Kelsey Olson

Adv. Curriculum & Instruction Diverse Learner

Case Study Section II
October 26, 2014
II. Formal Assessments
The Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement, Second Edition (K-TEA-II) is a comprehensive,
nationally normed assessment tool that measures a students cognitive and academic ability. It
consists of 14 subtests, which evaluate reading, math, written language, oral language, soundsymbol, decoding, oral fluency, and reading fluency.
Standard Scores (SS) between 85 and 115 and percentile scores (%) between 25 and 75 are
considered within the average range.
Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement, 2nd Edition (KTEA-II)
Subtest

Standard
Score (SS)
105

Percent
ile (%)
63rd

Age Equivalent
(AE)
8.3

Reading Comprehension

103

58th

8.3

Average

Nonsense Word Decoding

Reading Composite

96
104

39th
61st

<8.0

Average
Average

Letter & Word Recognition

Descriptor
Average

Letter & Word Recognition: For this subtest the student identifies letters and pronounces words
of gradually increasing difficulty. Most words are irregular to ensure that the subject measures
word recognition (reading vocabulary) more than decoding ability.
Sara performed in the average range with a standard score of 105, placing her in the 63rd
percentile. The age equivalent score is 8.3.
Reading Comprehension: For the easiest items, the student reads a word and points to its
corresponding picture. In following items, the student reads simple directions and responds by
performing an action. In later items, the student reads passages of increasing difficulty and
answers literal or inferential comprehension questions about them. Finally the student rearranges
five sentences into a coherent paragraph and then answers questions about the paragraph.
Sara performed in the average range with a standard score of 103, placing her in the 58th
percentile. The age equivalent score is 8.3.
Nonsense Word Decoding: For this subtest the student applies phonics and structural analysis
skills to decode invented words of increasing difficulty.

Sara performed in the average range with a standard score of 96, placing her in the 39th
percentile. The age equivalent score is <8.0.
Saras level of achievement on the reading subtests of the K-TEA-II, when compared to the
scores earned by others at her age level, are all within the average range. She scored within the
average range on the overall Reading Composite with a standard score of 104. Of the subtests,
Sara performed strongest on the Letter & Word Recognition subtest with a standard score of 105.
She struggled the most with the three syllable words and higher. The majority of these words she
did try to sound out and just omitted or added sounds. However, for a few words she quickly said
another word that started with the same first letter instead. For example, instead of elegant,
Sara said elephant and instead of monastery she said mystery. On the Reading
Comprehension subtest, Sara scored a 103 standard score. She seemed to particularly enjoy a
story about baby pandas, which she showed by reading much more animatedly during this
section and spending more time thinking about the questions. Throughout the Reading
Comprehension subtest, Sara struggled with reading character names as well as contractions. On
the Nonsense Word Decoding subtest, Sara scored a 96 standard score. Similarly to the Letter &
Word Recognition subtest, Sara omitted or added sounds to the nonsense words.

The Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement, Third Edition (WJ-III) is a comprehensive,

nationally normed assessment tool that measures a students academic achievement. It consists of

22 subtests to evaluate reading, mathematics, and writing skills as well as oral language abilities
and academic knowledge.
Standard Scores (SS) between 90 and 110 and percentile scores (%) between 25 and 75 are
considered within the average range.
Woodcock Johnson Tests of Achievement, 3rd Edition (WJ-III)
Subtest
Standard
Percentile
Age Equivalent
Score (SS)
(%)
(AE)
Letter-Word Identification
106
65th
8-0
th
Reading Fluency
104
60
7-10
st
Passage Comprehension
97
41
7-4

Descriptor
Average
Average
Average

READING
Letter-Word Identification: For this subtest the student is presented with a picture, letter, or
word and asked to identify it orally.
Sara performed in the average range with a standard score of 106, placing her in the 65th
percentile. The age equivalent score is 8-0.
Reading Fluency: In this timed subtest, the student reads statements and determines if they are
true or not. The subtest assesses how quickly the student reads each sentence presented, makes
decisions about its validity, and circles the correct response. The time limit is three minutes.
Sara performed in the average range with a standard score of 104, placing her in the 60th
percentile. The age equivalent score is 7-10.
Passage Comprehension: For this subtest, the examiner shows the student a passage with a
missing word and the student must orally supply that word.
Sara performed in the average range with a standard score of 97, placing her in the 41st
percentile. The age equivalent score is 7-4.
Saras overall level of achievement on the reading subtests of the WJ-III, when compared to the
scores earned by others at her age level, is average. Similarly to her performance on the KTEAII, the subtest she performed highest on was Letter-Word Identification with as standard score of

106, which is in the average range. She also scored in the average range on the remaining two
subtests, Reading Fluency (SS 104) and Passage Comprehension (SS 97).
Of the reading skills assessed, it appeared to me that Saras biggest strength was reading
vocabulary (Letter & Word Recognition). I thought that her reading vocabulary was so high in
comparison to her score on the KTEA-II Nonsense Word section, which tested phonic and
decoding skills. On the Letter and Word recognition subtests, Sara did struggle with multisyllabic words. In order for her reading vocabulary to expand I think it will be necessary to
continue phonics lessons and activities so that her decoding skills can become stronger. In
particular, I think she should be taught that it is ok to stop and read unknown words slower than
other words so that she can really think about the letter-sound relationships. In addition, lessons
specifically on reading and spelling contractions and suffixes should be helpful for Sara since
these assessments showed me that she particularly struggles with these aspects of words when
reading. It was clear that of the reading skills assessed, comprehension is her biggest weakness.
I think that continued practice and explicit lessons on comprehension strategies will greatly help
Sara. Like, decoding lessons, it will be helpful for Saras comprehension ability if she practices
slowing down a bit and monitoring her comprehension. Learning to question what is occurring in
the text as well as practicing making connections should all help increase her ability to
comprehend what she is reading.
Overall, I feel that Sara performed very well on these assessments. She made an effort on
all questions even when they started to get more complicated and difficult for her. Sara was in a
good mood during testing appeared happy to be there. This definitely made the assessment
process easier for me and I think in general everything went very smoothly. The teacher and I
made it clear that this was nothing to be stressed about for Sara, but she never seemed to
concerned to begin with. In addition, since she is younger and we just focused on reading, the
assessments did not take that long. As an assessor, I did try to slow down the process enough so
that I was able to write notes, which were very helpful when reviewing the results. This was
easier on the comprehension sections than the word reading sections, since she could read all the
words on the page quickly. There was more time between each response for the comprehension
sections so it was easier to note-take, although this answers were also longer. On of the hardest
sections for me was the Nonsense Word section of the KTEA-II. I have given this subtest one

other time to another student, but I still second-guessed a few of the pronunciations. I think this
is an assessment where it would be really helpful to be able to record the student so I can be sure
of what she said. I also would like to listen to the CD that says each word before I assess another
student using this subtest so I can be surer of what I should be hearing. I think that additional
experience with formal assessments will help me to become more confident with using them.