[Validity of Woodcock Johnson III as a Standardized Test for Students with Visual Impairments]

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

LITERATURE REVIEW3

Education of the Visually Impaired10

Tactual and Auditory Skills12

Individualized Education Plan14

Characteristics of Woodcock Johns III and Validity20

Substantive Validity20

Structural Validity21

External Validity21

Comparison of Test of Visual Impaired Students and students without disabilities21

Test for Students with Visual Impairments22

Test for Students without Disabilities23

Recent Developments24

REFERENCES28

Literature Review

Different researches has shown that for youths with visual impairments, having access to educational information at the same time as their sighted peers increases the likelihood of improved independence, higher self-esteem, and competitive academic success, all of which lead to greater preparation for postsecondary activities (Alper & Raharinirina, 2006; Duhaney & Duhaney, 2000; Gerber, 2003; IDEA, 2004; Kapperman & Sticken, 2003; Michaels & McDermott, 2003). However, if any, studies have quantitatively examined the extent to which access technology is being used nationally and its predictive relationship to score on standardized tests for youths, who are receiving specialized services for their visual impairments. The study presented by the researchers' explored the data collected for the NLTS2 (National Longitudinal Transition Study-2) on behalf of the Office of Special Education Programs of the U.S. Department of Education. The NLTS2, an ongoing multiwave study that began in 2000, focuses on the experiences of youths with disabilities who are transitioning from high school to postsecondary activities. The intent is to identify effective instructional strategies, situations, and modifications for youths with disabilities and to find areas that need improvement. A preliminary analysis of the data indicated that youths who were receiving a variety of specialized services for visual impairments consistently performed better on standardized tests than did those in other disability groups; however, researchers have not looked specifically at the impact of access technology on the performance of youths with visual impairments on these tests (Wagner, Newman, Cameto, & Levine, 2006). The study examined the NLTS2 data, exploring the relationship between the use of access technology and scores on standardized tests, specifically the research edition of the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Academic Achievement: III (WJIII) (Woodcock, McGrew, & Mather, 2001).

Woodcock (1973) also conducted a normative update for the Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests - Revised [1998 Normative Update] (WRMT-R). Crocker (1999), of the University of Florida, reviewed the normative update, noting that the Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests- Revised [1998 Normative Update] (NU) Edition (WRMT-R) is different from the 1987 edition only in updated norms. These were obtained from a new data collection design implemented in 1995-1996. The norming study included a nationwide sample of over 3,000 examinees from 129 locations in 40 states. The students examined were in grades K-12 or young adults, stratified by gender, race, parental education, and geographic region, reflecting the demographic distributions of the U.S. At each grade level, the number of participants ranged from 204-295 from the respective grades K - 12.

McGrew et al. (2007) explained that scores are placed into the WJ-III scoring program, Compuscore and Profiles Program, and individual strengths and weaknesses can be computed in specific areas as a diagnostic ...