EXAMINEE: Justin Manzanet

REPORT DATE: 11/29/2011

AGE: 10 years 11 months

GRADE: 5th

DATE OF BIRTH: 11/13/2000

SCHOOL: Immaculate Conception

DATE OF EVALUATION: 10/26/2011- 11/2/2011

EXAMINER: Brittany Mayer

Tests Administered: Wechsler Individual Achievement Test- 3rd Edition

Clinical Interview
Reasons for Referral
Justin Manzanet was referred as a part of a graduate course to fulfill a requirement at Manhattan
College. Justin is already receiving services for his academic ability as well as any other
presenting issues. Justin has an individualized education plan (IEP).
Behavioral Observations
Justin willingly accompanied the examiner to the testing site to begin the WIAT test. Justin and
this evaluator had met once briefly before beginning the examination. He was cooperative and
respectful throughout the testing. Since the test was administered on a school night the student
was not focused on the test, he would often ask Can I do my homework? He appeared to be
rushing through the sections to complete. He frequently needed to be reinforced to stay on task,
however, with encouragement he was able to continue without a problem. As problems became
increasingly difficult he often responded by describing them as really easy.

Wechsler Individual Achievement Test 3rd Edition (WIAT III)

Composite Score Summary
Composite

Standard Score

Basic Reading

Percentile Rank

79

Written Expression

Qualitative
Description

Below Average

No writing subtests were given

Mathematics

89

23

Average

Individual Subtest Scores

Subtest
Listening
Comprehension

Raw Score

Standard
Score

Percentile
Rank

Grade
Equivalent

Qualitative
Description

12

102

55

5.7

Average

11

80

1.9

Below
Average

Reading
Comprehension

35

106

66

7.7

Average

Math Problem
Solving

41

80

3.2

Below
Average

Word Reading

29

80

2.4

Below
Average

Pseudoword
Decoding

11

77

1.7

Below
Average

Numerical
Operations

31

101

53

5.5

Average

(Receptive
Vocabulary)
Listening
Comprehension
(Oral
Discourse)

Spelling

19

83

13

3.1

Below
Average

Oral
Expression

19

99

47

No Chart

Average

(Sentence
Repetition)

Interpretation of Wechsler Individual Actievement Test- 3rd Edition (WIAT-III)

The Wechsler Individual Achievement Test- 3rd Edition (WIAT- III) is an individually
administered clinical instrument designed to measure the achievement of students who are in
grades Prekindergarten (PK) through 12, or ages 4 years 0 months through 19 years 11 months.
Reading
Justins Total Reading score fell in the Below Average range; this is mainly due to his Word
Reading and Pseudoword Decoding portions of the test. The Word Reading (Grade Equiv. = 2.4)
subtest is formatted in which the student reads aloud a list of increasingly difficult words. The
Pseudoword Decoding (Grade Equiv. = 1.7) section arranged in which the student reads a list of
increasingly difficult nonsense words. Justins strongest area was Reading Comprehension and
Listening Comprehension follows. The Reading Comprehension (Grade Equiv. = 7.7) portion
was designed that the student has the option to read a passage aloud or silently to themselves
under un-timed conditions. The student is then asked open-ended questions about each piece.
Listening Comprehension (Grade Equiv. = 1.9) is structured where the student listens to
vocabulary words and is instructed to point to a picture that depicts each word. Following, the
student then listens to passages and answers questions related to each one. Although, Justin
functioned at an average to high average reading comprehension, he found difficulty revolving
around the Listening Comprehension tasks. With the Receptive Vocabulary section of Listening
Comprehension he performed Average, whereas, in the Oral Discourse section of Listening
Comprehension he was Below Average. For Receptive Vocabulary (Grade Equiv. = 5.7), the
Examiner dictates a word in which the student must point to the picture that illustrates it. In the
Oral Discourse (Grade Equiv. = 1.9) portion, the student is read aloud a sentence or short passage
and then answer related questions following. This implies that the student had difficulty
remaining focused during the longer excerpts. For Reading Comprehension, his grade
equivalency was a 7.7, which means that he is above grade level. Justin was able to attend to
context clues to determine unfamiliar words; as a result, Justin was able to find the meaning of
the text and respond to the questions correctly. Justin showed areas of weakness in the Word
Reading, Pseudoword Decoding, and consequently, that affects his Spelling (Grade Equiv. = 3.1)
ability. In the Spelling subtest the student writes single words that are dictated within the context
of a sentence. Justin appears to not have the expected pre-reading skills for grade-level decoding
and fluency. He seems to be able to rely on sight words and context clues to identify unfamiliar
words; however, he lacks the phonemic awareness and decoding skills that are necessary basic
reading strategies. Justin often while reading an unfamiliar word would try to sound it out but put
a different ending. For example, during the Word Reading potion, Justin was asked to read the
word manage, he instead said mango. He did this frequently throughout the Word Reading
section. As a result, Justin struggles with spelling because of his incapability of recognizing the
different sounds of letters and phonemic awareness. As the items became increasingly difficult,
Justin appeared to get impatient and would ask if he could complete his homework now. During

this time, he would seem to rush through the test often saying This is easy! With reinforcement
and redirection, he was able to continue the test.
Mathematics
Justins overall Mathematics score fell within the Average range. Justin revealed that his favorite
subject was mathematics during the testing session. His strength was in Numerical Operations
(Grade Equiv. =5.5). This places him right on grade level for this mathematical skill. For the
Numerical Operations section, the student was asked to solve written math problems in an untimed environment. Depending on the grade and the ability level of the student the math
problems followed the domains of basic skills, basic operations with integers, geometry, algebra,
and calculus. Justin was able to calculate division problems but had difficulty with the algebra
problems. It is grade and age appropriate for Justin to not understand algebra problems, such as
4z+1=9. Justins area of weakness was in Math Problem Solving (Grade Equiv. = 3.2). The Math
Problem Solving portion is presented in an un-timed atmosphere in which the students solve
math problems pertaining to basic skills, such as counting and identifying shapes, etc. This
subtest also includes every day applications (time, money, word problems, etc.), as well as
geometry, and algebra. Justin seemed to struggle with fractions, and division problems. Since
Justin preformed higher on the Numerical Operations, in comparison to the Math Problem
Solving, it appears that the difficulty may be due to the word problems. This coincides with his
Total Reading score falling within the Below Average range. This suggests that Justin is able to
answer correctly to grade appropriate math problems in the Numerical Operations subtest, but
since the Math Problem Solving section was presented as word problems, Justin faced some
challenges. His reading abilities could have impeded his scores in the Math Problem Solving
subtest.
Summary
Justin was referred as a part of a graduate program to fulfill a requirement at Manhattan College.
The evaluation of Justins overall achievement was determined by the WIAT-III which exposed
his Basic Reading and Mathematic abilities. Justins performance indicates that his Basic
Reading skills fall in the Below Level category; putting him in the 8th percentile rank. Although,
Justin functioned at an average to high average reading comprehension, he found difficulty
revolving around the Listening Comprehension tasks. With the Receptive Vocabulary section he
performed Average, whereas, in the Oral Discourse section he was Below Average. For
Receptive Vocabulary (Grade Equiv. = 5.7), the Examiner dictates a word in which the student
must point to the picture that illustrates it. In the Oral Discourse (Grade Equiv. = 1.9) portion, the
student is read aloud a sentence or short passage and then answer related questions following.
This implies that the student had difficulty remaining focused during the longer excerpts. Justins
overall Mathematics score fell within the Average level; putting him in the 23rd percentile. His
strength was in Numerical Operations. Justins area of weakness was in Math Problem Solving.
Since Justin preformed higher on the Numerical Operations, in comparison to the Math Problem

Solving, it appears that the difficulty may be due to the word problems. This correlates with his
Total Reading score falling within the Below Average range. This suggests that Justin is able to
answer correctly to grade appropriate math problems in the Numerical Operations subtest, but
since the Math Problem Solving section was presented as word problems, Justin faced some
challenges.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Justin Manzanets academic program will be discussed at the meeting
after the results of educational testing, classroom performance, and parental input are shared to
determine eligibility for special education services as well as the best way to meet his needs.

Brittany Mayer
Graduate Student at Manhattan College