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Secondary education

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Original poster

Wide Range Achievement Test scoring range

34 replies

roobobly · 29/12/2016 21:18

Hi everyone, just wondering if anyone can help me with what the scoring range is on WRAT's? Daughter has had report home but no explanation on scores, ive had a look round and cant see anything. Thanks in advance

OP posts:
LIZS · 29/12/2016 21:20

Are they expressed as percentiles or scores?

ElizaSchuyler · 29/12/2016 21:25

Why do schools do this.

I've not heard of them but assume they are an alternative to CATS or Midyis

Before ds's school released his scores we went to an explanatory presentation & the scores themselves were accompanied by a fact sheet.

TheDuchessOfKidderminster · 29/12/2016 21:28

What are the scores - I'll tell you what they mean.

Original poster
roobobly · 29/12/2016 21:32

Thanks both. Its just a number, 145. There are seperate scores for english and maths, then WRAT and dash handwriting. This is in addition to the quarterly reports we receive as daughter currently has key worker due to vision problems. I'll contact key worker when they return.

OP posts:
ElizaSchuyler · 29/12/2016 21:33

Now the Dash handwriting test I have heard of as ds's score was so low he gets use of a laptop in exams.

TheDuchessOfKidderminster · 29/12/2016 21:34

Could you type it out exactly as written. If 145 is a standard score that's very high indeed.

ElizaSchuyler · 29/12/2016 21:35

145 is very high on other types of test. The average score is generally 100 with a deviation of 15. 120 plus very good & 130 plus exceptional.

ElizaSchuyler · 29/12/2016 21:36

Did the school or an ed psych administer this

TheDuchessOfKidderminster · 29/12/2016 21:36

Feel free to pm me if you like Smile

Original poster
roobobly · 29/12/2016 21:38

Eliza - at least they can let him use the laptop. My daughter has v neat writing but is slow. Do you know what the range is for dash? Thanks for responses.

OP posts:
TheDuchessOfKidderminster · 29/12/2016 21:39

I know both these tests and interpret these types of scores all the time by the way. (I'm assuming this is a teacher assessment rather than an EP.)

ElizaSchuyler · 29/12/2016 21:40

Ds's handwriting is totally dysfluent but we've still had to fight for the laptop. Ill try & dig out his ed psych report but I think it had to be under a certain percentile to qualify.

ElizaSchuyler · 29/12/2016 21:41

Duchess will be more knowledgable. I just focus on what we need to know for dd & DS (asd)

TheDuchessOfKidderminster · 29/12/2016 21:41

The scores are standardised so are the same across different tests. I haven't ever actually used the DASH but am familiar with how it is scored.

Original poster
roobobly · 29/12/2016 21:43

Thank you all for the responses. We are away at inlaws at moment so i dont have the actual report, will do tomorrow night but from what i can remember it was just a column with WRAT at the top and 145 underneath. She is bright, english was typed as 130+ and maths 120. She is predicted high gcses (only in yr 7 so not reading into this too much!). I just wanted to understand a bit more about what they are used for and the scale. Thanks again.

OP posts:
ElizaSchuyler · 29/12/2016 21:44

DS had a standard score of 82 for DASH which was 11th percentile. I don't know the range.

Original poster
roobobly · 29/12/2016 21:48

I think dash was 87.

OP posts:
TheDuchessOfKidderminster · 29/12/2016 21:49

Ok. 130 is an extremely high score that will place her in the top 1-2% on that particular measure. 120 is also a high score that is around the top 10%. The overall score is a composite of the two I'm assuming and is exceptionally high.

These are standard scores. The mean average is 100. Average range is generally considered to be 85-115 (the range 1 standard deviation above/below the mean).

ElizaSchuyler · 29/12/2016 21:51

I just wish there was one battery of tests as they all seem to generate different scores. my two between them have been subjected to Cats, Midyis BAS3, Weschler & Dash & possibly more I've forgotten! Dd is eligible to join Mensa apparently but scored low on certain parts of her CATS!

TheDuchessOfKidderminster · 29/12/2016 21:52

87 is a low-average score and is comparatively weak and in the bottom quartile for her same age peers (i.e. bottom 25%). Is she getting special exam arrangements?

TheDuchessOfKidderminster · 29/12/2016 21:54

CATTests are a bit crap. The Wechsler and BAS are better but you need to look at the profile of scores quite carefully.

TheDuchessOfKidderminster · 29/12/2016 21:56

And the assessors should always interpret scores in relation to previous assessments of the same skills.

Original poster
roobobly · 29/12/2016 22:01

That sounds like a lot of tests!!

She was given extra time during SATs (didnt use it) because of her vision, she has nystagmus and takes longer to focus, eyes strain very easily too, i know this isnt much compared to what a lot of other children have to work with but my concern was that because she is bright she might not appear to need the additional time. Does the low dash score indicate that she may need extra time for assessments? Saying that she hasnt had any additional time in the high school assessments so far.

OP posts:
Lazybeans50 · 29/12/2016 22:05

DS has overall DASH score of 75 but the 'at speed' one (can't remember the extact terminology) is 70. He's allowed a scribe but we are hoping he'll be able to type for GCSEs. I think for most exam access arrangements they need to be 84 or below but I think they can type with higher scores as long as it's their normal way of working.

ElizaSchuyler · 29/12/2016 22:09

The problem is sometimes that bright children are sometimes seen as not needing the extra time but they may not be achieving to their potential. As well as handwriting DS has slow processing speed so gets extra time despite excellent Midyis scores (127 though his BAS was 108)

Dd got 131, 105 & 108 in CATS (spiky profile) but overall of 138 in Weschler (158 for verbal)