The Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Achievement Provides Too Many Scores for Clinical Interpretation

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (7) ◽  
pp. 819-836
Author(s):  
Stefan C. Dombrowski ◽  
A. Alexander Beaujean ◽  
Ryan J. McGill ◽  
Nicholas F. Benson

The Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement, Fourth Edition (WJ IV ACH) is purported to align with Cattell–Horn–Carroll (CHC) theory and offers upward of 20 scores within its interpretive and scoring system. The Technical Manual does not furnish validity evidence for the scores reported by the scoring system, suggesting that evidentiary support may be incomplete. Exploratory bifactor analysis (EBFA; maximum likelihood extraction with a bigeomin [orthogonal] rotation) was applied to the two school-aged correlation matrices at ages 9 to 19. Results indicated nonalignment with CHC theory and do not support the interpretation of most of the scores suggested by the scoring system. Instead, the results of this study suggest that the loading patterns diverge significantly from the interpretive system produced by the WJ IV ACH. Only the academic fluency and academic knowledge clusters emerged following the use of EBFA. Implications for clinical interpretation of the WJ IV ACH are offered.

2021 ◽  
pp. 073428292110233
Author(s):  
Jason R. Parkin

The simple views of reading (SVRs) and writing (SVWs) reflect useful frameworks for the psychoeducational evaluation of literacy difficulties. They describe reading comprehension and written expression as the outcome of oral language, decoding, and transcription skills. Prior research has demonstrated that these components explain the vast majority of variance in comprehension and written expression. However, subtests’ specific task demands can influence the relationships among these components within the models. As a result, practitioners should know the degree to which various test batteries operationalize these frameworks. Using correlations from school-age participants provided in the technical manual, these analyses investigated the SVR and SVW within the Woodcock–Johnson IV battery through structural equation modeling. Results suggest that the battery’s measures conform to many of the expectations stemming from the SVR/SVW. However, its comprehension and written expression measures appear less language-influenced and more affected by decoding/spelling. Implications for psychoeducational practice are discussed.


2010 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. 221-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thierry Lecerf ◽  
Jérôme Rossier ◽  
Nicolas Favez ◽  
Isabelle Reverte ◽  
Laurence Coleaux

Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses reported in the French technical manual of the WISC-IV provides evidence supporting a structure with four indices: Verbal Comprehension (VCI), Perceptual Reasoning (PRI), Working Memory (WMI), and Processing Speed (PSI). Although the WISC-IV is more attuned to contemporary theory, it is still not in total accordance with the dominant theory: the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory of cognitive ability. This study was designed to determine whether the French WISC-IV is better described with the four-factor solution or whether an alternative model based on the CHC theory is more appropriate. The intercorrelations matrix reported in the French technical manual was submitted to confirmatory factor analysis. A comparison of competing models suggests that a model based on the CHC theory fits the data better than the current WISC-IV structure. It appears that the French WISC-IV in fact measures six factors: crystallized intelligence (Gc), fluid intelligence (Gf), short-term memory (Gsm), processing speed (Gs), quantitative knowledge (Gq), and visual processing (Gv). We recommend that clinicians interpret the subtests of the French WISC-IV in relation to this CHC model in addition to the four indices.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grant L. Iverson ◽  
David R. Howell ◽  
Ryan Van Patten ◽  
Paul Bloomfield ◽  
Andrew J. Gardner

Objective: To establish normative reference values for the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool-5th Edition (SCAT5) for the new National Rugby League Women's Premiership.Methods: Preseason SCAT5 baseline testing was administered individually to all National Rugby League Women's Premiership players (N = 117). Testing was completed by the medical staff. Normative reference values were calculated for the components of the SCAT5, including the Standardized Assessment of Concussion, modified Balance Error Scoring System, and the Symptom Scale. A small case series of players who sustained concussions were included to illustrate the use of the new normative data.Results: The median Standardized Assessment of Concussion total score was 27.0 (M = 26.9, SD = 2.1). The median modified Balance Error Scoring System score was 2.0 (M = 2.4, SD = 2.2). The median number of symptoms score was 1.0 (M = 3.2, SD = 4.7) and the median symptom severity score was 2.0 (M = 5.4, SD = 8.2). The most common baseline symptom was fatigue or low energy (33%), followed by trouble sleeping (24%), headache (23%), neck pain (22%), and difficulty remembering (21%). In the total sample, 41% reported no symptoms. The clinical interpretation of these new normative data to a case series of women with concussions is provided.Conclusions: Normative reference values are provided for the SCAT5 for women who are professional rugby league players. Using these normative data will improve clinical interpretation of SCAT5 scores following a concussion.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 35
Author(s):  
Okan Bulut ◽  
Damien C. Cormier ◽  
Alexandra M. Aquilina ◽  
Hatice C. Bulut

The Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Cognitive Abilities (WJ IV COG) is a comprehensive assessment battery designed to assess broad and narrow cognitive abilities, as defined by the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory of intelligence. Previous studies examined the invariance of the WJ assessments across sex and age groups using factor analytic methods. Psychometric network modeling is an alternative methodology that can address both direct and indirect relationships among the observed variables. In this study, we employed psychometric network modeling to examine the invariance of the WJ IV COG across sex and age groups. Using a normative sample (n = 4212 participants) representative of the United States population, we tested the extent to which the factorial structure of the WJ IV COG aligned with CHC theory for the school-aged sample. Next, we used psychometric network modeling as a data-driven method to investigate whether the network structure of the WJ IV COG remains similar across different sex and age (age 6 to 19, inclusively) groups. Our results showed that the WJ IV COG maintained the same network structure across all age and sex groups, although the network structure at younger ages indicated weaker relationships among some subtests. Overall, the results provide construct validity evidence for the WJ IV COG, based on both theoretical and data-driven methods.


1979 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 241-245
Author(s):  
Richard J. Schissel ◽  
Linda B. James

This study examines the assumptions underlying the scoring system of the Arizona Articulation Proficiency Scale: Revised. Twenty-one children between the ages of four years two months and six years 11 months were administered the Arizona Articulation Proficiency Scale: Revised and the Screening Deep Test of Articulation. The subjects' performance on the two tests was compared for the phones: [s], [l], [r], [t∫], [θ], [∫], [k], [f], and [t]. Results suggested that 1) the production of most sounds in only two contexts does not necessarily reflect the accuracy of production of those sounds in other contexts, and 2) for the sounds tested, the weightings assigned on the basis of their frequency of occurrence rather than the frequency with which they were misarticulated overestimated the extent of many articulation errors.


VASA ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hoerth ◽  
Kundi ◽  
Katzenschlager ◽  
Hirschl

Background: Nailfold capillaroscopy (NVC) is a diagnostic tool particularly useful in the differential diagnosis of rheumatic and connective tissue diseases. Although successfully applied since many years, little is known about prevalence and distribution of NVC changes in healthy individuals. Probands and methods: NVC was performed in 120 individuals (57 men and 63 women; age 18 to 70 years) randomly selected according to predefined age and sex strata. Diseases associated with NVC changes were excluded. The nailfolds of eight fingers were assessed according to standardized procedures. A scoring system was developed based on the distribution of the number of morphologically deviating capillaries, microhaemorrhages, and capillary density. Results: Only 18 individuals (15 %) had no deviation in morphology, haemorrhages, or capillary density on any finger. Overall 67 % had morphological changes, 48 % had microhaemorrhages, and 40 % of volunteers below 40 years of age and 18 % above age 40 had less than 8 capillaries/mm. Among morphological changes tortous (43 %), ramified (47 %), and bushy capillaries (27 %) were the most frequently altered capillary types. A semiquantitative scoring system was developed in such a way that a score above 1 indicates an extreme position (above the 90th percentile) in the distribution of scores among healthy individuals. Conclusions: Altered capillaries occur frequently among healthy individuals and should be interpreted as normal unless a suspicious increase in their frequency is determined by reference to the scoring system. Megacapillaries and diffuse loss of capillaries were not found and seem to be of specific diagnostic value.


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