Quick Reference Guide
Gray Oral Reading Test – 4 (GORT – 4)
Presented by: Sharon Davila and Esperanza Garganera
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Qualifications to administer test- Professionals should have formal training in assessment.
The training should result in a basic understanding of testing statistics; general procedures
governing test administration, scoring, and interpretation; and specific information about
reading evaluation. Supervised practice in using reading tests is also desirable.
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Reliability of test- Coefficient alphas for the Oral Reading Quotient (ORQ) was derived using
Guilford’s formula. The average coefficients for the subtests ad the composite are
acceptable in that they all exceed or round to .90, which is a high reliability. All average
internal consistency reliabilities are .90 or above. The test-retest study was conducted with
all ages for which the test can be administered and illustrates the stability and reliability of
the measure.
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Validity of the test - The GORT-4 uses the story format to test. Such format is also used on
other reading tests, including the Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests (1987), The Test of
Reading Comprehension (1995) Diagnostic Reading Scales (1981), and Gray Silent Reading
Tests (2000). The story format has tremendous face validity in that it is also commonly used
in classroom assessment and everyday life. In addition to this, the stories on the GORT-4 are
of general interest and timeless in nature. Each story has a logical connection among ideas
and sentences. Graded word lists control the vocabulary level of each story. Furthermore,
GORT-4 measures fluency by combining rate and accuracy; the measurement of this ability
is further evidence of the GORT-4’s content-validity. The validity is extensive and includes
studies that illustrate that GORT-4 can be used with confidence to measure change in oral
reading over time
Description of the normative scores- Norms for GORT-4 subtests are presented in terms of
standard scores having a mean of 10 and a standard deviation of 3. To develop the standard
scores for the GORT-4, continues norming was used. This method uses polynomial
regression to fit the progression of means, standard deviations, skewness, and kurtosis
across age groups. These fitted values were estimated at each 6-month age interval. Given
the fitted values of skewness and kurtosis from the regression, the shape of the distribution
of the scores was determined and percentiles were derived. These percentiles were then
converted into standard scores at each age interval. The resulting data across age levels
were smoothed somewhat to allow for a consistent progression across age levels. Standard
scores for the subtests are provided in the tables in Appendixes A and B. The standard score
that corresponds to the Oral Reading Quotient was calculated by applying a formula used to
pool the standard scores from Fluency and Comprehension, which make up the quotient.
The quotient has a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15. The sum of the two sub-test
standard scores is converted to a quotient using the table in Appendix C.
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Description of norm group- The GORT-4 was normed on a sample of 1,677 persons in , 28
states. The entire sample was collected between fall 1999 and fall 2000. Standardization
sites were selected in four major geographic regions; the testing sites were Rochester, New
York, Mandan, North Dakota; Brownsville, TX and Austin, TX; and Brookings, Oregon. All
students tested attended general classes. Students with disabilities who were enrolled in
general classes were included. Students in Grades 1 through 12 were tested.
Description of standardization procedures- The GORT-4 can be given in about 15-45
minutes, depending on the student’s reading ability.
Entry points: Generally, testing begins at the story level that corresponds to the
student’s grade level. Grades 1 and 2 : Story 1; Grades 3 and 4: Story 3; Grades 5
through 8: Story 5; and Grades 9 through 12: Story 9
Basals and Ceilings: The test yields four scores: Rate, Accuracy, Fluency, and
Comprehension. Only Fluency and Comprehension Scores are used to ascertain basals
and ceilings. Examiners should note that basals and ceilings are computed separately for
Fluency and Comprehension Scores and must be computed and considered during
testing to assure correct test administration.
Basals and Ceiling for the Comprehension Score : To achieve a basal for the
Comprehension Score, the examiner tests until the student misses at least 3 of 5
comprehension questions for any one story (the ceiling) pr until the final story is read.
Once a ceiling is reached, the examiner goes back and establishes a basal if one has not
been established on the way to reaching a ceiling. The basal is that point at which the
student correctly answers all five-comprehension questions for a story. If the student
has not correctly answered all five questions for a story in reaching the ceiling, the
examiner returns to the entry level (the first story that was read) and tests downward
until a basal is achieved or until the first story has been read.
Basals and Ceilings for the Fluency Score: The examiner notes the time in seconds it
takes for the reader to complete the passage. The value is converted to a 0-through 5point Rate Score using the conversion table provided. The number of Deviations from
Print is also recorded and converted to a 0- through 5-point Accuracy Score using the
conversion table. The Rate Score and Accuracy Score are added to get the Fluency
Score, which is to determine the basal and the ceiling. The basal occurs when a reader’s
Fluency Score for a story is 9 or 10. The ceiling occurs when the reader achieves a
Fluency Score of 2 or less for a story.
Standard Error of Measurement: The SEM is based on the formula SEM= SD square root 1r; (SD-Standard Deviation and R- reliability) and establishes a zone within which an
individual’s true score probably lies. The smaller the SEM, the more confidence one can
have in the test’s results. GORT-4 has small SEMs, examiners can use it with confidence.
Sources of Test Error: Students who display Dyslexia characteristics, may not fair well during the
test due to the nature of the test. Children who have weak memories may have difficulty holding the
choices (A, B, C, or D) in memory for consideration.
Uses and Limitations of the Test: The GORT is used to (1) help identify those students who have
reading problems; (2) determine strengths and weaknesses in individual readers; (3) evaluate a
student’s progress; (4) serve as a measurement device in investigations where researchers are
studying the reading abilities of school-aged students. For children with expressive language
challenges, multiple-choice questions may permit them to express what they know more easily.
Limitations: Children who have weak memories may have difficulty holding the choices (A, B, C, or
D) in memory for consideration. Reading comprehension is a complex entity. Although we may think
of it as a single skill or a single subtest score, students with poor reading comprehension may
struggle with a variety of deficits.
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Strengths of the test: It helps identify students significantly below level in oral reading
ability and those who may benefit from interventions; (b) aid in identifying a student’s
strengths and weaknesses; (c) document reading progress as a result of specific reading
interventions; and (d) serve as a research tool in measuring the reading abilities of schoolaged children.
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Weaknesses of the test: Some children may not understand as well when they read silently
as when they read aloud. Some children may have difficulty understanding what they have
read because they work too hard at word recognition. Other students may have gaps in
their phonics skills and may not recognize words with accuracy.