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TOWRE: Test of Word Reading Efficiency
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TOWRE: Test of Word Reading Efficiency

Price: $239.00

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By Joseph K. Torgeson, Richard Wagner, and Carol Rashotte

  • Ages: 6-0 through 24-11
  • Testing Time: 5-10 minutes
  • Administration: Individual
  • Provides percentiles, standard scores, age and grade equivalents
  • Two subtests: Sight Word Efficiency (SWE) and Phonetic Decoding Efficiency (PDE)
  • Complete TOWRE Kit includes Examiner's Manual, 25 Form A Profile/Examiner Record Booklets, 25 Form B Profile/Examiner Record Booklets, Form A Word Cards, and Form B Word Cards, all in a sturdy storage box. (1999)
The Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE) is a nationally normed measure of word reading accuracy and fluency. Because it can be administered very quickly, the test provides an efficient means of monitoring the growth of two kinds of word reading skills that are critical in the development of overall reading ability: the ability to accurately recognize familiar words as whole units or "sight words" and the ability to "sound out" words quickly.

The Test of Word Reading Efficiency contains two subtests: the Sight Word Efficiency (SWE) subtest assesses the number of real printed words that can be accurately identified within 45 seconds, and the Phonetic Decoding Efficiency (PDE) subtest measures the number of pronounceable printed nonwords that can be accurately decoded within 45 seconds. Each subtest has two forms (Forms A and B) that are of equivalent difficulty, and either one or both forms of each subtest may be given depending upon the purposes of the assessment. Percentiles, standard scores, and age and grade equivalents are provided. Subtest standard scores have a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15. Age and grade equivalents show the relative standing of individuals' scores. The TOWRE was normed on over 1,500 individuals ranging in age from 6 to 24 years old residing in 30 states. The sample characteristics were stratified by age and keyed to the demographic characteristics reported in the 1997 Statistical Abstract of the United States. Reliability of the TOWRE was investigated using estimates of content sampling, time sampling, and scorer differences.

The average alternate forms reliability coefficients (content sampling) all exceed .90. The test/retest (time sampling) coefficients range from .83 to .96. The magnitude of the coefficients reported from all the reliability studies suggests that there is little error in the TOWRE and that examiners can have confidence in the results. Extensive evidence of the validity of TOWRE test scores is provided for content-description validity, criterion-prediction validity, and construct-identification validity.