Author:
Gary S. Wilkinson, PhD, Gary J. Robertson, PhD
Overview:
The WRAT4 measures the basic academic skills of reading, spelling, and math
Age Range:
Individuals 5 - 94
Administration:
Paper and pencil
Scoring Option:
Hand scoring
RTI Tiers:
RTI Levels 1, 2
Completion Time:
Approximately 15-25 minutes for ages 5 – 7; approximately 35-45 minutes for ages 8 and up
The WRAT4 is an academic skills assessment which measures reading skills, math skills, spelling, and comprehension. The WRAT4 serves as an excellent initial academic achievement evaluation, re-evaluation, or progress measure for any student.
WRAT4 features and benefits
- Reading comprehension evaluation. The WRAT4 improvements include the addition of a Sentence Comprehension subtest.
- Extension of norms. To allow for standardized assessment of older adults’ literacy skills, grade-based norms increase the usefulness of the test in Grades K-12, and age-based norms extend to age 94 years.
- Parallel forms make retesting easy. The Blue and Green forms can be used interchangeably with comparable results, permitting retesting within short periods of time. Alternate forms can also be combined into a single examination for a more comprehensive academic skills assessment.
- Time-efficient. Assessments can be completed in as little as 15 minutes for younger children and as little as 30 minutes for older children and adults.
- Flexible. Use with individuals or small groups to identify those requiring a more comprehensive academic achievement evaluation.
- Reliable. Standardized on a national sample of over 3,000 individuals ranging in age from 5 to 94, the WRAT4 has been shown to be highly reliable. Recent research provides additional support for the stability of scores over time for special populations such as those with autism (Jantz et al., 2015).
Footnote: Jantz, P. B., Bigler, E. D., Froehlich, A. L., Prigge, M. B., Cariello, A. N., Travers, B. G., … & Lainhart, J. E. (2015). WIDE RANGE ACHIEVEMENT TEST IN AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER: TEST-RETEST STABILITY 1, 2, 3. Psychological reports.
- Valid. Independent research supports the use of the WRAT4 for a variety of purposes. For example, the Spelling subtest has been shown to be an effective screening tool for bilingual kindergarteners at risk for reading difficulties (Chua, Liow, & Yeong, 2014). The Word Reading subtest has been used as a valid proxy measure for education quality and a key predictor of neurocognitive performance (Sayegh et al., 2014). It can also be used as an indicator of premorbid cognitive functioning in individuals with chronic psychiatric conditions (Erickson et al., 20154; Lee et al., 2013) and HIV (Casaletto et al., 2014; Jones et al., 2012).
Footnote: Chua, S. M., Liow, S. J. R., & Yeong, S. H. (2014). Using Spelling to Screen Bilingual Kindergarteners At Risk for Reading Difficulties. Journal of learning disabilities, 0022219414538519.
Footnote: Sayegh, P., Arentoft, A., Thaler, N. S., Dean, A. C., & Thames, A. D. (2014). Quality of Education Predicts Performance on the Wide Range Achievement Test-Word Reading Subtest. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 29(8), 731-736.
WRAT4 test structure
The WRAT4 provides derived scores and interpretive information for four subtests:
- Word Reading – measures word decoding through letter identification and word recognition.
- Reading Comprehension measures the ability to identify the meaning of words and to comprehend the ideas and information in a sentence using a modified cloze technique.
- Spelling evaluates an individual’s ability to identify sounds and transfer them into written form from dictated letters and words.
- Math Computation measures an individual’s ability to count, identify numbers, solve simple oral math problems, and calculate written math problems. Problems are presented in a range of domains, including arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and advanced operations.
- A Reading Composite score is created by combining the Word Reading and Sentence Comprehension standard scores.
WRAT4 psychometric information
- This academic skills assessment was standardized on a national sample of over 3,000 individuals ranging in age from 5 to 94. 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.
- 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. Differences of 0.1-0.5 were found for a grade-based sample.
- Validity evidence is determined 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. These include:
- KTEA-II Comprehensive
- KTEA-II Brief
- WISC®-IV
- WASI™
- RIAS™
- WAIS®-III
- WIAT®-II
- SB5
- WJ®-III
- WRAT-Expanded
- KBIT
- WRIT
