Wide Range

Achievement Test
WRAT4

Authors: Gary S. Wilkinson, PhD

Gary J. Robertson, PhD
Why Assess Achievement?
To assist in determining eligibility for
special education services.
To assist in screening students for
possible evaluation.
To assist in determining skill set (acquired
vs. emerging skills).
To assess gains in achievement over time.
Achievement Assessment Model

Academic
Academic
Screening/
Evaluation
Re-evaluation

Academic
Progress
Monitoring
History
The first WRAT was developed as an
unpublished assessment instrument by Joseph
F. Jastak, a psychologist
Created to augment David Wechslers Wechsler-
Bellevue Scales
Dr. Jastak recognized the need to study and
assess the basic academic codes in addition to
cognitive processes
Believed that it was necessary to assess both
functions in any assessment to provide a more
complete view of individual abilities
History
WRAT4 test series originated in the 1930s
First published for use in 1946
Most recent edition, WRAT3, was published in
1993
Widespread use in a variety of settings as
measures of the basic academic skills
necessary for effective learning, communication,
and thinking:
Reading
Spelling words
Mathematical calculations
Need for Revision
Updated national norms
Standardized academic performance shift from
simple and direct tests to comprehensive
batteries
Continued need for a quick, simple, and
accurate assessment of the basic academic
codes
Increased focus on reading skills
Practitioner feedback
Changes from the WRAT3
The WRAT4 contains an entirely new measure
of reading achievement:
Sentence Comprehension
Interpretation of WRAT4 scores enhanced by the
addition of grade-based norms (fall & spring)
Age-based norms extended from 75 to age 94
so that the basic literacy skills of older adults
could be assessed
Special care was taken to preserve in
the WRAT4 those features that made
earlier editions so popular with users
ease of administration and scoring,
as well as the significant amount of
information gained from a relatively
brief investment of testing time.
Structure
Two alternate forms (Blue Form and Green
Form)
Can be used interchangeably with comparable
results
Allows for retesting within short periods of time
without practice effects
Can also be administered together (Combined
Form) for those interested in a more qualitative
assessment and additional opportunity for
performance observation
Structure
Four Subtests
Word Reading
Sentence Comprehension
Math Computation
Spelling

The Word Reading Subtest and Sentence

Comprehension Subtest can be combined
into a Reading Composite
WRAT4 Subtest/Composite Configuration

Word Sentence Math

Spelling
Reading Comprehension Computation
Subtest Subtest Subtest
Subtest

Reading
Composite
Word Reading
Measures letter and word decoding through
letter identification and word recognition
Extended from 42 to 55 items
New words were selected from the EDL Core
Vocabularies in Reading, Mathematics, Science,
and Social Science (Taylor et al., 1989) to
ensure that a sampling of new words was
obtained from various grade levels of the EDL
list
Sentence Comprehension
Measures an individuals ability to gain
meaning from words and to comprehend
ideas and information contained in
sentences through the use of a modified
cloze technique
Sentence Comprehension
(a) The WRAT has, since its inception, measured
knowledge of letters and words, so the
comprehension of sentences seemed the next
logical step for assessment in the reading
domain
(b) Sentence reading requires much shorter testing
time than paragraph and passage
comprehension, an important consideration
(c) Sentence comprehension can be assessed with
a wide range of discrete items of varying
difficulty
(d) Sentences can be easily adapted to the tailored
testing format needed for the WRAT4
Sentence Completion Guidelines
Avoidance of specialized content that would give
undue advantage to individuals having such
specialized knowledge of the topics selected
Content drawn from a variety of subjects
Appropriate for both female and male
participants and all racial/ethnic groups
Contain material that is timeless
Sentence Completion Guidelines
Avoidance of topics that might evoke negative
affect in examinees
Written for the assigned target grade levels, with
difficulty controlled, in part by the use of the EDL
Series to estimate the difficulty of words
contained in an item
Part of speech required for correct responses
are varied
As few correct responses (both synonyms and
non-synonyms) as possible
Sentence Completion Item Tryout
1,989 students in select schools in Florida,
Illinois, and Pennsylvania
Item Response Theory and Rasch model
employed to determine item difficulty and
goodness-of-fit
W-Abilities calculated to facilitate assignment of
items to specific age/grade levels so entire
range of sentence comprehension ability was
adequately covered
Math Computation
Measures an individuals ability to perform basic
mathematics computations through counting,
identifying numbers, solving simple oral
problems, and calculating written mathematics
problems
24 new replacement items were prepared by
Edward Manfre, a nationally recognized
mathematics textbook author and curriculum
consultant, after completion of a content
analysis to determine the content areas in which
additional items were needed
Spelling
Measures an individuals ability to encode
sounds into written form through the use of a
dictated spelling format containing both letters
and words
After filtering dated words, added 8 words to
each form
New words were selected from the EDL Core
Vocabularies in Reading, Mathematics, Science,
and Social Science (Taylor et al., 1989)
Standardization Sample
National standardization sample n=>3000
Stratification Variables:
Age 5 through 94
Grades K - 12
Race/Ethnicity
Parent/Self Education Level
Gender
Region: Northeast, South, North Central, West
Sample included students with disabilities (5%)
Reliability
Internal Consistency
Grade
.87 to .96 Median Reliabilities for Subtests and
Composites by Form
Age
.87 to .96 Median Reliabilities for Subtests and
Composites by Form
Reliability
Test-Retest Reliability
Word Reading .86
Sentence Comprehension .78
Spelling .89
Math Computation .88
Time interval between testing:
Within one month
Validity
Internal Evidence of Validity
Content review
Evidence based on developmental changes
Intercorrelations between subtests
Range from r=.60 (grade) to .63 (age)
Item bias analysis
Differential Item Functioning
Expert review
Validity
External Evidence of Validity
Correlations with individual achievement tests:

WRAT Expanded
Reading Mathematics
Word Reading .77 .49
Sentence Comprehension .75 .53
Reading Composite .80 .53
Spelling .63 .57
Math Computation .61 .70

(ages 8 to 18; n=43)

.
Validity
External Evidence of Validity
Correlations with individual achievement tests:

WIAT II
Reading Comp Math Comp
Word Reading .80 .45
Sentence Comprehension .54 .31
Reading Composite .78 .50
Spelling .57 .44
Math Computation .64 .92

(n=33)
Validity
External Evidence of Validity
Correlations with individual achievement tests:

WJ 3 Achievement
Broad Reading Broad Math
Word Reading .70 .78
Sentence Comprehension .54 .50
Reading Composite .73 .76
Spelling .49 .59
Math Computation .44 .67

(n=31)
Validity
External Evidence of Validity
Correlations with individual intelligence tests:

WISC IV FSIQ SB 5 FSIQ

Word Reading .74 .74

Sentence Comprehension .77 .77
Reading Composite .81 .78
Spelling .57 .67
Math Computation .66 .76

(n=35) (n=70)
General Administration Guidelines
Those who use psychological tests should confine their
testing and related assessment activities to their areas of
competence, as demonstrated through education,
supervised training, experience, and appropriate
credentialing

(Standard 12.1 of the Standards for Educational and

Psychological Testing, American Educational Research
Association, American Psychological Association, &
National Council in Measurement in Education, 1999, p.
131)
General Administration Guidelines

Important sources of such training and

experience include graduate courses in
assessment, measurement, and statistics;
supervised practical experience in testing
and evaluation; and in-service programs
and workshops.
General Administration Guidelines
Read the professional manual
Practice administration of the test
Adhere to the standard administration
procedures
Establish rapport with participants
Maintain objectivity in evaluating responses
Maintain confidentiality about the assessment
process and the test results
General Administration Guidelines
Security of the testing materials:
Primary responsibility of test users
Store in a safe place
Under no circumstances should Participants be
permitted to see the test items other than in the formal
testing session
Correct responses should not be shared
Photocopying of record forms, test items, or any part of
the WRAT4 Professional Manual, including the normative
tables, is strictly prohibited by copyright law
Unauthorized reproduction compromises the security of
the test and could invalidate test results
General Administration Guidelines
The Word Reading subtest, the Sentence
Comprehension subtest, and Part 1 of the
Spelling and Math Computation subtests must
be administered individually
Part 2 of the Spelling subtest and Math
Computation subtests can be administered in a
small-group format
Administration time varies but is estimated at 15
and 25 minutes for younger children (ages 5 to 7
years) and 30 and 45 minutes for children 8
years or older and adults
Word Reading Subtest
Materials:
Test Form
Administration instructions
Spaces to record and summarize scores
Clock or watch with a second hand
Word Reading List
Used by the participant
Contains the letters and words for the Word
Reading subtest
Word Reading Subtest
Two sections:

Part 1: Letter Reading, which consists of

15 letters
Part 2: Word Reading, which consists of
55 words
Word Reading Subtest
Administration Procedures:
Ages 7 and Younger: Administer Part 1: Letter
Reading first, then Part 2: Word Reading
Discontinue testing if a Participant has responded
incorrectly to 10 consecutive items (10 RULE)
Ages 8 and Older: Administer Part 2: Word Reading
first
Discontinue the Word Reading section if the
Participant has answered 10 consecutive items
incorrectly (10 RULE)
Reverse to Letter Reading only if Participant did not
answer at least 5 items correctly (5 RULE)
Word Reading Subtest
Scoring:
Do not penalize for articulation errors
Correct pronunciations are given below the respective words
One point is given for each letter and/or word read correctly
If the Participant changes his or her response, score the last
attempt
Record the number of items answered correctly on the Test
Form
Give the full credit of 15 points for Letter Reading if not
administered
Sum of the Letter Reading and Word Reading raw scores in
the space provided for the Word Reading Total Raw Score
Note that the number of words read correctly on the Part
2: Word Reading is used to determine the starting item
for the Sentence Comprehension subtest
Sentence Completion Subtest
Materials:
Sentence Comprehension Test Form

Administration instructions
Test items
Spaces for recording responses
Examples of correct and incorrect responses
Sentence Comprehension Sample Card

Sample items to be administered prior to

administering the Sentence Comprehension subtest
Sentence Comprehension Card

Used by the participant

50 Sentence Comprehension items
Sentence Comprehension Subtest
Cloze procedure
Participant silently reads the sentence from the
Sentence Comprehension Card and then gives a
oral response to fill in the missing word
May use the place marker as an aid
Prior to actual subtest items, the Participant
takes two or three sample items (Sentence
Comprehension Sample Card)
Determining Starting Point for both Sample and
Test items by using the Part 2: Word Reading
raw score (conversion table on front test form)
Sentence Comprehension Subtest
Administer only if obtained a score of 5 or more
on the Part 2: Word Reading (5 RULE)
If necessary, reverse order until 5 consecutive
items are answered correctly (5 RULE)
Continue until Participant responds incorrectly to
7 consecutive items (7 RULE)
Rules for Prompting and Questioning
Responses are listed in manual focus is trying
to get the Participant to use a one word
response
Responses requiring further query are indicated
by a [Q] on the test form
Sentence Comprehension Subtest
Scoring:
Correct answers listed on test form and Appendix
A of the manual
If correct, record a 1 - if incorrect, record a 0
If the intended meaning of the response is clear
and appropriate for completing the meaning of
the sentence, then grammatical errors are not
penalized
Not a test of language mechanics or oral
language proficiency
Raw Score is the number of items scored as
correct plus item above the starting point
Sentence Comprehension Subtest
Sentence Comprehension standard scores are
not provided for individuals 5 years 11 months
and younger (for aged-based norms) or for
individuals in Grade K (grade-based norms)
If younger than 6 years of age, but in Grade 1 or
higher, may use grade-based norms
If 6 years of age or older, but in Grade K, may
use the age-based norms
If younger than 6 years of age and in Grade K,
do not administer the Sentence Comprehension
subtest
Spelling Subtest
Two sections:
Part 1: Letter Writing - name writing and
13 letters
Part 2: Spelling - 42 words may be
administered in small groups for
Participants aged 8 or Older, but must be
administered individually to Participants 7
years and younger
Spelling Subtest
Materials:
Test Form
Administration instructions
Spaces to record and summarize scores
Response Form
Used by the participant
Spelling List Card (Opposite side of Word Reading List)
Used by the participant
Contains the letters and words for the Spelling subtest
Pencil with eraser
Clock or watch with second hand
Spelling Subtest
Pronounce the word, then read it in the sentence provided,
then pronounce the word again
Study the pronunciation guide provided before administration
Check that the Participant is writing in the correctly numbered
space on the Response Form
After administration ask the Participant to clarify any word(s)
that cannot be read
Ages 7 and Younger - Administer Part 1: Letter Writing first,
then Part 2: Spelling
Ages 8 and Older - Administer Part 2: Spelling first.
Discontinue after 10 consecutive incorrect responses (10
RULE)
If the Participant has not spelled at least 5 words correctly on
the Spelling section, then administer Part 1: Letter Writing (5
RULE)
Spelling Subtest
Specific guidelines for scoring Spelling
responses are listed in the manual including
rules for two point items on Letter Writing
Letter Writing - count the number of points
earned and record in the space provided for the
Letter Writing Raw Score
Give the full credit of 15 points if 8 years or older
Spelling - count the number of points earned
and record in the space provided for the Spelling
Raw Score
Add scores and record the sum in the space
provided for the Spelling Total Raw Score
Math Computation Subtest
Two sections:
(a) Part 1: Oral Math, which consists of 15
items
(b) Part 2: Math Computation, which
consists of 40 items - may be
administered either individually or in small
groups for Participants 8 and older, but it
must be administered individually to
Participants aged 7 years and younger.
Math Computation Subtest
Materials:
Test Form

Administration instructions
Spaces to record and summarize scores
Response Form

Used by the participant

Pencil with eraser
Clock or watch with second hand
Math Computation Subtest

Hand calculators or other mechanical computing

aids may not be used
Part 2: Math Computation has a time limit of 15
minutes
Ages 7 and Younger - Administer Part 1: Oral
Math first, followed by Part 2: Math Computation
Ages 8 and Older - Administer Part 2: Math
Computation first
If the Participant does not have at least 5
responses correct, then administer Part 1: Oral
Math (5 RULE)
Math Computation Subtest
Scoring keys are provided in Appendix B of the manual
1 point is given for each correct answer
Record the number of items answered correctly for the
Oral Math section in the space provided for the Oral
Math Raw Score
Give full credit of 15 points if aged 8 and older and did
not take the Oral Math section
Record the number of items answered correctly for the
Math Computation section and record in the space
provided for the Math Computation Raw Score
Add and record sum in the space provided for the Math
Computation Total Raw Score
Completion of Record Form
Subtest Scores
Normative conversion tables are provided in Appendixes
C (age-based) and D (grade-based) of manual
Contains tables for converting subtest raw scores to
standard scores and confidence intervals
In Appendix C, the subtest score-conversion tables for
each form are provided for each of the 43 age groups
In Appendix D, the subtest standard score-conversion
tables for each of the three forms are provided for Fall
and Spring, for each of Grade K-12
Percentile ranks, normal curve equivalents, stanines,
and grade equivalents are provided in Appendix E
Combined Form Scores
For an assessment based on more items than the
number contained in a single form, you may wish
to administer both the Blue and Green forms and
combine the results

The back page of the Test Form provides a space

to calculate scores for the Combined Form

Instructions for score calculation are included in the

manual
Interpretation
Mean of 100, standard deviation of 15
Examine score profile, deviations from the
norm, and large differences between
subtest scores
Examine responses for qualitative trends
and error patterns
Interpretation
Implications of Reliability and Validity studies:
Subtests measure beginning skills with
considerable precision, a direct result of
including the 15 preliminary skill items
designated Letter Reading, Letter Writing, and
Oral Math
All of the subtests measure the beginning and
average skill levels with precision throughout the
entire age and grade ranges for which the
WRAT4 is designed
Interpretation
The Sentence Comprehension subtest and, to an
extent, the Word Reading subtest, by their very
nature, do not measure the skills of above-
average and advanced readers at the later
adolescent and early-to-middle adult years with
the same degree of precision
For these individuals, a reading comprehension
test containing longer reading passages that
measure literal and inferential reading skills is
recommended
Application in the Schools
Used by those professionals who need a quick,
simple, psychometrically sound assessment of
important fundamental academic skills
Results by themselves are not intended to
provide formal identification of learning or
cognitive disorders - no single test can provide
such information
Can assist in the formal identification and
diagnosis when used together with a broad array
of comprehensive information
Application in the Schools
Ease of administration and the simplicity of
make it useful for assessment professionals who
can use the results to:
Collect initial data for psychological, educational, and
vocational assessments
Screen large groups of individuals to identify those
who need to be evaluated more thoroughly for
academic problems
Reevaluate individuals diagnosed with learning and/or
cognitive disorders
Contribute to research projects needing assessment
of basic academic skills for pretesting and posttesting
purposes
Application in the Schools
Evaluate achievement-ability discrepancies to identify
specific learning disabilities
Assess specific academic skills as part of a more
comprehensive study of psychological and
neuropsychological functioning
Determine a minimal level of proficiency needed to
perform in certain educational and/or vocational
settings
Assess an individuals academic progress over time