Professional Teaching & Testing
Professional Tutoring and Testing
Penny M. Smelcer, M.A.
1107 Fallen Oak Drive, Apex, NC 27502
Phone: (919)362-1658 Email: psmelcer<AT>nc.rr.com
Coronovirus Update: As of August 25, 2020, I am not scheduling any in-person testing appointments Additionally, because I am bound by ethics to the test's owner and publisher to protect the integrity of the WJIV, I cannot administer it in any virtual format.
Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Achievement
The Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement are individually administered and consist of 22 tests organized into a standard and an extended battery. Below is a list of the tests administered in each battery.
Curricular Area Standard Battery Extended Battery*
Reading Letter–Word Identification Reading Recall*
Sentence Reading Fluency Word Reading Fluency*
Passage Comprehension Reading Vocabulary*
Word Attack*
Oral Reading*
Mathematics Calculation Number Matrices*
Math Fluency
Applied Problems
Written Language Spelling Editing*
Writing Fluency Spelling of Sounds*
Writing Samples
Knowledge Science*
Social Studies*
Humanities*
*North Carolina home school testing law does not require administration of these tests to satisfy its legal criteria for yearly testing.
Most of the WJIII tests require the examiner to establish a basal and ceiling. The purpose of the basal and ceiling requirements is to limit the number of items administered but still be able to estimate, with high probability, the score that would have been obtained if all items were administered. By not administering items that are extremely easy or difficult, the number of administered items is minimized and the child’s tolerance for the testing situation is maximized.
2020 WJIV Testing Price List *
Basic Standard Battery - $100
Nine tests that measure reading, math, and written language. This is the minimum package to satisfy the legal testing criteria for North Carolina homeschoolers.
**Administration Time: Approximately 1½ - 2 hours
Complete Standard Battery - $125
Twelve tests that measure oral language, reading, math, and written language.
**Administration Time: Approximately 2 – 3 hours
Complete Extended Battery - $125
Ten supplemental tests that measure oral language, reading, math, and written language in a more diagnostic format than the standard battery
**Administration Time: Approximately 2 – 3 hours
Partial Extended Battery - $12.50 per test
Allows parents/teachers to choose the test areas from the extended battery in which they are particularly interested. Extended battery tests are given only in addition to the administration of the basic or entire standard battery.
**Administration Time: Varies, depending on tests selected
*All prices are per student, not per family. Sibling discounts do not apply.
**All administration times listed are approximates. Testing times vary from student to student because the majority of WJ-III tests are untimed; only the fluency tests are timed. There is a surcharge ($7.50 per ¼-hour) for students who require substantially longer testing times than the approximates listed above.
Score Reports
After testing, you will receive two score reports. The first report will be an age-normed report that compares your child’s scores to all other children of his/her age in the norming sample. The second report will be a grade-normed report that compares your child’s scores to all other children in his/her grade in the norming sample. You will also receive a document I have prepared which explains the information included on the score reports as well as a 20-25 minute complimentary personal consultation to answer any questions you may have about your child’s scores. There is a surcharge ($7.50 per ¼-hour) for consultations lasting more than 30 minutes.
Qualifications
I have a Master of Arts in Counseling from Liberty University and BS degrees in English and Education from Longwood University. I have over 30 years of teaching, homeschooling (my now NCSU graduate), counseling, tutoring, and testing experience. My first priority is to make the testing experience as pleasant and stress-free as possible so children can really show what they know. My second goal is to help parents fully understand the information given by the scores and how to use this information to help their child.
For information and frequently asked questions about NC homeschool testing requirements, visit ~