Educational Achievement Report

Formal Tests and Measurements for Students with Disabilities K-12

SPED525.002
Dr. Darlene Fewster
2 November 2015
Erica Davis

Educational Achievement Report

Demographic Information
Name: Justin Bieber
Address: 10248 Rutland Round Rd
Phone: 410- 926-0750
Date of Birth: 4/20/1990
Date(s) of Testing: 10/18/15
Chronological Age: 25 years, 5 months
Primary Language of Student: English

School: Towson University

Teacher: Dr. Fewster
Grade/Educational Setting: 16.2
Referred by: Dr. Seuss
Examiner: Erica Davis
Date of Report: 11/2/15
Primary Language of Test: English

Reason for Referral

Justin was evaluated on October 18, 2015. At the time of the evaluation, Justin was
completing his senior year at Towson University and not experiencing much, if any, difficulty in
various academic areas. Justin was, however, exhibiting difficulty remaining on task and feeling
motivated to complete assignments. In order for his teachers and family to gain a better
understanding of his academic strengths and areas for concern, Justins family and teachers
referred him for an educational achievement evaluation.
Examiner Criteria Statements
In the opinion of the examiner:
_ X_ The scores obtained are valid representation of students current educational performance levels.
_ X _ The test(s) selected is a valid tool for the stated purpose and is valid for the student.
_ X_ Linguistic, cultural, and /or economic differences did not influence testing.

Background Information
Family History- Justin is the son of Ounessa Boubsil (52) and Ignacy Ptaszynski (54),
and the older brother of Stephan Ptaszynski (22). Justin graduated from Howard High School, in
Columbia, Maryland where he made excellent grades and participated in sports and other
recreational activities. He soon afterwards attended the University of Maryland, College Park.
Soon after he transferred to study accounting at Towson University. Ounessa graduated from
Stevens Institute of Technology with a bachelors degree in accounting, and has been working
for the University of Maryland- University College for the past twenty years. Ignacy graduated
from Case Western University and works as a computer analyst. Justin is the first generation of
his family born in the United States, as his mother was born and raised in Algeria, and his father
in France. The family is a close-knit group and travels abroad a great deal to see relatives.
According to Ounessa, the family tries to get together for multiple occasions throughout the year
to keep in touch with one another.

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Developmental History- Justin was born and raised in Columbia, Maryland; he is
bilingual in English and French, because both of his parents have spoke French at home since he
was born. According to his parents, Justin met milestones rather regularly, yet much faster than
his younger brother. He was extremely active as a child and rather difficult to keep track of, as he
would run away before you could notice he was gone. His father remembers his preschool
teachers losing track of him on the first day of school, telling that he ran outside to the
playground, shut the door behind him and locked himself outside. His parents recall that he was
always extremely intelligent and grasped new concept very quickly. Justin does not have any
relevant medical issues; however, his younger brother is diagnosed with attention-deficithyperactivity-disorder (ADHD). Justin is extremely independent and enjoys doing things for
himself; he even owns his own house.
Academic History- From ages two to three, Justin attended Children and Company
Preschool in Columbia, Maryland. From kindergarten to fifth grade, he attended Phelps Luck
Elementary. For middle school, grades six through eight he attended Bonnie Branch Middle
School, and Howard High School for grades nine through twelve. His parents report throughout
his school years he attended school on a regular basis; only missing occasionally for sicknesses
or family obligations. Justin never received any related services such as speech therapy or
physical therapy. Similarly, there have never been any significant realizations in regards to his
health. Justin did, however, mention that throughout his high school years he began noticing a
pattern with anxiety and stress related to academic obligations. Naturally bright, Justin still
managed to do exceptionally well on the SAT and ACT assessments, and was accepted to the
University of Maryland. Justin has never required an individualized education program or any
related accommodations or modifications during testing or classroom instruction.
About two years into his academic career at the University of Maryland, Justin explains
that his anxiety began to get the best of him and his grades began to suffer significantly. Whereas
in high school he was used to receiving all As and Bs, college was proving to be much more
demanding. According to his mother, all of this became too much to handle and Justin decided to
take some time off and returned home to Columbia to work as a manager at a restaurant. His
mother states that Justin is extremely smart, he just has trouble applying himself. Justin claims
that he believes his greatest academic strengths are in math and science. He admits that
academics often come easy to him, but the stress of assignments often builds up and becomes too
overwhelming. He has trouble staying organized and this negatively impacts his academic
performance. Recently, Justin has decided to get back on track with his degree and recently
transferred to Towson University. He is studying accounting and says he is much happier and
managing the stress better as he is more mature. Justin has never been held back or skipped a
grade; he studies hard for exams and works well with others during group assignments.
Social History- Justin enjoys socializing with his peers both at school and outside of
school as well. He loves to play soccer, which he has played since he was very young. He fondly
recalls playing for his high school varsity team and now enjoys playing in an adult league with
friends. Justin claims that his social personality was part of the reason he had trouble

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academically in his first few years of college. He loves to play Fantasy Football and his favorite
football team is the Tennessee Titans. Justin travels a great deal and plans to do so more in the
future. He especially likes to travel to France to visit friends and family. Justin often takes road
trips with friends for live music events and enjoys going to music festivals during the summer.
His brother explains that they have always loved playing video games and hanging out outdoors
together. He recently acquired a motorcycle which he enjoys riding around the neighborhood and
to Towson and back. He spends a great deal of time in his garage fixing up his new motorcycle, a
newfound hobby. Overall, Justin is very socially adjusted and has many interests. Justin is open
to trying new things and meeting new people. He has close relationships with friends lasting
many years, and gets along well with his family.
Parents Perception of the Problem- Justins mother claims that she became aware of his
academic concerns a few years ago. She tells that she feels there is a disconnect between Justins
academic ability and the outcomes in grades and assessment scores. It is clear that she is more
concerned about Justins executive functioning skills and ability to keep up with schoolwork
rather than his innate ability to succeed. His parents do not perceive there is a major problem, but
they are concerned about his lack of concentration and commitment.
Behavioral Observations
1. Classroom Observations- I was able to observe Justin during one of his classes at Towson
University. This opportunity showcased his academic strengths. While he was aware he was
being observed, Justin stayed on task for the majority of the class period. He was taking notes
diligently and often raised his hand to participate in class discussion. His teacher for this
class explained that he is a hard worker and seems to understand concepts with ease.
2. Initial Interview with the Child- My initial interview with Justin took place at his home in
the living room. We sat on the couch and he seemed very comfortable, I did not sense any
anxiety; he came across very self-assured. Justin was eager to begin the assessment, and I
told him that it would take quite a while to complete. He led me to the dining room table
where I briefly explained the purpose for the assessment (for my class assignment) and
thanked him for giving me his time. Justin was honest and conversational when answering
questions about his family, friends, likes and dislikes. He was confident and fluent in
conversation.
3. Behavior during Testing- During the actual testing, Justin continued to appear at ease, and
at times even hastily worked through the questions. He was extremely attentive to the tasks
and confident in his ability at the start of each subtest. There were a few moments that I felt
he answered questions impulsively, and I was unsure that he would get those items correct.
Looking back at his scores, he was able to get most of those items correct. However, there
were a few items (especially in math subtests) on which he made trivial errors and I feel that
if he had taken his time he might not have made these mistakes. Even though occasionally he
responded too quickly, Justin generally persisted with the tasks when they became difficult.

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At the end of some subtests, when the tasks became extremely demanding, he would look up
at me, perhaps for confirmation that he would just try the best he can. He began to take quite
a long time to work out problems that were very difficult for him, and his demeanor began to
change. His frustration became apparent in his facial expressions. Between subtests I would
remind him that it was acceptable to skip an item that gave him trouble after he tried to work
it out for a significant amount of time. He certainly changed his demeanor following this
reminder and began to give up more easily through the rest of the subtests. For example,
during the Calculation subtest, he became frustrated with the last set of items and seemed to
want to give up. When an item caused him to struggle for more than approximately thirty
seconds, he would skip the item and move along. Another subtest that seemed to frustrate
him as the items became difficult was the Understanding Directions test. When the
instructions became confusing, he seemed to give less and less effort and wanted to just
finish the section. As time went on, it became apparent to me that he was becoming
increasingly impatient. About an hour and fifteen minutes into the exam, he let out a sigh and
asked if we were almost finished. We still had a number of subtests to finish, so I reminded
him that we could take a break and revisit the test another day. He seemed relieved that he
would be able to take a break. I returned to his house two days later to finish the subtests and
as we sat down at the dining room table again, he seemed anxious to get through the exam. I
could tell he now realized the assessment was quite difficult, and was not always a fun
experience, so he simply wanted to finish. His anxious demeanor could be credited to the fact
that this assessment was not going to impact his academic performance directly, and perhaps
if it had, he would have been more attentive and patient. I had to remind him between
subtests that I was grateful for his cooperation and that we would get through the rest of the
assessment with ease in order to encourage his best performance. Overall, Justin was
cooperative, attentive, and confident during the majority of the examination. The setting was
successful because it reduced distractions and was a neutral environment, which allowed him
to focus on the tasks.
Test and Procedures Administered
1.
2.
3.
4.

Parent intake
Classroom Observation
Student intake
Woodcock-Johnson Test of Achievement
a. Letter-Word Identification
b. Reading Fluency
c. Story Recall
d. Understanding Directions
e. Calculation
f. Math Fluency
g. Spelling
h. Writing Fluency
i. Passage Comprehension
j. Applied Problems

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k. Writing Samples
l. Story Recall-Delayed
m. Handwriting
Due to Justins inconsistency with his grades, the Woodcock Johnson Test of Achievement III
(WJ-ACH III) was administered. The WJ-ACH III is an individually administered test of
achievement measuring five curricular areas- reading, mathematics, written language, oral
language, and academic knowledge. The test provides a comprehensive system for measuring
general intellectual ability, specific cognitive abilities, scholastic aptitude, oral language, and
academic achievement. The WJ-ACH III was selected to be administered to Edward to gain
more information about his general academic performance that include the following skills: (1)
reading skills that include broad reading, basic reading skills, and reading comprehension, (2)
oral language skills that include listening comprehension and oral expression, (3) math skills that
include broad math, math calculation skills, and math reasoning, (4) written language skills that
include broad written language, basic writing skills, and written expression, and (5) an academic
knowledge cluster that assesses academic skills, academic fluency, academic applications, and
phoneme/grapheme knowledge.
Results
Reading Assessment Results
The Broad Reading cluster provides a comprehensive measure of reading achievement
including basic reading skills and reading comprehension. The Standard Battery of the
Woodcock-Johnson includes the following subtests: (1) Letter-Word Identification, (2) Reading
Fluency, and (3) Passage Comprehension which were administered to Justin.
The Letter-Word Identification subtest measures word identification skills. Justin was
required to identify letters and to pronounce words correctly. Justins performance on this task
was at an age equivalent of a thirty year old or older. The Reading Fluency subtest measures the
ability to quickly read simple sentences and decide if the sentences are true. Justins performance
for this task was also at an age equivalent of a thirty year old or older. The Passage
Comprehension subtest measures the ability to match the pictographic representation of a word
with an actual picture of the object. In addition, Justin was required to point to a picture
represented by a phrase. Then Justin was required to read a short passage and identify a missing
key word that makes sense in the content of that passage. Justins performance on this subtest
was similarly at an age equivalent of a thirty year old.
Mathematics Assessment Results
The Broad Math cluster provides a comprehensive measure of math achievement including
problem solving, numeration, fluency, and reasoning. For the Standard Battery, the following
subtests were administered: (1) Calculation, (2) Math Fluency, and (3) Applied Problems.

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The Calculation subtest is a measure of computational skills and automaticity with basic
math facts and provides a measure of basic mathematical skills. This subtest required Justin to
accurately perform mathematical computations. Also included are problems requiring
manipulation of fractions and more advanced calculations using algebra, geometry, trigonometry,
and calculus. Justins performance on the Calculation section was at an age equivalent of a
twenty three year old. The Math Fluency subtest measures the ability to solve simple addition,
subtraction, and multiplication facts quickly. For this test, Justins performance was equivalent to
a twenty five year olds. The Applied Problems test required Justin to understand and solve
practical mathematics problems that are presented orally. Pictures or the written problem is
available for the student to see. The problems required Justin to listen to the problem, recognize
the procedures to be followed, and them perform relatively simple calculations. Justins
performance on this subtest was equivalent to someone who is thirty years old or more.
Oral Language Assessment Results
The Oral Language cluster provides a comprehensive measure of oral expression and
listening comprehension. For the Standard Battery, two tests are administered, Story Recall and
Understanding Directions.
The Story Recall subtest measures aspects of oral language including language
development and meaningful memory. During this portion of the test, Justin was required to
recall increasingly complex stories that are presented on an audiotape and Justins performance
in this area was equal to someone older than twenty years old (>20). On the Understanding
Directions subtest is an oral language measure. The task required Justin to listen to a sequence
of audiotaped instructions and then follow the directions by pointing to various objects in a
colored picture. Justins performance on this task was equivalent to a twenty one year old or
greater.
Written Language Assessment Results
The Broad Written Language cluster provides a comprehensive measure of written
language achievement including spelling of single-word responses, fluency of production, and
quality of expression. The tests administered on the Standard Battery included Spelling, Writing
Fluency, and Writing Samples.
The Spelling subtest is a measure of the ability to write orally presented words correctly.
Test items measure prewriting skills and required Justin to produce uppercase and lowercase
letters, and to spell words correctly. Justins performance was equivalent to an average 30 year
old or older. The Writing Fluency subtest measures skill in formulating and writing simple
sentences quickly. Each sentence must include a set of three stimulus words and describe an
accompanying picture. Justins performance on this subtest was equivalent to a twelve year and
five month old. The Writing Samples subtest measures skill in writing responses to a variety of
demands. Justins performance on this task was equivalent to an average thirty year old or older.
Interpretation of Assessment Findings

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Reading Assessment Results
The age equivalent for Justins Broad Reading results is comparable to an individual over
age thirty (>30) years old; this is approximately four and a half years above his chronological
age. For all of the Broad Reading subtests, Justin scored in this same age equivalency. His
standard score for the Broad Reading cluster of 118 places him in the high average range. In
Letter-Word Identification, Reading Fluency, and Passage Comprehension his performance was
of a thirty year old equivalency. According to his Relative Proficiency Index (RPI) scores, Justin
demonstrated the most impressive proficiency on the Letter-Word Identification subtest. Justins
RPI for this subtest was 100/90, indicating that on a similar task he would perform with 100%
proficiency, whereas average age peers would perform with 90% proficiency. On the LetterWord Identification subtest, his proficiency can be considered very advanced which implies that
the task was extremely easy for him. He responded to all seventy-six items correctly and a
ceiling was never reached. His performance clearly indicates that he is a strong reader with the
skills necessary to pronounce unfamiliar words. I think this correlates to his excellent problemsolving skills mentioned earlier in the Academic History section. It is apparent that the
enrichment opportunities he had in his English classes in high school were successful. Overall,
his basic reading skills are impressive for his age. While Justin does not consider reading to be
his strongest subject, this information might convince him to reassess that assumption.
He also showed advanced proficiency on the Reading Fluency subtest. He scored again,
about four and a half years above his actual age. He answered 87 out of 98 questions and
answered correctly for all of his attempts. A ceiling was never reached for this subtest, but with
more time allotted, he would have probably scored even higher. Justins RPI for this subtest was
98/90, again showing that the items were rather easy for his skill level. While age equivalent
peers would perform with 90% proficiency on similar tasks, Justin would perform with 98%,
near perfect, proficiency. This shows that Justin has a strong ability to comprehend what he is
reading fairly quickly. During this subtest I observed how he, without prompting, would read
silently to himself and answer rather quickly. This self-assurance suggests that he is confident in
his ability to read fluently. It would be in Justins best interest to utilize his strengths with reading
fluency in his future career ambitions. He is a strong reader and would benefit from more
opportunities to put this to use. In his interviews, Justin never mentioned that he enjoys reading,
which is surprising based off of his skill level. This reflects the assumptions made by his parents
that while academics come easy to Justin, he does not always apply himself or utilize his
strengths.
On the Passage Comprehension subtest, Justin scored very similarly to the other two
reading subtests. Scores equivalent to those of a thirty year old or older, and an RPI score of
99/90. Where his age equivalent peers would perform with 90% proficiency on similar tasks,
Justin would perform with 99% proficiency. Justin was able to get 44 items correct out of the
possible 47. In three different sections of the end of this subtest, he only got one item out of four
incorrect. During this subtest I could tell that Justin began to rush through questions because he
was becoming increasingly anxious. It is possible that if Justin had taken more time and paid

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closer attention to the items that he might have gotten a perfect score on this section, as he did
with the Letter-Word Identification subtest. A ceiling for this subtest was not reached, and we
started testing at item number thirty-two as that was suggested for his age equivalency. Justins
impressive scores on all three of these subtests suggest that in all aspects of reading, Justin is at
an independent proficiency. Not only is he advanced in decoding difficult words, but he can also
read fluently and comprehend what he has read. With the understanding of these strengths, it
would benefit Justin to slow down and pay closer attention to items towards the end of a section.
His lack of stamina after having to answer a number of items negatively impacts his
performance. I think these scores are certainly an accurate depiction of his skill level, however
might have even increased had he concentrated equally on each item throughout the tests. He is
clearly capable of scoring near perfectly on each subtest with more ability to concentrate for a
longer period of time. Overall, Justin is very advanced with all three aspects within the Broad
Reading cluster, as he scored the most evenly out of all the clusters on the WJ-ACH III.
Mathematics Assessment Results
The age equivalent for Justins Broad Mathematics was also comparable to an individual
thirty years old or more. Again, this is about 4 and a half years older than his chronological age.
His Broad Math standard score was 110, which is one point higher than his predicted score. His
standard score of 110 places him in the average category for his age. On the Calculation subtest,
he scored what would be equal to someone in grade 18, where he is currently at grade level 16.2.
His age equivalent score for this subtest was above and average twenty-three year olds. While
completing this portion of the assessment, he was at first very apprehensive to move on to
another problem before he found the right answer. I had to remind him that after working for a
significant amount of time, he should skip the item and move on. He answered 36 items correctly
out of a total of 45 items. I was extremely impressed with not only his ability to approach
problems with confidence, but also his speed through the items. As he approached the hardest
items at the end of the section, he began to skip many that involved algebraic fraction equations.
I think he skipped these items the most because he knew how daunting they would be, as they
require many steps to complete. Eventually he would look at the problem, seemingly to judge
how hard it would be to solve before he decided if he would try to complete it or not. I think if
Justin were given a calculator for the rest of these problems, he would have attempted them with
more confidence and most likely have gotten them correct. His calculation score was just below
his score for the Math Fluency subtest, which shows that Justin is indeed extremely strong in
terms of his ability to solve problems quickly.
In terms of Math Fluency, Justins score was equivalent to a twenty-five year old or older.
This shows that he is on average for his performance level. Justin was able to get through 128
items out of the total 160 in the three-minute time limit. Out of these 128 items, only two of them
were solved incorrectly. Looking at the incorrect answers, it seems that trivial mistakes caused
him to write down the incorrect answer. For example, a seemingly easy item for which the
answer was 16, Justin wrote 19 instead. I can interpret this mistake as a simple slip of the mind
due to rushing through the problems, rather than content that he has not mastered. Justin never
reached a basal ceiling in this section and worked as fast as he could. Again, in this subtest he

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had an impressive RPI score of 99/90. Justin was extremely aware that he was being timed
during this subtest, and it is possible that this caused him to rush through items. I tried to keep
the timer discreet, which I might try harder in the future to do a better job of. Unfortunately, his
awareness caused him to get a few items wrong that he certainly knew how to do. In the
classroom, Justin should be instructed to take his time so that he can avoid making trivial error
on homework assignments and exams. Overall, Justin did extremely well in this area and is
confident in his skills.
On the Applied Problems subtest, Justin scored similarly at an age equivalent of thirty
years old or greater. This score was higher than the other two subtests in the Broad Math Cluster.
Justin answered 52 items correctly out of a possible 63. He eventually reached a ceiling after
getting 6 items incorrect, and stopped after item number 58. In this subtest, Justin had a Standard
Score of 104, where the average score for his age group was between 101 and 107. He used the
provided worksheet roughly ten times, and did the rest of the calculations in his head. His
performance indicates that he is very efficient with internal processing. He got to work quickly
after reading the item and seemed to be working hard on each problem. As Justin became closer
to hitting the ceiling and the questions became increasingly difficult, it became more apparent
that he lost focus and stopped applying himself. Had Justin continued to push himself he might
have scored higher on this subtest. Overall, this was his best score in the Broad Mathematics
cluster. He possesses excellent math reasoning skills.
Justins confidence in his mathematics skills showed in his results on the assessment. His
performance within the Mathematics cluster was still impressive for his age, although the subtest
scores were not as even as those in the Reading Cluster. He performed much better on the
subtests that were not timed; and I feel that because he knew he was being timed, he
unnecessarily rushed himself throughout the Math Fluency segment. I believe that the accounting
track is an excellent decision for Justin in his college career. It is clear he is comfortable with his
math skills and is strong with problem solving and reasoning. He would benefit from slowing
down and focusing on each item to increase his scores. This might enable him to avoid making
trivial errors that misrepresent his knowledge.
Oral Language Assessment Results
The age equivalent for Justins Broad Oral Language results is comparable to someone
twenty-one years or older. He scored about three and a half years lower than the norm for his
age. Out of the four different broad clusters, Oral Language was Justins lowest age equivalency
score. In terms of Standard Scores, his score of 109 places him in the average range for this
cluster. On the Story Recall subtest, his score was even with someone twenty years or older.
After listening to the four stories on audiotape, he was able to recall most of the bold words that
counted for points. His ability to recall important elements decreased as the stories became
longer and more complex. On the first story, story number 7, he was able to get 6 out of the 8
possible elements. For the next story, he scored 18 out of a possible 21. For story 9, he scored 14
out of 20 elements, and for the final story he was only able to get 13 of the 21 elements. His
scores in this section show that his short-term memory is not his strongest ability, but it is not

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necessarily something to be concerned about. There were a few moments where he would pause
for about one minute before being able to relay any of the information; I could tell during this
time that he was processing the task and reviewing the information he had just heard. While his
scores on the Story Recall subtest were rather average, his Story Recall-Delayed subtest scores
were his lowest overall score on the entire assessment. His score was equivalent to that of an
individual who is ten years and six months old. His RPI was much lower for this section, at
87/90. The grade equivalency for this score was at a fifth grade level. This was the only subtest
that showed a significant standard deviation of -2.68. This discrepancy is based on the predicted
difference between initial and delayed scores, where Justin performed below expected recall on
the delayed subtest. The low scores in this section can be fully credited to the fact that this
subtest was given 2 days later than the original Story Recall subtest. It was clear that in the break
provided between subtests, Justin did not store much of the information (if any) in his long-term
memory. The discrepancy between these two scores show that Justin has an average ability to
recall information from his short-term memory, but if this information is not moved to the longterm memory segment, it will be easily forgotten. I think that if Justin had been informed that he
would need to remember the stories and their elements, he would have performed much better.
Even though he miss the majority of the bolded elements, he was able to recall some pieces of
each story. I do not think that his scores for this subtest are an accurate representation of his
abilities to recall information.
On the Understanding Directions subtest, Justins performance was equivalent to that of a
twenty-one year old or older. This score suggests, once again, that his short-term memory is a bit
lower than average for his age, but nothing of significant concern. This score was a bit higher
than the other two subtests in the Oral Language cluster, where his Standard Score was 103 as
the average for his age was between 98 and 108. Justin looked at three out of the six pictures and
once again, his number of correct items decreased by a small increment as the directions became
increasingly complicated. For the first picture he was able to get a perfect score: ten out of ten
items correct. For the next picture he got three out of the twelve items incorrect, and for the last
picture he only got half of the items correct, two out of four. During this subtest, he seemed to
become more anxious as the directions increased in difficulty. When he began to get items
incorrect it was clear that he was losing focus and becoming confused by the many prepositions
used in each statement. Overall, his listening comprehension is a bit lower than average, but I do
not think this is an indicator of an issue with his hearing. I believe, again, if he slowed down and
really listened to the directions with more intention he might have been able to get a higher
score. He should continue to work on his short-term memory skills.
Written Language Assessment Results
The age equivalent for Justins Broad Written Language results is comparable to a
twenty-eight year old. This is about two and a half years above his actual age. This broad cluster
score is the second highest of all the categories for the examination (Broad Reading and Math
tied for first). The standard score for this cluster was 106, which also places him in the average
range of proficiency. On the Spelling subtest, his performance was again even with an average
thirty year old. He was able to get 51 out of 59 items correct. He actually hit a ceiling of six

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items incorrect at item 57, but wanted to continue to finish the subtest and eventually got the last
two items incorrect as well. I was surprised with the strength of this score because during the test
I felt he was actually struggling with spelling unknown words correctly. The most common type
of word he spelled incorrectly were words with double letters. For example, he spelled
syllable, disappearance, bizarre, and vacillate incorrectly. This was an interesting pattern
and highlights a weakness in his spelling abilities. Justin could benefit from practicing spelling
of words with double letters as this is a pattern that appears frequently. In order to be able to
successfully spell more words correctly, Justin could use practice with root words in order to
elevate his score. Overall, Justins spelling skills are proficient for his age and should not be of
concern to his teachers or family.
On the Writing Fluency subtest, Justins performance was surprisingly low compared to
the other subtests. His score was equivalent to an individual who is twelve years and five months
old. This score was below average for his age, equivalent with grade 7 scores. Justin was able to
get 22 items correct out of a possible 40 items. The sentences that he produced were relatively
simple, therefore sometimes did not meet all of the criteria for full credit as explained by the WJACH III. All of the attempted items were correct, however he stopped after item number 22. I
think that Justin stopped at this item as he knew time would be running out soon and he did not
want to continue. I would mostly credit his low score for this subtest to the fact (once again) that
he was aware he was being timed. He rushed through each item, writing as fast as he could,
seemingly just anxious to get through this subtest. I can understand why he thought writing the
sentences was a tedious task. I do not think this score was a good indicator of his writing fluency
ability. This score is an indicator however, that Justins tendency to get frustrated and rush
through things can negatively impact his performance.
On the Writing Samples subtest, Justins performance was equal to that of someone over
the age of thirty (>30). While this score was equally as high as his performance on the LetterWord Identification, Reading Fluency, Spelling, Passage Comprehension, and Applied Problems
subtests, this subtest was scored much more subjectively. Thus, it is much more difficult to tell if
this was truly his strongest subtest or not. This subtest, however, was certainly his strongest
performance out of the Broad Written Language Cluster. His RPI was again high at 98/90, which
implies that on similar items he would score with 98% accuracy. This score has a grade
equivalent of 18.0, which is about two grades above his current grade level. He began this
subtest at item number 13 and continued to item number 29, and he skipped the very last item.
As the examiner, I noticed that he became very frustrated as his hand became tired from writing.
I think he skipped the last item because it involved the most text and he just did not feel like
writing all of it. Overall, Justin is a skilled writer and has a clear understanding of English
language grammar and mechanics. His handwriting was easy to read at first but became less
legible as the subtest items went on. I am certain that he was writing quickly and did not give
much thought to his handwriting, he was certainly ready to be finished with the exam at the end
of this subtest.
Justin was relatively consistent across and within all of the broad categories, except for the Story

13
Recall-Delayed and Writing Fluency subtests. That being said, I do not believe there are any
areas that are holding him back academically. I was thoroughly impressed with his reading and
mathematics ability, and agree that he is naturally bright. He is extremely strong with problem
solving, but sometimes allows his anxiety to rush him through items and causes him to make
trivial errors where he otherwise would not. His Brief Achievement score is equivalent to that of
a thirty year old, so it is clear that the college-level work he is facing at Towson is appropriate for
him.
Summary/Discussion (Conclusion)
Justin is a twenty-five year and six month old student who is in his senior year (grade
16.2) at Towson University. Justin was referred for an educational evaluation to gain a better
understanding of how his anxiety and tendencies to give less than his full ability can impact his
academic performance. Overall, his biggest strengths are his word identification, reading fluency,
spelling, and mathematics skills. His most impressive performance was in the Broad Reading
Cluster; however, he did fairly well across the board. His weaknesses lie in delayed story recall
as well as writing fluency. Even though these can be considered his weakest performances, the
low scores can be credited towards forgetting information over a two-day period, as well as his
tendency to rush through problems that he does not have the patience to work out. With
appropriate time and in a low-pressure environment, these scores would certainly increase a great
deal. Justins performance on the WJ-ACH III consisted more so of strengths rather than
weaknesses. He clearly possesses talents in various academic areas. At this point, there is no
need for intervention, however it is clear that academic stamina and willingness to persevere and
apply himself is indeed a concern. As previously mentioned, his comprehensive score is equal to
that of someone thirty years or older.
Recommendations
1. Broad Math (Calculation): When completing math items, Justin needs to learn how to take
his time in order to avoid making simple mistakes. All of the mistakes that were made on this
section most likely could have been avoided with more attentiveness. Justin should work on
slowing down and checking his answers over before moving on to the next item. Since Justin
is fairly strong in mathematics, the challenging level of the advanced items is not a problem
for him at all. Rather, he needs to be more aware of the simple mistakes he makes when he
rushes through. He could use work in computing algebraic equations with fractions in his
head. Similarly, his problem attack could use some attention. He often seemed to get
overwhelmed by the appearance of a difficult problem and gave up almost immediately
instead of trying to solve it. As Justin is likely used to being able to use a calculator in his
accounting courses, it makes sense that he is nervous to attempt a difficult equation without
this tool. To increase his calculation competency, Justin could practice solving equations
without the use of a calculator, which would make him much more confident with doing the
computations on his own.
2. Broad Written Language (Writing Fluency): Justins writing fluency was one of his weakest
areas simply because he gave up easily after becoming tired of completing the subtest.
Similarly, his handwriting became less and less legible as the subtest went along. Justin needs

14
to work on his writing stamina if he hopes to improve in this area. Similar to how he is
accustomed to using a calculator to help with math calculations, it is likely that he is also
used to having technology available as word processing tools. When asked to hand write for
a long amount of time, his weakness in this area was revealed. Justin should practice taking
notes by hand to increase his ability to write quickly for a longer period of time, without
giving up or becoming easily frustrated.
3. Broad Math (Understanding Directions): Justin is a very strong problem solver. He has the
tools necessary to figure out the answer to a problem he might have never seen before. Justin
needs to apply this strength in order to focus harder and be able to follow complex, multistep directions. During this subtest, the last few items for each picture were either incorrect
or skipped. In order to achieve higher in the future, Justin could practice using prepositions to
enhance his ability to follow the directions. Often, Justin would be able to select the correct
items out of the picture from the directions, but would point to them in the incorrect order.
Playing memorization games would help to strengthen this area in order to be able to recall
the directions in the proper sequence. Similarly, Justin could work on his listening skills and
attentiveness in order to make fewer mistakes in the future.
4. Written Language (Spelling): While Justins scores indicated strength in the Spelling subtest,
a pattern was developed in the items he got incorrect. Many of the words that Justin
misspelled contained double or multiple similar letters. In order to improve his spelling of
new or unknown words, Justin could practice root words. This would help him to avoid
missing letters, which was often the case in this subtest. For example, he misspelled the word
disappearance because he missed one of the ps in the word. If Justin focused on the root
word disappear, he might have self-corrected his error and come up with the correct
answer. Justin also could use work with words that have silent consonants. For example, he
missed the letter c in the word acquaintance as well as the letter c in the word
omniscient. By making flash cards and reviewing rules for silent consonants, Justin might
be able to improve his score in this area as well as increase his ability to spell unknown
words.
5. Oral Language (Story Recall-Delayed): This subtest was clearly Justins weakest area. As
mentioned earlier, it is possible his low score correlated to taking a break from the exam.
Similarly, he might have performed better had he been told he would need to remember the
stories told in the story recall section. Nevertheless, his scores indicated that Justin needs to
work on his short-term memory in order to increase his ability in this specific area. To
improve his ability to recall, Justin should focus on story comprehension and recalling of
specific details mentioned in a text. It is clear that Justin is able to recall or gather a main idea
from a text he read earlier, but the details were completely lost for him. Justin should practice
pointing out and recalling specific details from a text, rather than just the main idea, in order
to improve his ability to recall the details later on.
_Erica Davis_________________
Baltimore City Public Schools

___11/2/15__________
Date
SUMMARY OF SCORES

15
WOODCOCK-JOHNSON III, FORM A TESTS OF ACHIEVEMENT
Name of Student:
Age
Equivalent
(AE)

BROAD READING CLUSTER

BASIC READING SKILLS
READING COMPREHENSION CLUSTER
Letter-Word Identification
Letter-Word Identification

Passage Comprehension
Reading Fluency
Word Attack
Reading Vocabulary
BROAD MATHEMATICS CLUSTER
MATHEMATICS CALCULATION CLUSTER
MATHEMATICS REASONING CLUSTER

Calculation
Math Fluency
Applied Problems
Quantitative Concepts
ORAL LANGUAGE
Story Recall
Understanding Directions
BROAD WRITTEN LANGUAGE
BASIC WRITING SKILLS
WRITTEN EXPRESSION CLUSTER
Spelling
Editing
Writing Fluency
Writing Samples

Date Administer:
Grade
Standard
Equivalen
Score
t (GE)
(SS)

PR

classification

>30
>30

>18.0
>18.0

118
121

91

>30

>18.0

117

High Average

>30
>30

>18.0
17.8

116
109

High Average
Average

>30
>24

>18.0
>18.0

110
114

>23
>25
>30

>18.0
13.9
14.1

116
102
104

>21
>20
>21
>28
>20
>24
>30

>17.6
>13.3
13.0
14.1
>18.0
13.0
15.3

109
116
103
106
112
104
106

12-5
>30

7.0
>18.0

90
118

55

Average
High Average
High Average
Average
Average

49
28

STANDARD SCORES (SS) and CLASSIFICATIONS (use this language and the classification ranges in your
report, especially in the interpretation section)
131 and above
falls in the Very Superior range
121 to 130
falls in the Superior range
111 to 120
falls in the High Average range
90 to 110
falls in the Average range
80 to 89
falls in the Low Average range
70 to 79
falls in the Low range
<70
falls in the Very Low range

Reflection

High Average
Superior

Average
High Average
Average
Average
High Average
Average
Average
Average
High Average

16
From administering this formal assessment, I was certainly able to develop my
understanding of CEC/InTASC Standard 6. The standard, related to assessment, states: The
teacher understands and uses multiple methods of assessment to engage learners in their own
growth, to monitor learner progress, and to guide the teachers and learners decision making.
Administering the WJ-ACH III definitely revealed the importance of making multiple means of
assessment available in order to gather an accurate measurement of a students academic ability.
By only assessing a student in one subject, or by only using one form of assessment, it is
impossible to truly gain a full understanding of his or her strengths and weaknesses. As a teacher,
I must be aware of how to implement a range of assessments and be able to interpret their results
in order to accurately assess a diverse range of students with varying needs. Only testing a
student in one specific area or way could give skewed results that misinterpret their unique
abilities and learning styles. This experience was a great opportunity to understand the value of
having an assorted set of assessment strategies. The WJ-ACH III is an excellent example of a
diverse assessment because it provides multiple opportunities for the examinee to understand and
respond to different items. Throughout the exam, the student is reading, writing, listening,
looking at visuals, and computing. As a special educator, it is crucial to be prepared to make
adjustments to assessment strategies in order to make the entire exam accessible to every student.
For example, a student with a visual impairment would struggle to complete the Understanding
Directions subtest. Similarly, a student with a hearing impairment would need an alternate form
for the Story Recall subtest. As a future teacher, I will now be much more aware of the
importance of combining a multitude of assessments in order to gather data about academic
ability. The WJ-ACH III is an excellent measure but should be used in combination with other
types or forms of assessments to get an accurate picture of a students strengths and weaknesses.
It is imperative that a teacher understands this concept in order to adjust instruction in general, in
order to meet the needs of a diverse group of learners. Giving multiple opportunities and avenues
for success in the classroom is extremely important in improving student learning overall.
By generating this Educational Achievement Report, I learned a great deal about the
assessment process as it relates to education. This new knowledge will be imperative as I start
my career as a special educator in the near future. For this project, I started with the initial
interviews with both Justin and his mother, and then proceeded to administer the WJ-ACH III
assessment. After completing the exam, I was able to compute the scores and gain a solid
perspective of Justins academic ability and how it compares to his age equivalent peers. From
these scores, I was able to determine areas for which he needed improvement and areas in which
he showed exceptional aptitude. It is apparent now how formal assessments such as the WJ-ACH
could be extremely telling in discovering important information about a students needs. Such
scores could reveal pertinent data that reveals a discrepancy between ability and achievement, a
typical indicator of a learning disability, for example. Justin has a great number of strengths for
his age; his scores did not however display any discrepancies between his ability and his
performance, besides his tendencies to lose focus and stamina. In many other cases though, this
assessment would be extremely helpful for discerning educational placement for a student who is
displaying difficulties in their academic performance.
Overall, I had a fairly positive experience with administering this assessment. While there
are certainly things that I would do differently in the future, I learned a great deal from the

17
opportunity to administer the test. In the future, I might plan frequent breaks ahead of time so
that they would not impact the performance of the examinee. I might also choose to administer
the test to someone who I have a more formal relationship with, because it was difficult to get
my subject to give full effort throughout the many subtests for an extended period of time. As the
subject and I have a close relationship, I feel it might be possible he was giving up earlier than he
would have if the examiner and setting were more formal. I also struggled with the software to
calculate all of the results of the test. Next time I would test the software on my computer ahead
of time so I would not run into the same problem. Given more time, I might have also practiced
administering the test a few times before giving it to the subject. I felt that my nerves in
organizing and keeping track of all the materials were apparent to my examinee. Especially when
using the timer, I could tell this was impacting Justins performance. He would rush through the
subtest making trivial errors without noticing, most likely because of the timed pressure. In the
future I would try to be more discreet with the timer as well as more organized with handling all
of the materials. Although administering the test to someone my own age was easy in some
respects, I think it would be much more beneficial for me to get experience with administering
this type of test to a subject in the age range that I will be teaching. I am certain the experience
would have been extremely different had my subject been in the 5-7 year old age range.
Generally though, the administration experience was positive and I learned so much about the
testing process. The experience is invaluable and Im certain I will become more and more
comfortable with the process as I continue to practice. I look forward to being able to interpret
results and give meaning to this type of data in my future as a special educator.