Woodcock and PIAT Reading Scores: A Lack of Equivalency

Abstract

Using each student as his or her own control, 76 students in grades 2 through 6 from rural to urban localities in upper east Tennessee were administered the Peabody Individual Achievement Test and the Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests. Comparisons were made between the PIAT Reading Recognition and Woodcock Word Identification tests and between the PIAT Reading Comprehension and Woodcock Passage Comprehension tests. While the correlations for the total group were highly significant in both comparisons, a breakdown by grade level demonstrated variability in the results, ranging from not significant to highly significant. In assessing the comparability of the obtained scores, the scores from the total grouup were significantly different. However, a breakdown by grade level found the same variability as for the correlations. Concern for errors in diagnosis is expressed and a call for the development of local norms is made.

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