DARE 2015 Suitable Tests for the Assessment of
Specific Learning Difficulty
This list of suitable tests for the assessment of specific learning difficulties (SpLD) has
been prepared by the Disability Advisory Board to DARE, a panel of experts in the field of
SpLD. The panel reviews the list annually and considers new tests for inclusion.
The list of tests includes both closed tests, which can be used by psychologists only and
open tests suitable for use by specialist teachers. Tests should be properly standardised
with clear evidence of validity and reliability.
All applicants must be assessed using age-appropriate tests. Tests should be up to date
and currently in use, use of obsolete tests will make the DARE application ineligible. In
circumstances where a test has been superseded by a revised version, psychologists are
advised that is best practice to use the most recent test available. Superseded versions of
tests are considered to be valid for a window of three years after the introduction of the
new version of the test in this country.
Single word reading and identification
Test
Subtest
Age
range
Norms
Wide Range Achievement
Test 4 (WRAT4)
2006
Word Reading
5-94
years
US population
Woodcock Reading
Mastery Tests (WRMT-3)
Word
Identification
5-75+
years
US population
Wechsler Individual
Achievement Test –
Second UK Edition (WIATII UK)
Word reading
4-86
years
UK population
up to 17
US population
after 17
British Ability Scales 3
(BAS-3)
2011
Word reading
3-17
UK population
Woodcock-Johnson-3
Tests of Achievement
(WJ3 – ACH)
Word
Identification
2-90
US population
Comments
Reading comprehension
Test
Subtest
Age
range
Norms
Woodcock Reading
Mastery Tests (WRMT-3)
Word and
passage
comprehension
5-75+
years
US population
Wide Range Achievement
Test 4 (WRAT4)
2006
Sentence
comprehension
5-94
years
US population
Wechsler Individual
Achievement Test –
Second UK Edition (WIATII UK)
Reading
comprehension
4-86
years
UK population
up to 17
US population
after 17
Woodcock-Johnson-3
Tests of Achievement
(WJ3 – ACH)
Passage
comprehension
2-90
US population
Comments
Phonological and non-word reading
Test
Subtest
Age
range
Norms
Woodcock Reading
Mastery Tests (WRMT-3)
Word attack
5-75+
years
US population
Comprehensive test of
Phonological processing2nd ed (CTOPP-2)
2013
Phonological
Awareness
Composite
424.11
Wechsler Individual
Achievement Test –
Second UK Edition (WIATII UK)
Pseudo-word
decoding
4-86
years
UK population
up to 17
US population
after 17
Woodcock-Johnson-3
Tests of Achievement
(WJ3 – ACH)
Word attack
2-90
US population
Comments
Reading speed and fluency
Test
Subtest
Age
range
Norms
Comments
The Adult Reading Test
(ART)
2004
Fluency
16-55
Higher
Education
students in
England
Rate; Accuracy;
Fluency;
Comprehension
; Oral Reading
Quotient.
Test of Word Reading
Efficiency-2 (TOWRE-2)
2011
Sight Word
Efficiency.
624.11
years
US population
This is a timed
test (45 secs)
that provides a
measure of
fluency reading
real words.
Woodcock-Johnson-3
Tests of Achievement
(WJ3 – ACH)
Reading fluency 2-90
US population
Test
Subtest
Age
range
Norms
Wechsler Individual
Achievement Test –
Second UK Edition (WIATII UK)
Spelling
4-86
years
UK population
up to 17
US population
after 17
Wide Range Achievement
Test 4 (WRAT4)
2006
Spelling
5-94
years
US population
5-18
UK students
3-17
UK population
2-90
US population
Spelling
Vernon Graded word
spelling test 3rd ed
British Ability Scales 3
(BAS-3)
2011
Woodcock-Johnson-3
Tests of Achievement
(WJ3 – ACH)
Spelling
Comments
Writing speed
Test
Subtest
Detailed Assessment of
Speed of Handwriting
Age
range
Norms
9-16
and
17-25
UK students in
Higher
education
Hedderly Sentence
Completion Test
Comments
UK
Woodcock-Johnson-3
Tests of Achievement (WJ3
– ACH)
Writing Fluency
2-90
US population
The Adult Reading Test
(ART)
2004
Writing speed
16-55
Higher
Education
students in
England
Students are
given 2 minutes
to write a
summary of one
of the passages
Test
Subtest
Age
range
Norms
Comments
Woodcock-Johnson-3
Tests of Achievement (WJ3
– ACH)
Applied
problems
or
Quantitative
reasoning
2-90
US population
Wechsler Individual
Achievement Test –
Second UK Edition (WIAT-II
UK)
Maths reasoning
5-94
years
UK population
up to 17
US population
after 17
Mathematical reasoning
Mathematical computation
Test
Subtest
Age
range
Norms
Woodcock-Johnson-3
Tests of Achievement (WJ3
– ACH)
Calculation
2-90
US population
Wechsler Individual
Achievement Test –
Second UK Edition (WIAT-II
UK)
Numerical
operations
5-94
years
UK population
up to 17
US population
after 17
11adult
UK
Maths
computation
5-94
years
US population
Test
Subtest
Age
range
Norms
Woodcock-Johnson-3
Tests of Achievement (WJ3
– ACH)
Math Fluency
2-90
US population
Test
Score
Age
range
Norms
Wechsler Adult Intelligence
Scale -4th Edition (UK
version)
(WAIS-IV UK) 2010
FSIQ
or
GAI
16-90
UK population
Wechsler Abbreviated
FSIQ
6-89
US population
Mathematics Competency
Test
Wide Range Achievement
Test 4 (WRAT4)
2006
Comments
Mathematical fluency
Comments
General Ability
Comments
Scale of Intelligence- 2nd
Edition
(WASI II) 2011
Wechsler Intelligence Scale
for Children-4th Edition (UK
version) (WISC-IV UK)
FSIQ
or
GAI
616.11
UK population
British Ability Scales 3rd
edition (BAS 3)
2011
GCA
3-17
UK population
Stanford Binet Intelligence
Scales- 5th edition
(SB 5)
FSIQ
2-85
US population
Woodcock Johnson III –
tests of Cognitive Abilities
GIA or BIA
2-90
US population