Assessing Literacy Problems in Mainstream Schooling: a critique of three literacy screening tests

Abstract

This paper presents a study of three established dyslexia screening tests, examining their comparability, sub‐grouping and ease of use for mainstream classroom teachers. Subjects were in their first year of secondary schooling and the tests used were The Boder Test of Reading — Spelling Patterns, The Aston Index, and The Bangor Dyslexia Test. Diagnosis across the tests was found to be consistent for only 6 out of 20 subjects. Considerable agreement was found between The Boder Test and The Aston Index in their identification of auditory dyslexics. Modifications are suggested for The Boder Test to eradicate floor effects on one of the sub‐tests and make reading ages more comparable with British norms. A number of sub‐tests on The Aston Index were found to have ceiling effects and overall the results were difficult to interpret. In the classroom, the Aston Index also proved to be very time‐consuming. The Bangor Test was felt to be too general to benefit classroom teachers.