Concurrent Validity of the Peabody Individual Achievement Test and the Wide Range Achievement Test for Middle-Class Elementary School Children

Abstract

The Peabody, Wide Range, and Stanford achievement tests were given to third grade ( n = 21) and sixth grade ( n = 22) students who were average achievers from nondisadvantaged homes. Rank-order correlations with the Stanford test were substantial for both the Peabody (.76 to .85) and the Wide Range (.67 to .88) at Grade 3 in reading and spelling, but not in mathematics for either the Peabody (.49 to .66) or the Wide Range (.45 to .64). At Grade 6 the correlations with the Stanford were only moderate both for the Peabody (.42 to .66) and for the Wide Range (.47 to .65) in all achievement areas. Examination of individually calculated discrepancy scores between the individual tests and the Stanford showed that, while they did not differ significantly in size of scores at Grade 3, the Wide Range discrepancies approached or exceeded one grade equivalent in most areas (except spelling and mathematical computation) while the Peabody discrepancies were all below one grade level (but in excess of two-thirds a grade equivalent). At Grade 6 the discrepancies on both tests exceeded one grade level in all areas, with neither test consistently producing smaller discrepancies in all achievement areas.