conoley (Eds.), The mental measurements yearbook (Vol. 12, pp.352-353). Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska.

Gray Oral Reading Tests

General Information:

Gray Oral Reading TestsThird EditionWiederholt, J. L., & Bryant, B. R. (1994)PRO-ED, Inc.8700 Shoal Creek Blvd.Austin, TX 78757-6891800-897-3202http://www.proedinc.com/learn.html

Age Levels Tested:

Age 7-18

Reliability and Validity:

Cronbach’s coefficient alpha for internal consistency was reported as .80. Cautions have been noted for the comprehension score as being sufficiently unreliable for test-retest interpretations. Criterion-validity data, construct validity data, and content validity data report moderately strong correlation suggesting that the Gray Oral Reading Tests, 3rd edition is a valid instrument for its stated purposes.

Areas Assessed:

Oral reading rate and accuracy Oral reading comprehension Total reading ability Oral reading miscues

Gray Oral Reading Diagnostic (GORT-D)

General Information:

Gray Oral Reading DiagnosticWiederholt, J. L., & Bryant, B. R. (1994)PRO-ED, Inc. 8700 Shoal Creek BoulevardAustin, TX 78758800-897-3202http://www.proedinc.com/learn.html

Age Levels Tested:

Age 5-12

Reliability:

Reliability of the GORT-D is measured by correlating alternate forms and by examining internal consistency. Alphas range from .96 (Decoding) to .72 (Morphemic Analysis) (Merz, 1992).

Areas Assessed:

Paragraph reading Decoding (consonant/cluster recognition, phonogram recognition, blending) Word identification (word recognition, vocabulary) Word attack Morphemic analysis Contextual analysis Word ordering

Merz, W. (1992). Review of the Gray Oral Reading Tests—Diagnostic. In J. Kramer and J. Conoley (Eds.), The mental measurements yearbook (Vol. 12, p. 361). Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska.

Woodcock Reading Mastery Test

General Information:

Woodcock Reading Mastery TestRevisedWoodcock. R. W.American Guidance Service4201 Woodland Rd.Circle Pines, MN 55014-1796800-328-2560http://www.agsnet.com/

Age Levels Tested:

Age 2-90+

Reliability:

Internal consistency reliability coefficients and standard errors of measurements are, on the whole, in the high .80s and low .90s (Lehmann, 1995).

Areas Assessed:

Oral language Reading comprehension Written language Punctuation and capitalization Spelling Usage

Lehmann, I. (1995). Review of the Woodcock Language Proficiency Battery—Revised. In J. Conoley and J. Impara (Eds.), The mental measurements yearbook (Vol. 12, p. 1119). Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska.

Test of Reading Comprehension (TORC-3)

General Information:

Test of Reading Comprehension—3rd EditionBrown, V., Hammill, D., & Wiederholt, J. (1995)PRO-ED, Inc.8700 Shoal Creek Blvd.Austin, TX 78757-6891800-897-3202http://www.proedinc.com/learn.html

Age Levels Tested:

Grades 2-3+

Reliability and Validity:

Raw scores can be converted into standard scores, grade-equivalent scores, age-equivalent scores, and percentiles. This test was normed on 1,962 students in 1994 across 19 states. Reliability measures were all in the .90 range; criterion validity measures were assessed using a variety of other measures across a variety of examinations (summarized in the examiner's manual) (SEDL, 1999).

Areas Assessed:

General vocabulary Syntactic similarities Paragraph reading comprehension Sentence sequencing Reading the directions of schoolwork

Southwest Educational Development Laboratory. (1999). Reading assessment database for grades K-2. Austin, TX: Southwest Educational Development Laboratory. Available at http://www.sedl.org/pitl/rci/rad/list.html.

Test of Language Development—Primary (TOLD)

General Information:

Test of Language DevelopmentNewcomer, P., & Hammill, D. (1997)PRO-ED, Inc.8700 Shoal Creek Blvd.Austin, TX 78757-6897800-897-3202http://www.proedinc.com/learn.html

Age Levels Tested:

Pre-kindergarten- Grade 2

Reliability and Validity:

Raw scores can be converted into percentiles, age-equivalent scores, or standard scores. Normative data was collected in 1996 on over 1,000 students. Extensive reliability and validity information is presented in the examiner's manual. This test was validated with the Bankson Language Test - second edition. Construct validity measures were also assessed (SEDL, 1999).

Areas Assessed:

Picture vocabulary Oral relational vocabulary Oral vocabulary Listening comprehension Sentence imitation Oral sentence completion Oral word discrimination Phoneme awareness

Southwest Educational Development Laboratory. (1999). Reading assessment database for grades K-2. Austin, TX: Southwest Educational Development Laboratory. Available at http://www.sedl.org/pitl/rci/rad/list.html.

Test of Word Knowledge

General Information:

Test of Word KnowledgeWiig, E., & Secord, W. Harcourt Brace Educational Measurement555 Academic Ct.San Antonio, TX 78204-2498800-211-8378http://www.hbem.com

Age Levels Tested:

Kindergarten-Grade 3+

Reliability and Validity:

Raw scores can be converted into standard scores, receptive composite scores, expressive composite score, age-equivalent percentile ranks, normal curve equivalent scores (NCEs) and stanines. Test-retest reliability over 1 to 4 weeks was assessed on Level 2 of this assessment and was found to be in the .90 range. Validity was assessed using the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals – Revised (SEDL, 1999).

Areas Assessed:

Expressive vocabulary Receptive vocabulary Word opposites Word definition Synonyms

Southwest Educational Development Laboratory. (1999). Reading assessment database for grades K-2. Austin, TX: Southwest Educational Development Laboratory. Available at http://www.sedl.org/pitl/rci/rad/list.html.

Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE)

General Information:

Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE)Torgesen, J., Wagner, R., & Rashotte, C. (1999).PRO-ED, Inc.8700 Shoal Creek Blvd.Austin, TX 78757-6897800-897-3202http://www.proedinc.com/learn.html

Age Levels Tested:

Grades 1-3+

Reliability and Validity:

Raw scores can be converted into percentiles, standard scores, and age- and grade-equivalent scores. Normed on a representative nationwide sample of more than 1,500 students. Reliability coefficients were in the .85 to .90 range, and validity measures are available from the publisher (SEDL, 1999).

Areas Assessed:

Sight word efficiency Phonemic decoding efficiency

Southwest Educational Development Laboratory. (1999). Reading assessment database for grades K-2. Austin, TX: Southwest Educational Development Laboratory. Available at http://www.sedl.org/pitl/rci/rad/list.html.

Diagnostic Assessment of Reading (DAR)

General Information:

Diagnostic Assessment of ReadingRoswell, F. G., & Chall, J. S.Riverside PublishingRiverside Publishing425 Spring Lake DriveItasca, IL 60143-9921800-323-9540www.riverpub.com

Age Levels Tested:

Grades 1-12

Reliability and Validity:

Raw scores can be converted into national stanines, normal curve equivalents (NCEs), national percentile ranks, grade equivalents, and extended scale scores. Additional score interpretation is available from the Riverside Scoring Service. Norms were established in the 1987-88 school year (SEDL, 1999).

Areas Assessed:

Word recognition Word analysis Oral reading Silent reading comprehension Spelling Word meaning Trial teaching strategies—part of total package accompanying DAR (Case studies for

prototypical DAR profiles are provided to aid in using the TTS. The result of this is a program of remedial instruction based on the student’s DAR profile and teacher judgment of performance on the TTS exercises (Chehan, 1992)).

Chehan, K. (1992). Review of the diagnostic assessment of reading. In J. Kramer and J. Conoley (Eds.), The mental measurements yearbook (Vol. 12, p. 297). Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska.

Southwest Educational Development Laboratory. (1999). Reading assessment database for grades K-2. Austin, TX: Southwest Educational Development Laboratory. Available at http://www.sedl.org/pitl/rci/rad/list.html.

Basic Reading Inventory (BRI)

General Information:

Basic Reading InventoryJohns, J (1997)Kendall-Hunt PublishersDubuque, IA1-800-542-6657www.kendallhunt.com

Age Levels Tested:

Preschool or early literacy – Grade 12

Fairness:

The Basic Reading Inventory (BRI) is reliable and valid with a trained teacher who records accurately the child’s reading and listening (norm-referenced tables can be used). Specific coefficient scores for reliability and validity were not available.

Accommodations:

The BRI accommodates learners with diverse or special needs because you can probe for additional comprehension in story retellings and the word lists/ reading passages used are chose according to the student’s current reading performance regardless of age/grade level.

Areas Assessed:

Phonemic awareness Reading fluency Writing Oral vocabulary Comprehension

o Oral reading comprehensiono Silent reading comprehensiono Listening comprehension

Appendix A: Early Literacy Assessments

Alphabet knowledge Phoneme awareness Phoneme segmentation Auditory discrimination Writing Literacy knowledge Wordless picture reading Word knowledge Picture story Pre-primer passage

Appendix B: Procedures for Eliciting and Evaluating Passage Retellings

Retelling procedure 1 Retelling procedure 2 Retelling procedure 3 Retelling procedure 4 Retelling procedure 5

Appendix D: Assessors’s Aids

Summary of student’s oral reading performance on the Basic Inventory Qualitative summary of miscues on the BRI Summary of student’s comprehension performance on the BRI Informal assessment of comprehension engagement on the BRI BRI class summary sheet

Bader Reading and Language Inventory

General Information:

Bader Reading and Language InventoryThird EditionBader, L.Prentice Hall Canada1870 Birchmount Rd.Scarborough, OntarioCanada M1P 2J7

Age Level Tested:

Pre-kindergarten-grade 3+

Fairness:

This is a criterion-referenced test; no normative data is presented.

Accommodations:

Comprehension in this assessment is measured using story retelling and comprehension questions. In the syntax matching assessment, the child demonstrates awareness of printed words by pointing to each word in text as it is read aloud -- could be used as an assessment of print concepts. Publishers claim this assessment can be used as an ESL screen to assess English proficiency in reading and writing. Instructions for qualitative assessment and portfolio development are provided with this assessment (SEDL, 1999).

Areas Assessed:

Graded word lists Graded reading passages (oral reading accuracy, silent reading comprehension,

listening comprehension) Spelling Visual discrimination Auditory discrimination Preliteracy assessment

Phonics and structural analysis test Semantic and syntactic evaluation Oral language expression Writing

Southwest Educational Development Laboratory. (1999). Reading assessment database for grades K-2. Austin, TX: Southwest Educational Development Laboratory. Available at http://www.sedl.org/pitl/rci/rad/list.html.

Yopp-Singer of Phoneme Segmentation Test

General Information:

Hallie Kay Yopp (creator/author)Dept. of Elementary and Bilingual EducationCalifornia State UniversityFullerton, CA714-278-2300Actual test in Yopp, H. (1995). Yopp-Singer phoneme segmentation. The Reading Teacher, 49(1), 20-29.

Age Levels Tested:

Kindergarten-Grade 6

Fairness:

This test was designed for use with English speaking kindergartners and early first graders. There are no data using this test with non-English language learners. The creator of this assessment cites potential problems with understanding task directions and familiarity with vocabulary and that some speech sounds that exist in the English language may not exist in a student’s dominant language. Reliability coefficient was .95.

Areas Assessed:

Phonemic awareness Difficulty in reading and spelling

McRel Early Literacy Advisor

General Information:

McRel Early Literacy Advisor2550 South Parker Rd., Suite 500CAurora, CO 80014303-337-0990www.mcrel.org

Age Levels Tested:

Pre-kindergarten-Grade 1

Validity:

The Early Literacy Advisor validity was established using a combination of empirical and judgmental procedures including evaluation by experts in the reading field and side-by-side comparison with content of district-wide assessments.

Accommodations:

The Early Literacy Advisor accommodates children of different languages because of the ability to individualize.

Areas Assessed:

Reading Conceptso Ability to distinguish between print and pictures as different sources of

informationo Knowledge of the concept of a wordo Knowledge of the conventions of reading at a word level (left to right, reading

all letters in a word)o Knowledge of the concept of a sentenceo Knowledge of the conventions of reading at a sentence level (left to right,

reading all words in a sentence including the repeated oneso Knowledge of the conventions of reading at a paragraph level (top-bottom,

left-right, weep at the end of the line)o Ability to match spoken words with the written oneso Ability to correctly answer questions about the story

Writing Conceptso Knowledge of the writing conventions (left to right, words are separated by

spaces)

o Ability to read own message in a consistent wayo Ability to generate a meaningful messageo Ability to generate a complex message by combining high frequency words

with attempts to spell novel words

Reading and Writing Skillso Visual recognition of all upper- and lowercase letters of the alphabeto Ability to form letters correctlyo Ability to spell conventionally some of the high frequency wordso Knowledge of orthographic principles in spelling

Metalinguistic Skillso Ability to distinguish between the attributes of a word and the attributes of the

object this word denoteso Use of phonological awareness to spell novel words independentlyo Use of phonological awareness to decode own writing

The Learning Record

General Information:

The Learning RecordCenter for Language and Learning10610 Quail Canyon Rd.El Cajon, CA 92021lrecord@cil.orgwww.learningrecord.org/lorgwww.electriciti.com/lorg

Age Levels Tested:

Age 5-18

Fairness:

It provides reliable support for teacher judgments as the assessments are contextual, systematic, and well grounded in actual classroom practice. Validity is in the process of being determined and scores were not available at this time. Multiple evidence is gathered at both the classroom and learner level.

Areas Assessed:

Reading fluency and accuracy Phonemic awareness Comprehension Expressive and receptive language Oral reading ability

The Work Sampling System (WSS)

General Information:

The Work Sampling SystemREBUSP.O. Box 4479Ann Arbor, MI 481061-800-435-3085www.rebusinc.com

Age Levels Tested:

Preschool-Grade 5

Reliability and validity:

The internal and the interrater reliability data demonstrate that the Work Sampling System checklist and summary report are highly dependable.

The WSS accurately predicts performance on a norm-referenced achievement battery, even when the potential effects of gender, maturation (age), and initial ability are controlled. Reliability and validity coefficient scores were not available.

Accommodations:

The emphasis for the WSS is on the continuum of children’s development, which allows teachers to see what comes before and what comes after each indicator. This makes the system especially accommodating for children with special needs, high ability learners, and for use with multi-age children.

Areas Assessed:

Listening Speaking Literature and reading Writing and spelling

Observation Survey

General Information:

Observation SurveyClay, M.Heinneman Publishing NJL Associates, Inc.6750 School Street #906Des Moines, IA 503111-800-484-9618 ext. 7915nibooks@aol.com

Age Levels Tested:

Kindergarten-Grade 3

Reliability and validity:

The Observation Survey is reliable and valid with a trained teacher who records accurately a child’s reading and listening. Reliability and validity coefficient scores were not available.

Accommodations:

Probes for additional comprehension in story retellings Chooses reading passages according to a student’s current reading performance

(regardless of age/grade level)

Areas Assessed:

Phonic awareness Fluency Writing Oral vocabulary Comprehension

High/Scope Child Observation Record (COR)

General Information:

High/Scope Educational Research Foundation600 North River StreetYpsilanti, MI 48198-2898734-485-2000infor@highscope.org

Age Levels Tested:

2 years 6 months – 6 years 0 months

Reliability:

Interrater reliability ranged from .80 to .93 with the mathematics and logic section scoring the highest at .93 and the music section the lowest at .79-.84.

Validity:

Correlations of COR ratings with the McCarthy Scales of Children’s Abilities ranged from .27 to .66. There are strong positive correlations between COR ratings and children’s ages, ranging from .53 to .61. This is to be expected since the COR is designed to measure aspects of children’s development that are influenced by early childhood education. COR ratings were virtually uncorrelated with children’s sex, suggesting a lack of gender bias in either COR behaviors or perceptions of the observers.

Accommodations:

COR is used internationally. This observation system is tolerant of children’s cultural and ethnic differences. Since the COR is observation based and not based on prior knowledge, the COR may be used for non-English speaking children and for children with mild to moderate delays who are functioning above the 2 year 6 month developmental level.

Areas Assessed:

Understanding speech Speaking Showing interest in reading activities Demonstrating knowledge about books Beginning reading Beginning writing