WIAT - Wechsler Individual Achievement Reading Composite Subtests Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An examiner administers the WIAT-4 to a 5th-grade student and calculates the main Reading Composite score. Which of the following subtests are required to form this specific composite?
- Word Reading, Reading Comprehension, Pseudoword Decoding, and Oral Reading Fluency (Correct answer)
- Word Reading, Phonemic Proficiency, and Orthographic Fluency
- Reading Comprehension, Listening Comprehension, and Oral Expression
- Oral Reading Fluency, Decoding Fluency, and Orthographic Fluency
Correct answer: Word Reading, Reading Comprehension, Pseudoword Decoding, and Oral Reading Fluency
The primary WIAT-4 Reading Composite provides a broad measure of reading skills and is composed of four specific subtests: Word Reading, Reading Comprehension, Pseudoword Decoding, and Oral Reading Fluency. [3] The other answer choices list subtests that form different composites (like the Reading Fluency or Basic Reading composites) or include subtests from other domains (like Oral Language).
Question 2: A psychologist is evaluating a student who struggles to sound out new words but has a strong sight-word vocabulary. To specifically assess the student's ability to apply phonic rules to novel words, which WIAT-4 subtest would be most informative?
- Word Reading
- Reading Comprehension
- Oral Reading Fluency
- Pseudoword Decoding (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Pseudoword Decoding
The Pseudoword Decoding subtest is designed specifically to measure an individual's ability to apply phonetic decoding skills to unfamiliar, pronounceable non-words. [2, 4] This isolates the skill of phonetic decoding from sight-word memory, which is assessed by the Word Reading subtest.
Question 3: A student's evaluation report indicates a low score on the WIAT-4 Oral Reading Fluency subtest. This score is primarily based on which two factors?
- Passage comprehension and prosody
- Reading speed and accuracy (Correct answer)
- Decoding of single words and non-words
- Answering literal and inferential questions
Correct answer: Reading speed and accuracy
The standard score for the Oral Reading Fluency subtest is derived from the average number of words the examinee reads correctly per minute across two passages. [1, 5] While comprehension questions are asked to encourage reading for meaning, they do not factor into the final fluency score. Prosody is noted qualitatively but does not determine the quantitative score.
Question 4: Which of the following WIAT-4 composite scores is designed to provide the most focused assessment of an individual's foundational decoding and phonological skills?
- Reading Comprehension & Fluency Composite
- Total Reading Composite
- Basic Reading Composite (Correct answer)
- Oral Language Composite
Correct answer: Basic Reading Composite
The WIAT-4 Basic Reading Composite specifically targets fundamental reading skills by combining the Word Reading, Pseudoword Decoding, and Phonemic Proficiency subtests. [2] This combination provides a focused look at an individual's ability to read words, decode new words, and manipulate sounds.
Question 5: An examiner needs to assess a student's ability to understand written text, including making inferences and recalling details from passages. Which WIAT-4 subtest directly measures these skills?
- Listening Comprehension
- Word Reading
- Oral Reading Fluency
- Reading Comprehension (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Reading Comprehension
The Reading Comprehension subtest measures an individual's ability to understand written material at the word, sentence, and passage level. [1, 5] Examinees read passages and then answer both literal and inferential questions posed by the examiner, directly assessing their understanding of the text.
Question 6: The WIAT-4 introduced the Reading Fluency Composite to provide a more detailed analysis of efficient reading. This composite is comprised of which three subtests?
- Word Reading, Pseudoword Decoding, and Reading Comprehension
- Oral Reading Fluency, Orthographic Fluency, and Decoding Fluency (Correct answer)
- Reading Comprehension, Oral Reading Fluency, and Listening Comprehension
- Phonemic Proficiency, Word Reading, and Pseudoword Decoding
Correct answer: Oral Reading Fluency, Orthographic Fluency, and Decoding Fluency
The WIAT-4 Reading Fluency Composite is a specific grouping that includes Oral Reading Fluency, Orthographic Fluency, and Decoding Fluency. [2] This composite assesses the speed and accuracy of reading connected text, recognizing words by sight, and decoding words efficiently.
An examiner administers the WIAT-4 to a 5th-grade student and calculates the main Reading Composite score.
Which of the following subtests are required to form this specific composite?