Authors:
Haya Shamir
;
Erin Phinney Johnson
and
Kimberly Brown
Affiliation:
Waterford Research Institute, United States
Keyword(s):
Computerized Adaptive Test, Reading Assessment.
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
Assessment Software Tools
;
Computer-Supported Education
;
e-Learning
;
e-Learning Hardware and Software
;
Learning/Teaching Methodologies and Assessment
Abstract:
The Waterford Assessment of Core Skills (WACS) is a new computerized adaptive test of early literacy for students in Kindergarten through 2nd grade. WACS includes assessments in letter recognition, letter sound and initial sound recognition, blending, segmenting, reading real and non-words, reading comprehension, listening comprehension, and vocabulary. A CAT for this age group will be highly beneficial by allowing whole classes to be tested together without additional personnel, by assessing a large number of content areas in reduced time and with fewer questions than a standard paper and pencil test, by producing immediate and accurate score reports, and by engaging students with animations during the test. Reliability and validity analyses indicate that the test is internally coherent and that the subtests correlate well with other reading tests used with this age group, including DIBELS, IRI, ITBS and TPRI.