IOWA TEST OF BASIC SKILLS

Vocabulary

The Vocabulary test measures listening vocabulary. Students hear a word, and sometimes they also hear the word used in a sentence. Then they choose one of three pictorial response options. The Vocabulary test at Levels 7 and 8 measures reading vocabulary. For each question, a pictorial or written stimulus is followed by a set of written responses. Approximately equal numbers of nouns, verbs, and modifiers are tested at all levels.

Word Analysis

The questions on the Word Analysis test assess how well students can recognize letters and letter-sound relationships. No written words are used at Level 5, but in subsequent levels, both pictures and words are used as stimuli and response choices.

Reading Comprehension

The Reading test presents students with a variety of tasks, which progressively require more independence in reading as the test level increases. The tasks in Levels 6-8 include using print, context, and picture cues to identify unfamiliar words; completing sentences that tell about a picture by choosing a word for filling in a blank; and answering multiple-choice questions after reading a brief story. The questions associated with pictures and stories often ask students to make inferences or to generalize about what they have read.

Listening

In the Listening test, short oral scenarios are presented, and then one or more multiple-choice questions are read. Since all response options are pictorial, the scores from this test do not depend on students' reading abilities. Like the Reading Comprehension test, the Listening test requires students to demonstrate both literal and inferential understanding. Students' abilities to follow directions, understand sequences, and predict outcomes are also measured.

Resources:

University of Iowa