The Word Identification and Spelling Test (WIST) is a valuable tool for assessing foundational literacy skills, making it essential for reading specialists and tutors. This blog provides key details on administering the WIST, its purpose, and how it differs from the Wilson Assessment of Decoding and Encoding (WADE). It will be especially helpful for those pursuing Wilson Level 1 certification because understanding these assessments is crucial for effective placement, intervention, and progress monitoring.
I first came across the WIST during my Wilson Reading System Level 1 Certification. Part of the process for selecting a practicum student is administering the WIST to help determine if the student is appropriate for the program. Now, as a private reading tutor, I rely on it to gather baseline data on a child’s reading and spelling skills and to see if Wilson might be the right match for them. Whether you’re a tutor, special education teacher, or reading specialist, keep reading to discover why the WIST is such a valuable tool!
What is the WIST and what is it used for?
The WIST is a diagnostic test designed to assess fundamental literacy skills, including word identification and spelling. It helps teachers pinpoint what their students know and where they may need support. If you suspect a student has weaknesses in foundational literacy skills, the WIST can help uncover them!
The WIST can be used to:
- Identify poor readers
- Identify poor spellers
- Sort at-risk students by identifying which students need more intensive intervention (such as the Wilson Reading System) versus students who are likely to do well with a less intensive intervention (such as Just Words)
- Monitor progress on a yearly basis to measure the student’s response to the intervention being implemented
What age range is the WIST for?
The WIST can be used for students from ages 7 to 18. There are two forms: Elementary and Secondary. The Elementary form is for students in grades 2 to 5. The Secondary form is for students in grades 6 to 12.
Read about the individual subtests below to learn why this test is a great option for older students who are struggling with reading or spelling!
Why should I give the WIST instead of or in addition to an academic achievement test like the WIAT, WJ, or KTEA?
Have you ever read an academic achievement test report and still struggled to write a measurable IEP goal based on the results? While achievement tests are helpful for identifying students who need additional support, they often lack the detailed information needed about specific mastered skills. When I was in the classroom, I almost always had to conduct informal testing after an initial eligibility evaluation to gather more precise data. With the WIST, we not only gain the ability to compare students to national norms but also access a detailed error analysis that reveals exactly which types of syllables a student can read and spell.
Is it a valid and reliable measure of student achievement?
Yes! The WIST is a nationally standardized test. Per the manual, “It was normed on a representative sample of 1,520 children and adolescents ranging in age from 7 to 18 years who resided in 16 states.” This means that the test was carefully designed to provide accurate and consistent results across diverse populations. Its standardization ensures that the test measures what it claims to measure—students’ word identification and spelling skills—while accounting for variations in age, geography, and educational backgrounds.
Who can administer the WIST?
It can be used by anyone who has training in standardized test administration. This includes special education teachers, reading specialists, school psychologists, and anyone who took a course in administering standardized testing in college. Even if your assessment course is a fuzzy, distant memory, I believe that any educator can use the WIST manual to successfully administer the assessment. It doesn’t involve any complicated materials or timers. The manual even notes that general education teachers “will find the WIST useful and easy to administer.”
How long does it take to administer the WIST?
The manual suggests to plan for thirty minutes, but the time required will vary by student. It can be administered in multiple sessions, if necessary. Multiple sessions may be required due to scheduling constraints, student fatigue, or the student’s ability to remain seated and focused. I find that the opportunity to use erasable gel pens* makes the experience a little more enjoyable for hesitant students! (*Amazon Affiliate link).
What are the subtests?
The Word Identification subtest evaluates a student’s accuracy in reading words aloud. It includes two tasks: Read Regular Words and Read Irregular Words. The Standard Score for this subtest reflects the student’s ability to recognize familiar words, apply decoding strategies to unfamiliar words, and their orthographic memory for irregular high frequency words.
The Spelling subtest assesses a student’s ability to spell words accurately from dictation. It includes two tasks: Spell Regular Words and Spell Irregular Words. The Standard Score for this subtest reflects the student’s ability to recall correct letter sequences for familiar words, apply English spelling rules to unfamiliar words, and spell irregular high-frequency words accurately.
The Sound-Symbol Knowledge subtest is supplemental. It assesses a student’s ability to produce the correct sound(s) associated with specific letters. Tasks include Pseudo Words and Letter Sounds. The Standard Score on this supplemental subtest indicates the student’s ability to recall corresponding sound(s) for letters and letter combinations and to use this knowledge to decode pseudowords.
The Pseudo Words task is especially useful for assessing older students with gaps in foundational skills. In this task, students use their knowledge of letter-sound correspondences to decode nonsense words. If you suspect that a student has many common words memorized by sight but is not able to skillfully decode unfamiliar words, the results of the Pseudo Words task will offer valuable insights. Although it is supplemental, consider administering it if you’re working with a student you suspect has been memorizing words instead of decoding. Learn more about assessing older students with nonsense words.
What scores will I get?
After completing the WIST, you can calculate age equivalents, grade equivalents, percentile ranks, and standard scores, including a Fundamental Literacy Index.
What does the Fundamental Literacy Index tell me?
The Fundamental Literacy Ability Index provides a general indicator of the student’s overall ability in word identification and spelling. It reflects the scores for Word Identification and Spelling but does not take the Sound-Symbol Knowledge score into account. Generally, students whose Fundamental Literacy Index falls at or below the 15th percentile should be considered for placement in the Wilson Reading System. Students whose Fundamental Literacy Index is between the 16th and 50th percentile may not require such rigorous programming and may be better suited for participation in the Just Words program instead. However, there are other factors to consider in regard to student placement that are beyond the scope of this post. If you are currently in Level 1 training, your trainer will be glad to help you determine program placement on a student-by-student basis!
Not a Wilson teacher? The guidelines above offer guidance about how intensive of an intervention program your student might need. Take into consideration the student’s specific needs, skill gaps, and learning goals, as well as your own expertise in evidence-based reading interventions. If you’re already familiar with structured literacy programs, use the guidelines above to determine whether a more intensive program or a lighter approach is the best fit.
How do you administer the test?
It’s truly very simple! For the reading portions, your student will read words aloud from a word list while you mark their responses as correct or incorrect. When they answer incorrectly, write down their response. For the spelling portions, students will spell dictated words while you mark their responses as correct or incorrect.
The WIST is typically individually administered. The spelling portion can be administered in a group setting but you may wish to administer it 1:1, particularly if you are new to the assessment or if your students’ abilities vary widely. You’ll need to know when each student reaches the ceiling of five incorrect responses, which can be a little tricky to keep track of in a group.
The directions for the Letter Sounds task are a bit different, but not confusing. Specific details for test administration can be found in the manual. Familiarize yourself with the directions for all of the subtests before working with a student. I like to use my own children to try out any subtests that I’m worried about administering correctly!
How do you score the WIST?
It’s super simple! Write 1 for a correct response and 0 for an incorrect response. Add up all the correct responses and record them as your raw score. Use the manual to convert raw scores to percentile ranks, standard scores, and age or grade equivalents. Specific details for scoring are found in the manual and I promise it’s not too stressful.
Using the Sound-Symbol Analysis to plan instruction
While raw scores are used to obtain the age/grade equivalents, percentile ranks, and standard scores, the Sound-Symbol Analysis offers different data. This is the data that will help you write measurable goals. A color-coded key is used to identify errors by syllable type. If you wish to use the Sound-Symbol Analysis for this purpose, make sure you note each error the student makes as they read. Spelling errors can be analyzed later. You will use these notes to tally how many syllables your student read or spelled correctly compared to how many they attempted to read or spell correctly.
Here’s an example of the data you’ll end up with after completing the Sound-Symbol Analysis:
Where would you begin this student’s instruction? The data suggests that the student has not yet mastered closed syllables. It likely makes sense to begin with CVC words and progress from there as the student demonstrates mastery of each new concept, such as digraphs, nasalized am and an, the bonus letter spelling rule, consonant blends in closed syllable words, and so on.
What’s the difference between the WIST and the WADE?
Even longtime Wilson teachers might not know that the WIST evolved from the WADE! The Wilson Assessment of Decoding and Encoding (WADE) is a criterion-referenced test of reading and spelling. Criterion-referenced means that the student’s performance is measured by a set of predetermined standards. On the other hand, the WIST is norm-referenced, which means that the student’s performance is compared to the norms.
In the world of Wilson, the WIST is used primarily to determine which program may be appropriate for a student. On the other hand, the WADE is administered as a pretest to establish baselines for progress monitoring and to determine which step the student should begin with. It is also given annually as a summative assessment of taught concepts and a formative assessment to guide the next year’s instruction.
Are there any downsides to this test?
The WIST can be tedious for students to complete! With a ceiling of five incorrect responses, it’s common for students to miss three or four consecutive words and then get one right, requiring them to continue. This is especially true for older students with varying gaps in their knowledge. Younger students or those with more significant gaps tend to reach the ceiling more quickly.
Completing the Sound-Symbol Analysis can be tedious for you to complete. While calculating standard scores and percentile ranks is straightforward, completing the Sound-Symbol Analysis will strain your eyes and might have you counting and recounting until your head spins! Still, it provides incredibly valuable information, especially for progress monitoring. I never skip this part of scoring!
Lastly, it is important to note that the WIST is not a comprehensive assessment of reading skills. This is not necessarily a downside if you recognize it from the beginning. Depending upon the purpose of your evaluation, you may need to administer other assessments in addition to the WIST. Although the WIST does not provide measures of automaticity at the single-word level, oral reading fluency, comprehension, phonemic awareness, or vocabulary, it remains a highly valuable tool for gathering detailed information about a student’s foundational literacy skills!
How can I purchase the WIST?
The WIST can be purchased online from The Wilson Store or other publisher websites, typically for around $350. You can also check marketplaces like eBay, Mercari, Facebook Marketplace, or Facebook groups for reading tutors. Some people even have luck borrowing the kit from local teachers, trainers, or colleges.
Are you a private reading tutor or a reading interventionist?
If you’re a private tutor or an educator committed to structured literacy instruction for students with significant needs, the WIST is just one piece of the puzzle. Having the right tools and resources can make all the difference in your ability to provide effective, targeted instruction. Whether you’re looking for more tips, strategies, or ready-to-use materials to streamline your lessons, I’ve got you covered! Check out my blog posts and resources designed specifically for reading tutors like you.
Blogs:
- How to Craft Effective Reading Intervention Lessons
- Crucial Questions to Ask Before Establishing Your Tutoring Business
- 5 Lessons Learned in My First 5 Months as a Private Reading Tutor
Resources to Organize Your Business and Your Instruction:
- Reading Intervention Lesson Plan Guide with Templates
- Editable Contract for Reading Tutors
- Word Lists for Phonics Intervention Sessions
- Informal Phonics Assessments for Baseline Data & Progress Monitoring
- Supplemental Materials for Structured Literacy Teachers
