Summary
Fredrick A. Schrank, Kevin S. McGrew, and Nancy Mathe altered the Woodcock-Johnson Tests and developed the most recent, in 2014, the WJ IV test. Nelson Education published it for use with their intelligence and scholastic aptitude tests (Mather & Jaffe, 2016). Level C or one certification is required for administrators, such as psychologists and other healthcare professionals, to deliver the Woodcock-Johnson IV competently, which takes around 5–10 minutes for each test. There are two ways to give the test: with a pen and paper or with electronic scoring.
Woodcock-Johnson 4th Edition Technical Aspects
Woodcock-Johnson IV Achievement Tests of Achievement (WJ IV ACH) consists of a standard battery of eleven tests (Schrank, & Wendling, 2018). When calculating the General Intellectual Ability (GIA) score, a core set of tests (1–7) is utilized. This set of tests also serves as the foundation for the intra-cognitive variation approach.
Even though there are so many categories, the Woodcock-Johnson IV (WJ IV) is organized to make it easy for examiners to use. It is also flexible enough for them to effectively evaluate learning issues in both children and adults in a way that no other assessment tool can match, even though there are many categories.
Individuals examining students’ cognitive abilities use content in the batteries to monitor progress twice or thrice annually after the establishment of proficiency level and impel and implementation of appropriate interventions (Schrank et al., 2016). Examiners use the extended battery to assess students’ specific strengths and weaknesses. On the other hand, they use the achievement battery to administer only exact tests related to referral questions.
Evidence of Validity and Reliability
A shift from the WJ III to the WJ IV was the inclusion of “hybrid wide plus narrow” assessments in the cluster scores (technical manual, p. 120) rather than striving to create purer CHC clusters (as was the case with the WJ III)
Response processes, internal structure, and relationships with other variables are as recommended by the Association for Educational and Psychological Testing (AERA), The American Psychological Association (APA), and The National Council on Measurement and Evaluation (NCME).
According to Breit and Preckel (2020), WJ IV COG and ACH can be compared to six contemporary intelligence tests, two different achievement batteries, and an oral and written language test.
Split-half technique for untimed tests with dichotomously scored items ensures internal consistency.
The test-retest process outlined in the WJ IV examines the speeded tests’ reliability with a one-day retest interval. The correlations shown after tests are corrected for a given date range limit.
Every age group has a technical handbook that shows tests’ coefficients, clusters, and composite scores. The median dependability coefficients are high in all cases: 38 out of 39 were 0.80 or higher, and 17 were 0.90 or higher (Cole et al., 2013).
Strengths and Weaknesses of the Test
WJ IV has the capacity to promote the investigation of strengths and weaknesses across cognitive, spoken language, and academic abilities in the shortest time feasible. Batteries in the test may be utilized in combination with one another or as independent examinations. WJ IV uses easier and reframed approaches to compare cognitive abilities and achievements.
Conversely,
Administrators of WJ IV tests for cognitive abilities must have a high level of certification. Every examiner administering the tests must have excellent knowledge and understanding of the WJ IV theory. Additionally, they need to be aware of important limitations associated with the instrument. This aspect is instrumental to the optimal utilization of the WJ IV and providing participants with practical and scientific interpretations of administered tests. Purchasers of the Woodcock-Johnson lV edition must first submit General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) form. The regulation is mainly related to how the administrators grade the tests. The Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory of intelligence says that the Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Cognitive Skills (WJ IVTM COG) cover the broadest range of cognitive abilities of any standardized tests.
REFERENCES
Breit, M., & Preckel, F. (2020). Incremental validity of specific cognitive abilities beyond general intelligence for the explanation of students’ school achievement. Gifted and Talented International, 35(2), 73–85. Web.
Cole, W. R., Arrieux, J. P., Schwab, K., Ivins, B. J., Qashu, F. M., & Lewis, S. C. (2013). Test-Retest reliability of four computerized neurocognitive assessment tools in an active duty military population. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 28(7), 732–742. Web.
Mather, N., & Jaffe, L. E. (2016). Woodcock-Johnson IV: Reports, recommendations, and strategies (3rd ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
Schrank, F. A., Decker, S. L., & Garruto, J. M. (2016). Essentials of WJ IV cognitive abilities assessment (essentials of psychological assessment) (1st ed.). John Wiley & Sons.