The burt word reading test as a measure of reading ability

Abstract

The study involved 150 children from 3 Wellington primary schools and set out to examine the usefulness of the Burt Word Reading Test (1974 Revision) as a measure of children's reading ability, including the suitability of the present order of words. An attempt was also made to assess the discriminative value of the individual words in the test, and also to see how well the test compared with other locally used measures of reading attainment. The results demonstrated significant correlations between Burt Test scores with Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary scores of the Progressive Achievement Tests (PATs). Teachers who frequently use the Burt Test should feel confident in using the test to gauge children's reading levels. However, it is advisable to use the test in conjunction with some other measures, for example, informal reading inventories. There is evidence to suggest that there is a need for a re-arrangement of the present word order.