Goodbye to the WRIT Assessment

Withdrawal of the WRIT assessment

In this blog, I thought I would touch upon the withdrawal of the WRIT. For some, it will be a relief, and for others, a disappointment. Whichever camp you fall into, you certainly have time to consider your options, and many options are becoming available.

What are the other options for assessors?

Last year, I switched from WRIT to the WJIV cognitive battery. I really like this test, but I feel like I was a little hasty in purchasing it since Woodcock 5 comes out next year.

Therefore, I wouldn’t recommend that anybody buys WJIV now. When a new version of a test comes out, we usually have two years to finish using the old version. This means that I’m probably only going to get about three years of use from WJIV.

This is disappointing for me, and I’m unsure if I will move to Woodcock 5 because I have heard that it will be administered on an iPad. I work from home and occasionally in schools, but my study/office is an extension to our house and the Wi-Fi doesn’t reach there. This isn’t a problem when I’m working online on my computer as I can use an Ethernet cable, but I don’t believe you can do that with an iPad. I also have some initial concerns about the reliability of administering tests on an iPad. For those of you interested in Woodcock 5, Education Elephant has some videos on their website showing the test.

I have also purchased the TOD, but I’m not using it currently. My main motivation for purchasing it was to become familiar with it so I can support those I’m mentoring if they’re using that test. However, it’s quite likely that I will move over to it in time if I don’t or can’t move to Woodcock 5.

Other assessment options

For those of you who are not keen on moving to TOD or Woodcock 5, there are other options that have recently become available:

• The Cognitive Assessment System, 2nd Ed.

• Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales, 2nd Ed.

• Intellectual Development Scales, 2nd Ed.

Some of these were covered briefly in the recent SASC conference, but I’m sure that further in-depth training will be made available shortly.

In conclusion

Finally, I think it is really important that if you are using WRIT at the moment, you do not rush into buying something else. You still have over two years to find a replacement as the last possible date you can use it is 31st of December, 2026!

Therefore, you can take your time to consider what the best option is for you. I’m sure we will see more options become available in the next 12 to 18 months.

Support for assessors and tutors

If you would like more support with your assessing or tutoring, I offer the following:

• Dittas Mastermind Membership (monthly fee cancel anytime)

• 1:1 mentoring

• A range of webinars related to teaching and assessing

For more details click here.