Description:
The Woodcock-Johnson IV (WJ-IV) has 11 subtests in the Standard Battery and an additional 9 subtests in the Extended Battery. We administer the Broad Reading and Math Calculation Skills clusters from the Standard Battery as part of our annual achievement test.
The problem with most standardized testing is that some students need less time and some need more time. The beauty of this test is that each student gets exactly the time he/she needs, is not rushed to finish, nor is waiting for others to finish. The WJ-IV is not a timed test, though there are 3 sections in the Standard Battery: reading fluency, math fluency, and writing fluency; that are timed (3/3/5 minutes). Depending on the version administered, a student may not have one of these sections, or all 3. The clusters we administer during spring testing have only the reading fluency and math fluency tests that are timed. Students typically do not find this problematic, as the sections are brief.
This test is non-bracketed, which means that a child can rise to his or her ability, rather than being confined to questions at their chronological grade level. Each child is assessed using the material appropriate to age and level of accomplishment, working toward higher material until he/she answers incorrectly 6 consecutive items, finishes the subtest, or time runs out, depending on the subtest.
The 2 clusters we administer are from the Standard Battery and are outlined below. For details about the other tests, and costs, if you are scheduling an administration outside of our spring testing, click HERE.
*Please note that due to COVID-19, we are not currently testing students other than those currently enrolled at Brookwood Christian. This is temporary until our staff is vaccinated and we can ensure appropriate safety measures.
Broad Reading:
- TEST 1: Letter-Word Identification – This subtest measures the student’s word identification skills. The individual reads words aloud from an increasingly difficult vocabulary list and is not required to know the meaning of any of the words.
- TEST 4: Passage Comprehension – This subtest measures the individual’s understanding of what was read. The student reads a sentence silently and then decides on a specific word needed in the blank to make the sentence complete. Vocabulary level increases throughout the section.
- TEST 9: Sentence Reading Fluency – This subtest measures reading rate. In this subtest the student reads simple sentences and circles “Yes” or “No” on an answer sheet, responding accurately to as many items as possible in 3 minutes.
Math Calculation Skills:
- TEST 5: Calculation – The student is given a worksheet of calculations to complete of increasing difficulty. Topics begin with number recognition, basic arithmetic operations, fractions, decimals, percents, negative numbers, and then progress to some geometric, trigonometric, logarithmic, and calculus operations.
- TEST 10: Math Facts Fluency – This subtest measures speed of computation, the ability to solve simple addition, subtraction, and multiplication facts quickly. The student is given several sheets of simple math calculations, responding accurately to as many items as possible in 3 minutes.