WJ IV Clinical Use and Interpretation

Scientist-Practitioner Perspectives

Dawn P Flanagan, Vincent C Alfonso

• Publisher: Academic Press
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN: 9780128020760
• eBook ISBN: 9780128021101
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Educational Psychology

WJ IV Clinical Use and Interpretation: Scientist-Practitioner Perspectives provides clinical use and interpretive information for clinical practitioners using the Woodcock-Johnson, Fourth Edition (WJ IV). The book discusses how the cognitive, achievement, and oral language batteries are organized, a description of their specific content, a brief review of their psychometric properties, and best practices in interpreting scores on the WJ IV.Coverage includes the predictive validity of its lower order factors and the clinical information that can be derived from its 60 individual subtests. Part II of this book describes the clinical and diagnostic utility of the WJ IV with young children for diagnosing learning disabilities in both school age and adult populations, and for identifying gifted and talented individuals.Additionally, the book discusses the use of the WJ IV with individuals whose culture and language backgrounds differ from those who are native English speakers and who were born and raised in mainstream US culture.- Discusses the organization and content of all three batteries in the WJ-IV- Reviews best practices for score interpretation- Covers psychometric properties and predictive validity- Explores clinical information that can be extracted from 60 individual subtests- Includes diagnostic utility for learning disabilities, giftedness, and non-English speaking populations

Chapter 1

Overview of the Woodcock-Johnson IV

Organization, Content, and Psychometric Properties

Yi Ding¹ and Vincent C. Alfonso², ¹Graduate School of Education, Fordham University, New York, NY, USA, ²School of Education, Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA, USA

Abstract

This chapter included an overview of the organization, content, and psychometric properties of the Woodcock-Johnson IV (WJ IV). We reviewed the CHC (Cattell–Horn–Carroll) theory and theoretical underpinnings of the WJ IV. The description of WJ IV tests and composition of WJ IV clusters was also presented.

Keywords

Woodcock-Johnson IV; organization; content; psychometric properties

The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of the organization, content, and psychometric properties of the Woodcock-Johnson IV (WJ IV; Schrank, McGrew, & Mather, 2014a). The WJ IV family of instruments is composed of the WJ IV Tests of Cognitive Abilities (WJ IV COG; Schrank, McGrew, & Mather, 2014b), WJ IV Tests of Achievement (WJ IV ACH; Schrank, Mather, & McGrew, 2014a), and WJ IV Tests of Oral Language (WJ IV OL; Schrank, Mather, & McGrew, 2014b). These revised instruments provide a comprehensive set of norm-referenced and individually administered tests of cognitive, academic achievement, and oral language abilities, respectively.

According to Mather and Wendling (2014b), there are several factors to consider in order to summarize the significant advances in the WJ IV family of instruments. First, the WJ IV assessment system used a theory-based approach to design state-of-the-art instruments. Specifically, the WJ IV allows examiners to explore the strengths and weaknesses of individuals through the measurement of their cognitive, academic, and linguistic abilities via the Cattell–Horn–Carroll (CHC) theory of abilities (Carroll, 1993; Horn & Noll, 1997; Schneider & McGrew, 2012). Second, it complements the response to intervention (RtI) approach, which was not emphasized in the Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ III; Woodcock, McGrew, & Mather, 2001a). Third, the WJ IV enhances the methodology to examine variations and ability/achievement comparisons. Fourth, the WJ IV focuses on the important broad CHC abilities and narrow CHC abilities that are important for academic success, whereas the WJ III focused primarily on the broad CHC abilities. Fifth, the WJ IV family of instruments was designed with ease of administration and scoring as well as flexibility in mind. Thus, novice examiners can use the tests with confidence, especially those who are familiar with the WJ III. The WJ IV also allows experienced examiners access to a wide range of interpretive options to enhance and individualize their evaluations based on the needs of their examinees (see Dumont, Willis, & Walrath, in this volume, and McDonough & Flanagan in this volume, for more information on interpretive options available on the WJ IV). Examiners can use the cognitive, achievement, and oral language batteries as independent batteries or use them in conjunction with one another.

Theoretical Underpinnings of the WJ IV

The WJ IV was designed based on the structure of abilities known as CHC theory. The CHC theory of abilities is based on the integration of two independently derived theories; namely, the Cattell–Horn Gf–Gc theory (Horn & Noll, 1997) and Carroll’s three stratum theory (Carroll, 1993). A brief overview of CHC theory is provided next. The interested reader is referred to Alfonso, Flanagan, and Radwan (2005), Flanagan, Ortiz, and Alfonso (2013), McGrew (2005), and Schneider and McGrew (2012) for detailed discussions on the history of CHC theory.

The Gf–Gc theory is a model that has been developed and enhanced by Cattell, Horn, and their research associates over the past 60 years. Cattell’s early contribution to Gf–Gc theory concluded that Spearman’s g could be best explained by dividing the general g factor into fluid intelligence (Gf) and general crystallized intelligence (Gc) (Cattell, 1941, 1943). The Gf factor has been described as fluid reasoning (Cattell–Horn) or fluid intelligence (Carroll) and is a measure of the abilities to reason, form concepts, and solve problems (using unfamiliar information or novel procedures). Fluid reasoning/intelligence requires basic reasoning processes (deductive and inductive reasoning); manipulation of abstract concepts, rules, and logical relations; demands mental flexibility (shifting mental gears); and requires deliberate and flexible control of attention. It also involves adaptive and new learning capabilities and is related to mental operations and processes. Fluid reasoning/intelligence is more dependent on the physiological structures (e.g., cortical and lower cortical regions) that support intellectual behavior than is crystallized intelligence. Finally, fluid reasoning/intelligence increases until sometime during adolescence and then it slowly declines.

The Gc factor has been described as acculturation knowledge (Cattell–Horn) or crystallized intelligence (Carroll). It is a measure of the breadth and depth of knowledge of culture, understanding of social norms, and the storage and retrieval of previously acquired knowledge. Gc is the ability to communicate one’s knowledge, particularly in verbal format, and includes the use of declarative and procedural knowledge. The development of acculturation knowledge or crystallized intelligence involves overlearned and well-established cognitive functions and is related to mental products and achievements. Gc is highly influenced by formal and informal educational factors.

From 1965 to the early 1990s, the original Gf–Gc model was extended by Horn (1965, 1991) with new factors such as short-term acquisition and retrieval or short-term memory (SAR or Gsm), visual perception or processing (Gv), auditory processing (Ga), tertiary storage and retrieval or long-term storage and retrieval (TSR or Glr), and speed of processing (Gs) (Alfonso et al., 2005). In addition, Horn described correct decision speed or Gt, quanti...

Table of contents

• Cover image
• Title page
• Table of Contents
• Copyright
• List of Contributors
• Preface
• Chapter 1. Overview of the Woodcock-Johnson IV: Organization, Content, and Psychometric Properties
• Chapter 2. Clinical Interpretation of the Woodcock–Johnson IV Tests of Cognitive Abilities, Academic Achievement, and Oral Language
• Chapter 3. A Special Validity Study of the Woodcock–Johnson IV: Acting on Evidence for Specific Abilities
• Chapter 4. Woodcock–Johnson IV Scoring and Reporting Online Program Review
• Chapter 5. Instructional Implications from the Woodcock–Johnson IV Tests of Cognitive Abilities
• Chapter 6. Instructional Implications from the Woodcock–Johnson IV Tests of Achievement
• Chapter 7. Strengths and Weaknesses of the Woodcock–Johnson IV Tests of Cognitive Abilities: Best Practice from a Scientist–Practitioner Perspective
• Chapter 8. Use of the Woodcock–Johnson IV in the Identification of Specific Learning Disabilities in School-age Children
• Chapter 9. Use of the Woodcock–Johnson IV in the Diagnosis of Specific Learning Disabilities in Adulthood
• Chapter 10. Use of the Woodcock–Johnson IV Tests of Cognitive Abilities in the Diagnosis of Intellectual Disability
• Chapter 11. Use of the Woodcock–Johnson IV Tests of Cognitive Abilities and Achievement in the Assessment for Giftedness
• Chapter 12. Assessment of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Individuals with the Woodcock–Johnson IV
• Chapter 13. Neurocognitive Applications of the Woodcock–Johnson IV
• Chapter 14. Use of the Woodcock–Johnson IV in a Response to Intervention Service Delivery Model
• Index