Woodcock-Muñoz Language SurveyRevised (WMLS-R)
This chapter will answer the following questions:
•
What is the Woodcock-Muñoz Language Survey-Revised?
•
When, where, how and by whom is the WMLS-R administered?
•
How are WMLS-R scores obtained, recorded and accessed?
•
How is the Woodcock-Muñoz Language Survey-Revised used?
Description of Woodcock-Muñoz
Language Survey-Revised
The Woodcock-Muñoz Language Survey-Revised (WMLS-R) is a nationally-normed measure of
English Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP), developed by Riverside Publishing.
The WMLS-R has 7 Tests, each measuring different aspects of English listening, speaking, reading
and writing proficiency.
Test 1-Picture Vocabulary measures aspects of oral language, including language development
and lexical knowledge. The task requires the subject to identify pictured objects.
Test 2-Verbal Analogies measures the ability to reason using lexical knowledge. The task
requires listening to three words of an analogy and then completing the analogy with an
appropriate fourth word.
Test 3-Letter-Word Identification measures letter and word identification skills. The early
items in the test require the subject to identify letters of the alphabet. Next, the subject is
required to correctly identify a word, read by the examiner, from a list of words on the page.
Later, the subject is required to fluently read words; however, the subject is not required to know
the meaning of any word.
Test 4-Dictation contains a few initial items measuring pre-writing skills. The remaining items
measure the ability to respond in writing to a variety of questions pertaining to spelling,
punctuation, capitalization, and word usage.
Test 5-Understanding Directions measures aspects of oral language including listening skills,
lexical knowledge, and working memory. The test requires the subject to listen to a sequence of
audio-recorded instructions and then follow the directions by pointing to various objects in a
colored picture.
Test 6-Story Recall measures aspects of oral language including listening skills, meaningful
memory, and expressive language. After listening to a passage for the audio recording, the subject
is asked to recall as many details of the story as s/he can remember.
Test 7-Passage Comprehension measures how well a subject reads and understands written
discourse. The initial items involve matching rebuses with actual pictures of objects, and later
items require the subject to choose the correct picture to match a written phrase. Then, the
subject is required to read short passages and supply missing words that make sense in the
context.
Adapted from: Alvarado, D.G., Ruef, M.L., & Schrank, F.A. (2005). Comprehensive Manual. Woodcock-Muñoz
Language Survey-Revised. Itasca, IL: Riverside Publishing.
The results of the 7 WMLS-R Tests are combined in various ways, resulting in 11 different
Clusters. These give a picture of student strengths and weaknesses in specific aspects of English
academic language proficiency. Table 1 below gives details on how the Tests are combined into
Clusters, and what each Cluster measures.
Table 1- Woodcock-Muñoz Language Survey-Revised:
Clusters and Tests
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Adapted from: Alvarado, D.G., Ruef, M.L., & Schrank, F.A. (2005). Comprehensive Manual. Woodcock-Muñoz
Language Survey-Revised. Itasca, IL: Riverside Publishing.
The WMLS-R was normed on approximately 8,800 individuals from ages 2 to 90, in more than
100 geographically diverse communities. Both English-learners and
fluent English proficient individuals were included in the norming sample allowing for a
comparison between the two groups as to expected success with the English language demands of
academic tasks in classrooms where English is the language of instruction.
The Relative Proficiency Index (RPI) score gives an estimate of the difficulty an English-learner is
likely to experience on an academic language task, relative to the difficulty that would be
experienced by a fluent English classmate performing the same task.
The Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) score assigns a level of English
proficiency on a scale of 1 through 6, with 1 being “negligible proficiency” and 6 being “very
advanced” proficiency, again comparing English-learners with their fluent English peers of the
same age or grade level.
Further details on interpreting RPI and CALP scores are found in the “Interpretation of Scores”
section below.
Training, Administration and Scoring
Training
The full-day WMLS-R training is given in the fall of every school year, to any ELD Specialist or
Instructional Assistant who has not yet been trained. The full-day training includes substantial
time to practice administration of each of the 7 WMLS-R Tests, under the guidance of a trainer.
Newly-trained staff are then required to give several tests in tandem with a person experienced in
administering the WMLS-R, for quality assurance purposes, and to ensure scoring reliability,
before testing students on their own.
Administration and Scoring Procedures
All WMLS-R assessments are given by a teacher who has been trained in the administration and
scoring of the WMLS-R, and whose English is sufficiently fluent so as to not interfere with the
validity of the test.
The entire assessment takes up to 90 minutes to administer, depending on the level of the
student. It is not necessary to administer all 7 Tests in one session; however, the assessment
should be entirely completed within a week of its start date.
It is important to secure the test setting and materials prior to the testing session, as follows:
•
•
•
•
•
•
A quiet place with few visual distractions, with a table and 2 chairs
2 sharpened pencils
Audio CD for Tests 5 and 6
CD player or computer with speakers for playing Audio CD
Test Book, Test Record, and Dictation Worksheet for the WMLS-R Form being
administered (Form A or Form B)
WMLS-R Comprehensive Manual, or “Administering and Scoring the WMLS-R” handout
from the training, to refer to during test administration, as administration and scoring criteria
vary substantially from Test to Test
Each school has WMLS-R test kit(s) that include all Form A and Form B materials, as well as the
Comprehensive Manual and Audio CD, which pertain to both Forms. Each kit also includes a
CD guide to pronunciation of the vocabulary in Tests 3 and 4, created by NCSD Services for
English Learners, and a CD player. Additional testing materials are available for check-out from
Services for English Learners as needed.
All certified ELD Specialists are expected to give the WMLS-R assessment. Instructional
Assistants, in accordance with the recommendations of the publisher, may not administer the
WMLS-R. They may, however, support the testing in a number of ways:
•
•
•
•
•
Record-keeping and scheduling of testing
Bringing students to and from testing area
Entering scores electronically from Test Records which have been hand-scored by the
tester
Sending and filing completed Test Records and Score Reports
Setting up testing station and materials
Once each WMLS-R assessment has been completed, the ELD Specialist ensures that all 7 Tests
have been correctly hand-scored, and that the “number correct” or “number of points” boxes have
been filled in accurately on the Test Record. The ELD Specialist should also check that the full
name of the student, eSIS pupil ID #, date of birth, examiner’s name, and qualifying (non-English)
language have been correctly entered on the Test Record. If the assessment has been given in order
to determine initial eligibility, a sticky note indicating “for eligibility” should be attached to the
Test Record.
Elementary and middle school ELD staff send the hand-scored Test Records to Services for
English Learners, where they are electronically scored, and the results entered into the eSIS data
base. Original Test Records, along with an electronically generated Score Report, are returned to
the ELD Specialist once entered.
High school ELD programs enter the data from hand-scored Test Records into the WMLS-R
electronic scoring system at their school site, and then send a copy of the Score Report to
Services for English Learners to be entered into eSIS.
All original WMLS-R Test Records and Score Reports are filed in the Services for English Learners
purple folder inserts, and kept in the student’s main Cumulative File. (Please see
“Administration and Scoring Process” flow chart on following page.)
The Woodcock-Muñoz Language Survey-Revised (2005) has been used to assess English-learners
in the North Clackamas School District since October, 2008. A previous form of the WoodcockMuñoz Language Survey (1993) was used by the North Clackamas School District from 1996
until the introduction of the WMLS-R in fall 2008. For students who entered the school district
before October 2008, scores from both versions of the assessments are recorded in eSIS and
stored in their Cumulative Files.
Comparisons between scores for the same student, e.g. as a measure of growth, are only valid
when comparing assessments of the same version, not when comparing a WMLS (1993) with a
WMLS-R (2005).
Woodcock-Muñoz Language Scores
Interpretation of Scores
A WMLS-R Score Report produces a variety of score types for each of the 7 Tests and 11
Clusters (see Table 2 below). The Relative Proficiency Index (RPI) and the Cognitive Academic
Language Proficiency (CALP) Level are the types of scores referred to most frequently when
looking at data for NCSD English-learners.
Table 2
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Adapted from: Alvarado, D.G., Ruef, M.L., & Schrank, F.A. (2005). Comprehensive Manual. WoodcockMuñoz Language Survey-Revised. Itasca, IL: Riverside Publishing.
Table 3 shows the relation between CALP Level and RPI, with a description of the estimated
difficulty of the English language demands of academic tasks for each proficiency level. For both
types of scores, it is important to keep in mind that English-learners are always being compared to
fluent English peers of their same age or grade level.
For example, Vladimir, a 1st grade student with a Relative Proficiency Index (RPI) of 20/90 would be
expected to have only 20% success with academic tasks that an average fluent English first grader
would have 90% success with.
Vladimir’s Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency level would be “2” on a scale of 1 to 6; 2 being
defined as “very limited English proficiency” compared to other first graders, with “English language
demands of academic tasks extremely difficult to manage”.
Yesenia, a 9th grade English-learner with the same scores (RPI 20/90, CALP level 2) would very
likely know more English than 1st grader Vladimir, but would have just as wide a gap from her 9th
grade fluent English peers, and have an equivalent amount of difficulty with 9th grade academic
English tasks as Vladimir would have with academic English tasks at his grade level.
Table 3
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Adapted from: Alvarado, D.G., Ruef, M.L., & Schrank, F.A. (2005). Comprehensive Manual. WoodcockMuñoz Language Survey-Revised. Itasca, IL: Riverside Publishing.
Scores for Determination of Eligibility
North Clackamas School District has an obligation to determine if any new student, who has an
influence of a language other than English (including any incoming kindergartener), is eligible for
Services for English Learners. The principal measure for making this determination is the WMLS-R.
All 7 Tests are administered, and the results of these 7 Tests are configured in Clusters.
Eligibility for services is determined by the scores on the following three Clusters: “ORAL
LANGUAGE-TOTAL”, “READING”, and “WRITING”. (See example from a Score Report, with
these 3 Clusters highlighted, in Table 4.)
Table 4
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Eligibility – 1st through 12th Grade Students
Any student who scores lower than 85 RPI, in any of the ORAL LANGUAGE-TOTAL,
READING, or WRITING Clusters, is eligible for Services for English Learners, including English
Language Development classes and sheltered instruction.
Any student with scores of 85 RPI or higher in all 3 Clusters, is determined to be “ineligible for
Services for English Learners”, and the Score Report will be stamped as “ineligible” by the person
doing the electronic scoring.
Eligibility – Kindergarten Students
When an incoming kindergarten student attains a score of RPI 90 or above in any of the ORAL
LANGUAGE-TOTAL, READING or WRITING Clusters, but lower than 85 RPI in other
Clusters, slightly different guidelines may be used for determining eligibility for EL services.
If other evidence shows that this student has English proficiency comparable to that of non-EL
kindergarten peers, he or she may be determined ineligible for Services for English-learners.
Description of the other evidence should be noted in Section 2 of the Ineligible Form, and
approved and signed by an EL TOSA or administrator. The form should be filed in the student’s
purple CUM folder, and a copy sent to Services for English Learners so that the “ineligible”
determination can be entered into eSIS, and the student’s WMLS-R Score report stamped as
“ineligible”.
The “Levels of CALP” table, from the WMLS-R Comprehensive Manual (please see Table 3
above), identifies scores between 82 and 95 RPI as “fluent”, with academic language tasks in
English considered “manageable” for a student at that level. Thus, the 85 RPI score is used as the
minimum score making a student “ineligible” for Services for English Learners in the North
Clackamas School District, because it falls within that band of “fluent” scores.
Eligibility must be determined during or shortly after the time of registration. This timeliness
ensures identified students will begin receiving the services they need promptly, and meets the
district’s legal obligations for providing them. Students will be placed in services only after the
Woodcock-Muñoz Language Survey-Revised has been administered. (If it is obvious to the
WMLS-R tester that a student’s scores are within the qualifying range, it is not necessary to wait
for the Score Report to be returned from electronic scoring before beginning to serve.) State
funding for English-learners is dependent upon completion of the eligibility determination
process.
WMLS-R Scores as a Measurement of Growth
As a measure of English language development growth, the WMLS-R continues to be administered
to each currently-served English-learner on a regular basis. All currently-served North Clackamas
School District English-learners will be assessed in 1st, 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th and 10th grades.
Alternating forms of the assessment will be used in alternating years, but either Form A or Form
B may be used for the initial assessment. Please see Table 5 for examples of testing schedules
for students entering NCSD at different times.
Table 5
Entry
year
K
1
2
K
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A
Form
B
Form
A
3
4
5
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B
7
6
7
8
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B
Form
B
Form
A
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9
10
11
12
Form
A
Form
B
An English-learner’s rate of growth in English proficiency as measured by the WMLS-R is also a
useful piece of data for educators when considering the appropriateness of other special services,
such as Talented and Gifted, interventions, and Special Education.
Scores as a Guide to Planning Instruction
Because each Test of the WMLS-R measures a different aspect of English language speaking,
listening, reading or writing, the scores should be used to guide instructional planning for each
English-learner.
For example, a student who scores high on the Letter-Word Identification Test but low on the
Passage Comprehension Test and Picture Vocabulary Test, would probably benefit from
instruction focused on vocabulary building, which would contribute to improved reading
comprehension.
A student who scores low on the Letter-Word Identification Test and Dictation Test, but high on
the Picture Vocabulary Test and Story Recall Test, would benefit from more instruction on
English spelling patterns and grammatical rules. The student’s higher level of academic language
and oral language processing indicate that such instruction should be given in an appropriate
context of higher level concepts.
An advanced score on the Verbal Analogies Test might warrant further consideration for Talented
and Gifted (TAG) status, as this Test is the most cognitively complex of the 7, measuring
analytic reasoning, as well as understanding of linguistic patterns and academic vocabulary.
Scores as a Trigger for Exit Documentation
A WMLS-R score of 80 RPI through 100 RPI on any of the 11 Clusters acts as a trigger for
beginning the documentation process for Review for Exit. Decisions about exit from Services for
English Learners are not based solely on WMLS-R, nor on any one language proficiency measure,
but fluent to higher level scores are the prompt for compiling further evidence that the Englishlearner could be successful in mainstream classes without additional support. The WMLS-R may
be administered at any time in order to gain additional evidence for the exit folder. (Please see Exit
Process chapter for additional information.)