K.

Reck
Educational Achievement Report

Name: Jakai Flagg

School: Veterans Elementary

DOB: 08/16/2006

Age: 7 years, 3 months

Grade: 2

Date of Assessment: 11/11/2013

Evaluator: Katherine Reck

Reason for Referral

Jakai was evaluated to provide the examiner with practice administering the WJ-III for the
purpose of identifying areas of academic strength and need that, in a school setting, would be
used for educational program planning.

Test Administered/Rationale
The assessment given was the Woodcock-Johnson III (Form A) Normative General Test of
Academic Achievement. This test aids in identifying the strengths and weaknesses of students
through high school age. All scores are valid representation of educational levels verses the
national norms.

Background Information
Jakai, who is 7 years and three months, is currently in a regular second grade classroom at
Veterans Elementary. Jakai recently moved schools within Howard County and has very

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consistent attendance; his current teacher has told his mother that he is struggling with reading
fluency and expressing himself in the classroom. While outside the classroom he a very happy
and outgoing child. He has never had any issues with his hearing or vision that has been
recorded by the school system.

Jakai lives at home with his mother. His father is in the military and he has infrequent contact
with him. Both of his parents are under 25 years of age and have expressed that they feel a little
lost when it comes to helping Jakai with his schoolwork or interpreting his report card grades and
comments. He shared that he likes all subjects in school and that he has a lot of friends in his
classroom. His mother reported that his birth and development have been normal and on track
up to this point. He is a reserved and introspective boy who is very quiet at first and takes his
time when he is getting to know someone but when he opens up, he likes to share his hobbies
with him or her.

Behavioral Observations
From the beginning of the testing session, Jakai was very open to conversation and was very
willing to share his thoughts and feelings. He did not show any difficulty with seeing or hearing
any of the questions while taking the test. During the session he was hard working and didnt
quit during any of the tests. He had to be reminded that he could say I dont know rather than
keep perusing the same question for extended amounts of time. He began without hesitation and
continued that way throughout the assessment. There were no times that he asked to stop, but he
did take a break during the test to use the bathroom and get a drink. In between the different

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sections of the test, there was very little conversation but he seemed comfortable with his

surroundings and made no mention of feeling overwhelmed or tired. During the testing, Jakai
did not make any negative comments about school in general, his teachers or classmates and kept
himself very brief in his responses about his personal life/feelings and family. Since he was not
very open, most of the information gathered by the examiner was through specific questioning
and comments made, looking for his responses. He also did not require the directions to be
repeated at all during the assessment. Jakais performance was consistent throughout the test and
his demeanor stayed reliable for the duration of the assessment.

Examiner Criteria Statements

In the opinion of the examiner:
X The scores obtained are a valid representation of Jakais current educational performance
levels.
X The test administered is a valid tool for the stated purpose and is valid for the student.
X Linguistic, cultural, and/or economic differences did not influence testing.

Results
Reading Assessment Results
The Broad Reading cluster provides a comprehensive measure of reading achievement. This
cluster includes the tests of Letter-Word Identification, Reading Fluency, and Passage
Comprehension. Jakais score was in the Average range.

The Basic Reading Skills cluster, which includes Letter-Word Identification and Word Attack,

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was in the High Average range. The Letter-Word Identification subtest requires students to read
individual words presented in a list. The Word Attack subtest required Jakai to apply phonic and
structure analysis skills to pronounce unfamiliar or nonsense words. There was a slight
difference between Jakais ability to identify and read sight words and his ability to decode
unfamiliar words. Jakais ability to read individual words was in the High Average range, and his
ability to sound out unfamiliar words was also in the High Average range. Jakai did not show
any consistent error patterns when sounding out the words and attempted to sound out the words
but knew when he had reached his level of frustration and responded I dont know as an
answer. For example, he frequently attempted words by looking at the beginning sound and not
the ending sound in the words, as they got more difficult.

The Reading Comprehension cluster is a measure of comprehension and vocabulary. Jakais

score was in the Averave range. This cluster includes the Passage Comprehension and Reading
Vocabulary tests. The Passage Comprehension test requires the student to silently read short
passages and respond with a key word missing from the passage. The Reading Vocabulary test
requires the student to orally read an individual word and then state a word of similar meaning or
opposite meaning. There was a slight difference between Jakais ability within these two
subtests.

Jakai, he showed stronger ability to sound out several of the stimulus words in the
Reading Vocabulary test, allowing him to be able to provide the a synonym or antonym.

However, appeared to struggle in using his word recognition skills to assist him in
determining meaning of passages and successfully providing the missing word.

K. Reck

Mathematics Assessment Results

The Broad Math cluster provides a comprehensive measure of math achievement including
problem solving, numeration, fluency, and reasoning. This cluster includes the Calculation,
Math Fluency, and Applied Problems tests. Jakais score was in the Average range.

The Math Calculation Skills cluster includes Calculation and Math Fluency. Jakais score was in
the Average range. The Calculation test requires the student to accurately perform mathematical
computations. The Math Fluency test measures the ability to solve simple addition, subtraction,
and multiplication facts quickly.

The Math Reasoning cluster is a measure of problem solving, reasoning, and vocabulary. Jakais
score was in the Average range. This cluster is comprised of the Applied Problems and
Quantitative Concepts tests. The Applied Problems test requires the student to understand and
solve practical mathematics problems that are presented orally. Pictures of the written problem
are available for the student to see. The problems require the student to determine the
appropriate operation and to differentiate essential from non-essential information. Quantitative
Concepts measures an individuals knowledge of mathematical concepts, symbols, and
vocabulary. This test consists of two subtests: Concepts and Number Series. From the skills that
are assessed, Jakai showed that he is still developing an understanding of money and perform
appropriate calculations while recognizing mathematical procedure. This was not the case during
the Fluency test. Jakai showed that he was more comfortable with simple, one step math
calculation.

K. Reck

Written Language Assessment Result

The Broad Written Language cluster measures a range of writing skills that includes spelling of
single word responses, fluency, and written expression. It is a combination of the Spelling,
Writing Fluency, and Writing Samples tests. Jakais score was in the Average range. He
demonstrated a difference between his abilities within this cluster, as his score in writing fluency
was in the Average range and his score in spelling was in the Average range. Jakai had little
difficulty sounding out words he did not have in his immediate spelling vocabulary. However, in
writing fluency, he was not consistently able to use the three stimulus words to create appropriate
sentences for pictures. There were misspellings in the sentences produced, however, scoring of
writing fluency does not count off for spelling errors.

The Basic Writing Skills cluster measures the ability to identify and apply the mechanical aspects
of written language. This cluster includes the tests of Spelling and Editing. Jakais score was in
the Average range. As mentioned above, he had no difficulty sounding out words on the spelling
test that were age appropriate. He had little difficulty identifying words that were misspelled in
the editing test, as well. Jakai was less successful with identifying punctuation and capitalization
errors when editing sentences for errors.

The Written Expression cluster measures the quality and fluency of meaningful written
expression and includes the Writing Samples and Writing Fluency tests. Jakais score was in the
High Average range in this cluster. The Writing Samples test measures skill in writing responses
to a variety of demands. Sentences are evaluated with respect to the quality of meaningful
written expression, and there is no penalty for errors in basic writing skills. Writing Fluency

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measures skill in formulating and writing simple sentences quickly. Each sentence must include
a set of three stimulus words and describe an accompanying picture. This test is timed. Jakai
demonstrated Average ability to express himself in writing, when not being evaluated on spelling
or other mechanics of the writing process.

Summary
SUMMARY OF SCORES
WOODCOCK-JOHNSON III, TESTS OF ACHIEVEMENT
Percentil
e
BROAD READING
BASIC READING SKILLS
READING COMPREHENSION
Letter-Word Identification
Letter-Word Identification
Passage Comprehension
Reading Fluency
Word Attack
Reading Vocabulary

71
79
65
77

Standar
d
Score
108
112
106
111

68%
Confidenc
e Band
106-110
110-113
103-108
109-113

Classification

54
83
79
68

101
114
112
110

98-105
109-120
110-114
107-113

Average
High Average
High Average
Average

BROAD MATH
MATH CALCULATION
MATH REASONING
Calculation
Math Fluency
Applied Problems
Quantitative Concepts

58
76
32
73
79
40
28

103
111
93
109
112
96
91

98-108
104-117
89-97
100-118
107-117
91-101
87-96

Average
High Average
Average
Average
High Average
Average
Average

BROAD WRITTEN LANGUAGE

BASIC WRITING SKILLS
WRITTEN EXPRESSION
Spelling
Editing
Writing Fluency
Writing Samples

73
51
90
38
68
58
96

109
101
120
95
107
103
127

105-113
97-104
114-125
92-99
102-112
96-110
121-133

Average
Average
High Average
Average
Average
Average
Superior

Average
High Average
Average
High Average

K. Reck

Jakai is a 7 year 4 month old 2nd grade student at Veterens Elementary who is participating in
this assessment to provide the examiner with practice in administering the WJ lll. This
assessment is one component of an evaluation that a student may be given for the purpose of
educational program planning. When compared to his same age peers, Jakais performance is in
the Average range in the areas of Passage Comprehension, Reading Vocabulary, Calculation,
Applied Problems, Quantitative Concepts, Spelling, Editing and Writing Fluency. He fell in the
High Average Range in Letter-Word Identification, Reading Fluency, Word Attack and Math
Fluency. When compared to his peers, Jakai fell into the Superior range in the Writing Samples
category.
This assessment indicates Jakais academic achievement is strongest in the areas that do not
require him to comprehend independently in detail and write in complete sentences given written
and verbal cues. Jakai has shown that he is very strong in using unfamiliar letter combinations to
sound out words and developing speed and accuracy while reading. He also demonstrates
strengths in writing when spelling is not a consideration. His skills in Math show that he is on an
Average level but working on developing his knowledge of number patterns, symbols and
vocabulary.

__________________________

___________________

K. Reck
Katherine E. Reck
Towson County Public Schools

Date

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10

Recommendations
Jakai has shown that he is a student who is performing on an average second grade level. There
are some areas that he can focus on to better perform in the classroom.
Jakai has recently made a switch to a new school. They are still getting to know him as a learner
and he is still getting acclimated to his new surroundings. However, because there are still
concerns, there are some things that the school, he and his mother can do to improve his skills.
1.Jakai may enjoy working in small groups so that he can feel comfortable while working
on skills that are not his strongest.
2.Since Mom has expressed a misunderstanding about report card comments and grades,
having regular check-ins and open communication with his mother could help her to
him Jakai. Making sure that she understands what is expected of him in the
classroom and what he is working on.
3.Have Jakai read materials that he enjoys at home to help develop his fluency using
topics that he may be more motivated by than others.
4.Make sure that the school is challenging him on all academic levels and engaging.
5.Jakai may benefit from reviewing his work at home and/or at school to be sure that he
understands the expectations on each assignment.

Reflection
Administering the Woodcock Johnson III Form A was a formative and opening experience.
There are many skills and processes that can be assessed through formal and informal assessment
on children of all ages. These assessments can aid in building an educational program for a child
who needs special services from the school. There are many different ways to look at the
information that is provided by the assessment given and all of those views are what make each
child very unique. Every child that has special needs or doesnt, has separate processing and
developmental strengths and weaknesses. These assessments allow educators to identify them
and then work with their strengths to build their weaknesses. It creates planning opportunities
for teachers, gathers background information on students, and keeps ongoing records about

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academic and emotional progress and reports in depth information about the student. All of these
pieces of understanding help to build each child the best educational plan possible.
All of the information that is gathered while assessing and interpreting that information makes up
the educational achievement report. That report allows the reader to see the student in many
different ways: compared to other same aged peers, a standardized score, a confidence band of
scores and a classification for them to help in the better understanding of each students strengths
and weaknesses. Not only does this test show the assessor how a child is achieving academically
but it creates a one on one situation where the student can feel comfortable enough to share their
thoughts and feelings about what the assessment means and how they feel during the test. Being
able to better understand a students emotional state generally and in a stressing situation can
enlighten an educator. Emotional understanding can have a very strong impact on any student in
all situations, educational or not. Knowing this can also help in building educational plans that
will benefit a students achievement. Educational achievement reports help to see the whole
student for who they are on various levels so that they can get the best education possible from
all of the people who work with them. The next time that I give this assessment, I would like to
be able to have more time get to know the student and their individual needs. If the student is
being looked at for overall strengths and weaknesses or a specific weakness, I would like to have
an in depth conversation with both of the parents (if they are available) and a bit longer to get to
know the student. I think that it is very important to the reliability and validity of the test that the
assessor get to know the student so they can provide the correct environment and disposition for
the student to do their best and the results are most accurate. In the future, to improve the overall
experience of the assessment I would have given the parts in smaller increments and had more
time in between the parts. The extent of the assessment can show fatigue and can skew the
performance of students and teachers. There should be more time in between to allow for
students to rest and rejuvenate. The scoring and interpreting of the material in this particular
assessment was pretty strait forward and gave results that have were easy to interpret. When
interpreting the data, the only information that is missing is any personal data about the student
or any considerations about their behavior or comments in the assessment.

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Rationale
The Educational Achievement Report dissects a student from many different levels. It measures
their academic strengths and weaknesses as well as their social and emotional development
through their eyes, their parents view, the assessors observations and the results of the
assessment.
Before a team even decides that they are going to perform an assessment on a student, there
should be a gathering of information from multiple sources, open discussion between teachers
and anyone else that works/has worked with the student. All of these people should consider the
development of the child from previous records, notes and assessments that have already been
completed by the student. Behavioral interventions/supports, any identified patterns of learning
from all experiences should be considered as well when considering whether or not formal
assessment is appropriate for a specific student. All information that is collected should maintain
an utmost level of privacy and respect. Any and all people working to gather that information
need to be aware of the professional and legal expectations that are demanded in the situation.
(CEC Standard 1, 4 & InTASC Standard 1). From the beginning, the assessor must have an
informed consent from parents that is culturally appropriate and allows them to be an empowered
partner in the educational planning process (CEC Standard 6). Background information and their
view of their child is collected from parents, making them an intricate part of the assessment
process. The more informed that the assessor and team are, the better they can appropriately
work with the student from the start. This continues through the pre-assessment process, as the
assessor and the team should be sure that the parent is aware of their rights and build a
relationship of open communication so they know that the team, along with the parent is working
in the best interests of the child (CEC Standard 6). While keeping in mind that cultural,
economic differences should always be respected as well as safeguarding privacy and
confidentiality in an appropriate relationship. Ensuring a parents cooperation and
understanding in turn, keeps the teachers accountability in check. It promotes ongoing learning
and evaluation of ethical practices to adapt and meet the needs of each learner (InTASC Standard
9). Once it is time for the team to begin meeting with the student, the information that was
gathered previously should all be taken into account so that the assessor can be sure that they are

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being culturally, emotionally and cognitively sensitive to all the needs of the student. The

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assessment environment should be comfortable, open and understanding to the student from the
very minute that the student meets with the assessor. Open dialogue should be established
immediately so all people involved can be aware of any and all emotional or behavioral
occurrences during the test. During the test, the assessor should be alert and aware of the
students moods and emotional cues so they can provide a break or stopping points and keep the
testing environment positive and nurturing (CEC Stadard 1 & InTASC Standard 6). All
information (formal and informal) that is gathered during the test demands a very high level of
professional integrity and confidentiality. Post assessment, the write up should be done from the
most impartial of views. There should be no definite opinions or declarations about the student
in the final report that will be shared. The report should be a completely unbiased and
nonjudgmental record of how the assessment was completed and what the final results are.
(CEC Standard 1, 4, 6 & InTASC Standard 6) The scores, the observations and general
experience of the assessment should be shared with parents and the team that is working to build
an educational plan.
This artifact assesses all levels of mastery of the CEC and InTASC standards. There are very
strict expectations of legality and confidentiality that are to be followed as to not misrepresent a
student or the assessor. All of these expectations are outlined in the pre- assessment, assessment
and post assessment procedures provided by the test and the state of Maryland. Understanding
our role as an assessor of such a abundant amount of information that has such great
ramifications comes with a huge amount of responsibility. There must be a connection made
with parents based on mutual respect, open communication and understanding of differences in
all people. CEC Standard 4 requires professionals to exhibit a constant level of positive and
respectful behavior when dealing with parents, colleagues, students and anyone else who may
have input into the information that is part of the assessment. Standard 6 and InTASC Standard
9 demands that while working with a student, the parent needs to be as involved as possible.
They are to be treated with reverence and communicated with openly throughout the process
regardless of cultural diversity or complete understanding of the full process. As educators, we
are not only completing this assessment to help see a detailed picture of a child but to provide

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parents with a deeper understanding of their child without bias. During anytime that is spent
with the student, their parents or colleagues there should be an expected understanding of
privacy and professional behavior. The student should always be working with someone who
has a level of communication, understands the use of positive behavior supports, is familiar with
their background and cultivate a developing relationship with that student. Being compassionate
and having an open dialogue about how they are feeling throughout the test can do this. The
more that we can understand about the child and their thinking processes, the better able we will
be to know how and why the scores are what they are. These values are drawn from CEC
Standard 1 and InTASC Standard 1.
Throughout this process there have been many new thoughts and ideas that I have had about
students academic processes, learning abilities and psycho educational impact on their everyday
learning in the classroom. There have always been assessments that have helped to label
individual and groups of students in public and private settings. These assessments have not
always considered all of the things that need to be thought about that can have enormous
influence on a students ability to perform during any test. If those factors are not accounted for
and completely understood then students needs could not be completely met while taking the
test or while an educational plan is being developed. This erroneous flaw has affected hundreds
of thousands of students over the course of public education and we owe it to the nations current
students to make sure that we are accounting for all of their needs. During this process I have
also learned that before making any accommodations, plans or supports for a student, there
should be a thorough look at their background and informative session with their parents. The
more that we know about the student has a whole, the more effective their interventions can be.
All of these ideas are laid out for professionals in the CEC Standards and the InTASC Standards
and should be consulted when thinking about assessments, reports and writing of educational
plans. I learned this very well while working with my student. He had been receiving
worrisome grades from his teachers and there was a concern from his mother about certain
aspects of his learning ability. He is a child who is very introverted and has trouble participating
when he is not totally sure if the answer is going to be correct. I also noticed that he needs a few
extra seconds of processing time. These are all things that have not been identified as an issue or
are part of an IEP or 504 so he is not given this extra time during any standardized tests that he

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may take at school. I feel as though he is a bit misunderstood by the people who work with him
and if they got to know him better then they would be able to better connect with him. After the
assessment,she is now aware of the skills that he continues to work on and the skills that he has
shown to be on grade level in. This was an extremely informative experience that allowed me to
understand why so much background information was gathered before hand and how it was used
to better work with the student. It also showed me that building a positive and nurturing
relationship, even in a small time, is very important to the success of the student. Once the
assessment is over, the amount of information that is presented needs to be treated with privacy
and respect before being analyzed and presented. That information is critical to building a
successful educational plan for the student and must be viewed as completely unbiased. No
judgments or diagnoses should be made based on the information and the team working with the
student should get the final report from a constructive perspective that consistently keeps what is
best for the student always in mind.