WRAT - 4

Norm Group

It was standardized on a representative

national sample of over 3,000 individuals

ranging in age from 5 to 94 years. The

normative sample was selected according to

a stratified national sampling procedure

with proportionate allocation controlled for

age, gender, ethnicity, geographic region,

and parental/obtained education as an

index of socioeconomic status.

PREDICTING PERFORMANCE IN COLLEGE MATH

N=121 (68 men, 53 women; M age = 23.3 yr.,SD = 7.8) in 10 different math classes were administered the WRAT–4 Math Computation Test in their first (pre-course) class. Predictive validity coefficients were calculated relative to the criterion of the final class grade. The validity coefficient for the pre-course WRAT score was statistically significant. The WRAT–4 Math subtest can be used by instructors to examine performance on specific items to judge the appropriateness of a student's placement in entry-level math courses. However, high school grades are a better predictor of completing the college curriculum.

Zagar, R., Basile, B., & Kovach, J. (2013). Can the WRAT–4 Math Computation Subtest predict the final grade in a college-level math course? Innovative Teaching, 2(1), 82-89.

WRAT - 4

Wide Range Achievement Test

LITERATURE REVIEW

•The lack of multiple-choice items reduces examinee guessing

•You can quickly assess the basic academic skills necessary for effective learning,

communication, and thinking

•Subtests are easy to understand and directions for administration are clear

•Reliability and validity evidence surpasses that of many small tests

•The added sentence comprehension section and reading composite score

•Test comes with one large manual that includes administration directions as well as technical

data and score conversion appendices. It would be more convenient for a test administrator to

have access only to the information needed to give the test and, hence, require only a smaller manual.

• Not really a group test

• Only 3,000 participants were assessed to norm a test designed to cover an 89-year age range and the equating studies include only 300 participants across an 85-year age range; the equating could be enhanced by adding test takers.

• Critics argue the name is misleading and the WRAT is more of an ability test, than achievement test

--- Mental Measurements Yearbook, 2010

Four Subtests of the WRAT-4

Description

Purpose

- Word Reading measures letter and word decoding through letter identification and word recognition.

- Sentence Comprehension measures an individual's ability to gain meaning from words and to comprehend ideas and information contained in sentences through the use of a modified cloze technique.

Measure the basic academic skills of reading, spelling, and math

computation

Grade/Age Level

1st grade through +12 / Ages 5-94

Price

- Spelling measures an individual's ability to encode sounds into written form through the use of a dictated spelling format containing both letters and words.

A norm-referenced test that measures the basic academic

skills of word reading, sentence comprehension, spelling,

and math computation. Alternate forms, designated the

Blue Form and the Green Form, were developed and equated

during standardization by use of a common-person research

design. Derived scores were developed for both age- and

grade-referenced groups. Standard scores, percentile ranks,

stanines, normal curve equivalents, grade equivalents, and

Rasch ability scaled scores are provided.

www.ganderpublishing.com, 2014

Validity

WRAT-4 validity evidence is

derived from the content and structure

of the test battery, studies with special

groups of individuals, and correlations

with other widely used achievement

and cognitive ability measures.

The measures used for the external

validity studies are listed below.

Authors:

Gary S. Wilkinson, PhD / Gary J. Robertson / PhD

1st edition published in

1946, 4th edition published

in 2006

Gander Publishing

$315 for entire kit, complete with WRAT-4 Professional Manual

WRAT-4 Blue Test/Response Forms (25)

WRAT-4 Green Test/Response Forms (25)

WRAT-4 Blue Sentence Comprehension Response Booklets (25)

WRAT-4 Green Sentence Comprehension Response Booklets (25)

WRAT-4 Sentence Comprehension Cards (Set of 3)

WRAT-4 Word Reading/Spelling Card (Set of 2)

WRAT-4 Place Marker (1)

- Math Computation measures an individual's ability to perform basic mathematics computations through counting, identifying numbers, solving simple oral problems, and calculating written mathematics problems.

In addition to providing derived scores and interpretive information for the subtests, the WRAT also yields a Reading Composite score, obtained by combining the Word Reading and Sentence Comprehension standard scores.

KTEA-II Comprehensive

WISC-IV, KTEA-II Brief

WASI, RIAS

WAIS-III, WIAT-II

SB5, WJ-III

WRAT-Expanded

KBIT, WRIT

Not just used in counseling or psychology. This article utilized the WRAT 4 (along with other tests) to study delays in children after they received a liver transplant.

N=144, age 5-7, 2 years post transplant. Reading/math scores weaker than IQ in 25%

Sorensen, L., Neighbors, K., Martz, K., Zelko,

F., Bucuvalas, J., & Alonso, E. (2011).

Cognitive and Academic Outcomes after

Pediatric Liver Transplantation: Functional

Outcomes Group (FOG) Results. American

Journal of Transplantation, 11(2), 303-311.

Reliability

Evidence for the WRAT-4 is shown to be

strong and includes information based on

classical test reliability theory, including internal consistency, alternate-form reliability (immediate and delayed retest stability), standard error of measurement, and standard score confidence intervals. Alternate-form immediate retest

reliability coefficients ranged from .78 to .89 for

an age-based sample and from .86 to .90 for a

grade-based sample. The alternate-form delayed (approximately 30 days) retest study indicated

that practice effects are quite small. Mean score differences of 0.4-2.2 were found for an

age-based sample and 0.1-0.5 for a

grade-based sample.

Using the WRAT 4 (with other tests) to study cognition before and after amyloid deposition in

elderly patients. N=25. Results show cognitive reserve partly compensates for the symptomatic expression of amyloid pathology in community-dwelling elderly.

Duff, K., Foster, N., Dennett, K., Hammers, D., Zollinger, L., Christian, P., ... Hoffman, J. (2013). Amyloid Deposition and Cognition in Older Adults: The Effects of Premorbid Intellect. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology,28(7), 665-671.

In a study of psychiatrists and psychologists

that evaluated 198 inmates for criminal

responsibility and competency to stand trial,

2/3 reported psychological testing was

essential to the process. 4% included the

WRAT 4 in their battery of tests.

Borum, R., & Grisso, T. (1995). Psychological

test use in criminal forensic evaluations.

Professional Psychology: Research and

Practice, 26 (5), 465-473.

REFERENCES

Online Catalog Store - (WRAT-4-1) Wide Range Achievement Test, Complete Kit. (n.d.). Retrieved October 22, 2014, from http://www.slosson.com/onlinecatalogstore_i3889556.html

Wide Range Achievement Test 4 (WRAT4). (2014, January 1). Retrieved October 22, 2014.

WRAT-4: Wide Range Achievement Test. (2014, January 1). Retrieved October 22, 2014, from http://www.ganderpublishing.com/WRAT-4-Wide-Range-Achievement-Test.html