Torc 4 Abscohort1 - Compress
Torc 4 Abscohort1 - Compress
TORC-4
What it is:
The TORC is a measure of silent reading comprehension. The test consists of
five subtests.
Who it is for:
The TORC-4 should only be given to individuals between ages 7-0 and 17-11
o Individuals must be capable of understanding the tests directions and
formulate responses prior to taking the test
Norming:
"The TORC was normed on a sample of 1,942 persons in 14 states." For each major
standardized site, the site coordinator hired experienced personnel to administer the
test. The standardization sites were chosen to ensure representation in the four regions
of the U.S. The results gave a sample that is to represent the nation.
The characteristics of the sample are reported in regards to gender, race,
geographic region, Hispanic status, family income, exceptionality status, and
educational level of parents.
Subtest 1
Relational Vocabulary
The student reads 3 words that are related to each other, and then the student
reads a different list of four words and chooses 2 words that are related to the
original three words.
This measures the readers understanding of sets of vocabulary items that are
associated with the same general concept.
Example:
A. Yellow
B. Circle
C. Orange
D. Light
Student is not timed; rather the test administrator observes the student's
responses and notes if they're correct or incorrect. Once the student has met the
subtest's ceiling, the test is stopped.
Materials Student booklet and answer sheet, examiner book and record sheet,
pencils
Limitations:
o It is difficult to watch the student mark their responses while looking to see
if they have reached the ceiling.
Subtest 2
Sentence Completion
The student reads a sentence that is missing two words. The student then reads
a list of word pairs and chooses the best fit for the sentence.
This subtest measures the students “understanding of interaction with sentence
structure, vocabulary and implied context.”
Example:
A ____ can____.
A. Hill-play
B. Wet-swim
C. Dog-run
D. Cow-read
E. Car-talk
The answer is C.
The student is not timed. The instructions are read to the student, the instructor
goes through the examples with the student. If the student cannot get the
examples correct, subtest two is skipped. If the student can correctly complete
the examples the subtest is given. The test is stopped once the ceiling is
reached.
This subtest uses the cloze procedure which has the student fill in missing words
in the passage.
Materials Student booklet and answer sheet, examiner book and record sheet, pencils
Limitations:
o It can be difficult to look at the student’s sheet from a comfortable distance
while watching for the ceiling to be reached. This needs to be done
without interfering with the student; however, it is important we see when
they meet the ceiling.
Subtest 3
Paragraph Construction
The student reads a list of sentences which are in the wrong order. The student
must think about how the order should go. The student will then be asked to
rearrange the sentences into an order that makes sense.
This allows us to measure the reader’s ability to construct meaningful
paragraphs.
Example:
The answer is B, C, A.
The examiner does not time the student. The instructions are read to the student.
Then, the examiner and student go through the examples. The subtest is then
started. There are 3 to 5 sentences the student must put into order. The subtest
is over when the ceiling is reached.
Materials Student booklet and answer sheet, examiner book and record sheet,
pencils
Basal/Ceiling When less than three points on any two consecutive items is scored,
beginning with item four.
Validity: This subtest shows validity by measuring the ability to order sentences
into plausible paragraphs. Reading comprehension requires us to understand
how sentences relate to each other and how those sentences create a short
story without a model. Ordering sentences in a logically constructed paragraph
has readers demonstrating their ability to create a coherent cognitive framework
in the absence of a model or title.
Limitations:
o This subtest is really hard to score while the student is taking the test.
o The scoring instructions are complex. The student can score 0,2,3,4 or 5
points for each passage. It is difficult to see the order of each response
and calculate the appropriate points earned while the student is working.
Subtest 4
Text Comprehension
The student will be read the instructions by the examiner. The examiner will go
through the first example with the student. The subtest requires the student to
answer questions based on a short story.
This subtest measures the reader’s ability to answer questions about the content
of stories that become progressively more difficult.
The test is not timed. If the student has trouble correctly answering the example
questions, the examiner needs to go over the example again. The test is then
allowed to start. The subtest is done when the ceiling is reached.
Example:
Story:
Question:
A. Black
B. Green
C. Brown
D. Purple
The answer is C.
Materials Student booklet and answer sheet, examiner book and record sheet,
pencils
Basal Begins at 1
Ceiling When any three questions are missed (scored 0) in each of three
consecutive stories.
Validity: This subtest shows validity by measuring the reader’s ability to answer
questions about the content of stories in passages. The passages include testing
in the areas of vocabulary, grammar and content. The method in subtest 4 is one
of the most widely used formats for assessing reading comprehension. The
approaches taken in the subtest such as reviewing the questions before the story
is read, and skimming an article or story are relevant to real life and therefore
reflect a valid approach to reading comprehension assessments.
Limitations:
o The paragraphs start out short and progressively get long. The tests
become very long; therefore, if a student is a slow reader, the test could
take longer than anticipated to complete.
o
Subtest 5
Contextual Fluency
This subtest is designed to measure the speed that students can recognize
words without spacing. Students draw a line to separate one word from the next.
Subtest 5 measures the student’s ability to single out words in a continuous
string of letters that can be sorted into words.
Example:
IHAVEATOY
I/HAVE/A/TOY
The items are printed in the student answer booklet rather than the student
question booklet. The examiner will read the manual and work through the
example with the student. This subtest is timed. The test stops at exactly 3
minutes.
Materials Student answer booklet, examiner book and record sheet, pencils, stop
watch
Basal Begins at 1
Ceiling Three Minutes
Limitations:
o The directions for this subtest are somewhat unclear. The administer is
supposed to write on the students answer sheet when going through the
examples. The directions state the administer of the test is to teach the
task to the student if the student does not understand the example. There
is an example script for teaching the task to the student, located at the
bottom of the directions. However, If the administer does not explain the
task well to a confused student, it may affect the performance of the
student.
Test Interpretation
Derived Scores: The TORC-4 examiner record form has section two set aside for
recording. Raw scores, age equivalents, grade equivalents, and percentile ranks are the
derived scores found in this test. A derived score is a group of scores that allows us to
compare between test scores.
o Age: Age equivalents are derived from the average scores of all students
who took the exam in the norm sample. The raw scores that relate to the
50th percentile for each age was then determined. Those raw scores were
plotted on a graph, lines connected the average scores. It was then
determined the age that corresponded to each possible raw score.
o Grade: Found similar to age equivalents, the average raw score at four
intervals for each grade was computed and graphed. Lines connecting the
average scores had to be smoothed which then allowed the grade level to
correlate to each possible raw score.
o Percentile rank: These indicate the percentage of the distribution that is
at or below a certain score.
Scoring: The results are interpreted using the Appendix in the back of the
examiners manual.
o Age and Grade Equivalence: Age and grade equivalencies for raw
scores are found using Appendix C and D
In each subtest, a raw score is documented. The raw score
corresponds to an age and grade for each subtest in the appendix.
For example: a student’s raw score in the subtest of Sentence
Completion gave a 21. This shows an age equivalency of 10-3.
This means the student performed consistent with the students in
the normative sample who were 10 years and 3 months old. The
grade equivalency for a raw score of 21 in the same subtest gave
5.0. This means the student performed close to that of students in
the norm sample who were in the first month of fifth grade.
o Scaled Scores: Standard scores for the subtests are called scaled
scores.
To find the scaled score for each subtest, the examiner consults
Appendix A. The tables are based on the age of the student.
For a student at the age of 10-7, the examiner would use table A.8
in the back of the examiners manual. The raw score from each
subtest corresponds with a scaled score.
The TORC-4 scaled scores have a mean of 10 and a standard
deviation of 3.
o There are descriptive terms that correspond to specific score ranges. The
terms are as follows:
Very superior (scaled score of 17-20) (RCI >130)
Superior (scaled score of 15-16) (RCI 121-130)
Above average (scaled score of 13-14) (RCI 111-120)
Average (scaled score of 8-12) (RCI 90-110)
Below average (scaled score of 6-7) (RCI 80-89)
Poor (scaled score of 4-5) (RCI 70-79)
Very poor (scaled score of 1-3) (RCI <70)
o Test results are observations, not a diagnosis for a student.
o The results specify performance level for a certain time, under a certain
situation.
Psychometrics
Reliability: refers to the consistency with which a test measures ability.
o Test Re-test:
Error due to time sampling means that a student's testing
performance may change as a result of the passage of time
between tests.
Time sampling error is usually estimated by the test-retest method.
When the two tests are administered at different times and the
results are compared, the degree of similarity between the two tests
shows the amount of stable reliability the test has.
o How the TORC-4 test/retests:
The TORC-4 assessed a group of 68 regular class public school
students in Austin, TX within the same age range as the tests
requirements.
Time lapse varied from 1 to 2 weeks.
The coefficients for the combined group equal or exceed .8 (.8 is
considered minimally reliable and .9 is considered most desirable).
The coefficients for the Reading comprehension are .94.
Meaning if a student retakes this test, we can be very confident that
the student will obtain a similar score.
Conclusion
Thoughts: Overall the TORC-4 was easy to give as far as instructions went.
o The biggest downfall of the test was scoring as the student is responding
to each subtest.
o The TORC is a comprehensive reading assessment that proves to be
valid, reliable and fairly stress-free to administer.
List of Instruments: Below is a list of other tests that measure similar areas
in reading as the Torc-4 does.
o Subtest 1: Relational Vocabulary
Gray Diagnostic Reading Test-second edition
Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests (WRMT-R)
Group Reading Assessments and Diagnostic Evaluation (GRADE)
o Subtest 2: Sentence Completion
Workbook for Synonyms, Homonyms, and Antonyms
Lincoln Library for Essential Information
The Writers Digest Flip Dictionary
GDRT-2
GRADE
WRMT-R
o Subtest 3: Paragraph Construction
This subtest does not compare to another test but teachers are
showing students to build overall meaning as they read and
understand the text as a whole
o Subtest 4: Text Comprehension
GDRT-2
WJ III DRB
SRI-2
GSRT-2
o Subtest 5: Contextual Fluency
WJ III Diagnostic Reading Battery
GORT-4
TOSWRF
TOSCRF