The Psychometric Effects of Altering the Ceiling Criterion on the Passage Comprehension Test of the Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests- Revised/NU

Abstract

The Passage Comprehension portion of the Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests - Revised/NU was administered to 63 middle school and high school students and scored according to the ceiling criterion recommended in the test manual (i.e., six consecutive errors). The protocols were then rescored using the following ceiling criteria: (a) five consecutive errors, (b) five errors in six consecutive responses, and (c) five errors in seven consecutive responses. A strong relationship was determined between raw scores obtained using all four scoring methods. An external measure, full scale intelligence quotient, was found to be consistently correlated between each group of raw scores. The number of items administered was reduced to a statistically significant degree by relaxing the ceiling criterion without negatively affecting the psychometric properties of the test. Regression equations were presented in order to create accessibility to the Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests - Revised/NU norm tables when using the alternative scoring methods. Practical implications of the results are presented.