Confidential Case Study

Identifying information:
Name: Adam White Date of testing: April 2, 2023
Sex: Male Date of birth: March 29, 2004
Grade: 12.7 Chronological age: 19-0
Parent(s)/guardian: Kristen and Andy White Evaluator: Abby Osburn

Reason for referral: Adam volunteered to assist the evaluator, a student in an assessment class
at Northern Michigan University, complete the requirements for a course assignment. The results
will help determine Adam’s academic strengths and weaknesses.

Background Information: Dr. White, Adam’s mom, stated, “Adam is a thoughtful, sensitive,
and social individual but introverted in new situations or if he does not trust a person. He is also
funny and likes to laugh and have a good time.” In his free time, he enjoys playing sports, being
outdoors, and hanging out with his friends. He is also loyal to his friends, and is very
independent. He does not like asking for help. Dr. White stated, “he has been doing his own
laundry and cleaning his own bathroom since he was 12 years old.” When Adam is passionate
about something he is very dedicated to it. “I find this to be one of Adam's strengths. But, if he is
uninterested in something but has already committed to it he is challenged to stick with the
commitment,” Dr. White stated. While talking to Adam, it was evident that he was quiet around
new people. He gave simple responses to the questions asked without further detail or
elaboration.

Family Background: Adam lives with his mother Kristen White, father Andy White, and twin
brother, Drew. Dr. White works as an assistant professor of literacy at Northern Michigan
University and Mr. White develops cybersecurity software. Adam's family enjoys spending time
together. Dr. White stated, “Adam and Drew are close. I have observed they are becoming more
friends instead of frenemies in the last few months. I do not know if it's maturity or if they are
both relieved to be going to separate schools next year. They still fight but not nearly as much.
They are also beginning to do more things separate from one another.” As a family they enjoy
traveling, camping, skiing, and being outdoors. When Adam and Drew were younger the family
would play a lot of games together. Now that they have grown up, they enjoy playing card games
together, especially when Adam’s grandparents come to town to visit.

School History: Adam’s educational career began in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan at
Plymouth Canton School District where he attended until the seventh grade. Adam began his
eighth-grade year at Marquette Area Public School District when he and his family moved to
Marquette. He enjoys school but would change the daily schedule if he could, making it not so
long. Adams favorite subject is Spanish because he enjoys learning a new language and says he
is able to communicate with his classmates. His least favorite subject is English, he finds the
subject to be repetitive. Adam does well in school, Dr. White does not accept any grade less than
an A-. Adam runs for his school's track and cross-country team, and up until his senior year he
played on his school’s basketball team. Being a senior in high school, Adam has plans to attend
Michigan State University in the fall of 2023, where he would like to get a degree that will allow
him to work in finance.
Physical and Developmental History:
Adam is a healthy and happy 19-year old. It is unknown if he has any physical or developmental
diagnosis that would affect his academics or daily living.

Behavioral Observations: Administration of all tests were done in a quiet study room at Lydia
M. Olson Library. Adam appeared calm and relaxed throughout testing. He did not rush to
complete the problems, worked through the problems diligently, and stayed focused on the task,
when he completed the written computation subtest area of the KeyMath-3 DA. Breaks were
offered throughout. After the administration of KeyMath-3 DA he took a short break. Adam’s
confidence, attention, conscientiousness, and efforts were observed to be consistent throughout.
The results of these assessments are believed to be reliable and valid.
Tests Administered:
● Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test Fifth Edition, Form A
● Expressive Vocabulary Test Third Edition, Form A
● Key Math Third Edition Diagnostic Assessment, Form A
● Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests Third Edition, Form B

Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, Fifth Edition

All tests administered are reported as standard score and a percentile rank. A standard score can
be used for interpretation and comparison across tests, as well as comparing an individual to
others the same age in the norm sample. The mean, or average, is 100. The percentile rank
allows for determination of an individual's position relative to the standardization sample, the
average percentile rank is 50. The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test Fifth Edition (PPVT-5) is a
standardized, norm-referenced test measuring receptive vocabulary attainment for Standard
English. Receptive vocabulary refers to what an individual can understand when heard; various
parts of speech including nouns, verbs, and attributes are assessed. The test is used to evaluate
the acquisition of English words. The PPVT-5 can be administered with the Expressive
Vocabulary Test, Third Edition (EVT-3) to get more of an understanding of an individual's verbal
abilities. The test has a mean score of 100 and a standard deviation of 15. Scores between 85-115
fall into the average range.

Adam’s Results:

Adam’s receptive vocabulary standard score of 94 is in the average range for his age group. He
performed as well or better than 34% of individuals who were tested in his same age group.
Adam has the ability to understand a wide range of vocabulary when hearing words.

Expressive Vocabulary Test, Third Edition

The Expressive Vocabulary Test, Third Edition (EVT-3) is a norm-referenced test used to assess
an individual's expressive vocabulary and word retrieval based on Standard American English.
Expressive vocabulary refers to the words that an individual can understand and use. With the
EVT-3 two types of items are measured: labeling and synonym. The EVT-3 has a mean of 100,
with a standard deviation of 15. Scores between 85-115 fall into the average range.
Adam’s Results:

Adam’s expressive vocabulary is as expected for his age group, with a standard score of 104. He
performed as well or better than over 61% of individuals who were tested in his age group.
While both scores are in the average range, Adams' expressive vocabulary score was higher than
his receptive vocabulary score. The results indicate he is more comfortable expressing what he
knows in an open format rather than a single option response. While the difference between
standard scores was significant, Adam is able to express his knowledge openly and is able to
understand Standard American English. He has the language skills appropriate for someone
finishing high school and should do well in both lecture and discussion classes in college.

Key Math Diagnostic Assessment, Third Edition

The Key Math Third Edition Diagnostic Assessment (KeyMath-3) is a comprehensive,
norm-referenced assessment. This test measures the essential mathematical concepts and skills
that are in alignment with the NCTM standards and is normed for students who are currently
working on math content through ninth grade. The KeyMath-3 covers three content areas, basic
concepts, which measures an individual’s conceptual understanding, operations, which measures
an individual’s written and mental computation skills, and applications, which measures an
individual’s ability to apply conceptual knowledge and operational skills to solve math problems.
This test has a standard score mean of 100, a standard deviation of 15. Subtests are reported as
scale scores with a mean of 10 and average range between 8-12.
Adam’s Results:

Adam’s total test standard score of 109 falls within the average range when compared to other
examinees in his age group. KeyMath-3 DA consists of content that is taught through the ninth
grade which is important to note when examining Adams test results as he is in the 12th grade
with no math difficulties. Adam was asked to complete both mental math as well as long division
and multi-digit multiplication problems. The errors made on this test seem to be process errors
related to calculating long division and multi-digit multiplication problems as many students in
advanced math classes typically use a calculator for these types of problems and may have
forgotten how to solve these problems by hand. Within the operations category, Adam scored
above average in addition, subtraction and algebra knowledge. These are strengths for Adam
within mathematics. There are no significant differences between any of the content area
standard scores. Adam should continue to be successful in math and should have no difficulties
when taking a college math course.

Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests Third Edition, Form B

The Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests (WRMT-III) is a comprehensive norm referenced test
assessing an individual’s ability to decode, read fluently, and understand text. The test is used to
pinpoint an individual's strengths and weaknesses, related to reading by measuring vocabulary,
fluency, phonics, phonemic awareness, comprehension. The test consists of three content areas,
Readiness, Basic Skills, and Reading Comprehension with a total of nine subtest areas. The
content area Readiness tests are not administered to individuals older than the second grade. The
subtest area, listening comprehension, is not considered when calculating the whole test scores
because it does not show strengths or weaknesses in the examinee’s ability to read. The
WRMT-III has a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15. Scores between 85-115 are the
average standard score range, and percentiles between 17-83 are average percentile rank range.

Adam’s Results:

Adam’s total test standard score of 114 falls within the average range when compared to other
examinees in the norm group. A percentile rank of 82 indicates that Adam performed as well as
or better than 82% of other individuals in the norm group. Adams basic skills are above average.
He is able to decode and recognize words quickly with no difficulty. Adams Oral Reading
Fluency score is average. While he had no errors while reading, he did not read particularly fast.
Adams reading comprehension skills are also as expected for an individual his age. He had no
apparent difference in understanding words in isolation than in context. Total Reading is a broad
measure of reading ability, it does not represent any single aspect of reading skill; rather, the
Total Reading cluster score is used to indicate how well an examinee performs on average in a
variety of situations that require many different reading skills. Although this score does not
reveal an examinee’s specific strengths and weaknesses in reading it does identify overall
reading development. Adam should have no difficulty following along or completing readings on
his own in his college classes as all of his scores fall within the average to above average range.

Summary:
Adam is 19 years old and a senior at Marquette Senior High School. He was a very easy going
and respectful participant in this case study. He scored as expected for an individual his age on
all four tests. While both receptive and expressive vocabulary skills are average, Adam’s
expressive vocabulary is higher than his receptive vocabulary skills. On the KeyMath-3 Adam
scored above average in addition, subtraction, algebra and average on the total test. Adam's
reading skills are also as expected and show no signs of difficulty. Therefore, Adam should have
no difficulty in completing assigned readings in his college classes. Receiving A’s throughout
high school, while still participating in sports, and maintaining time to do activities he enjoys in
his free time, it can be concluded that if he continues to use the time management skills he has he
will continue to succeed academically when he begins his freshman year at Michigan State
University.
Recommendations: While Adam is doing well academically, the following strategies are
intended to help him continue to build confidence, skills, and interest in further learning.

● Finding time to read for enjoyment could support further success in Adam’s reading
comprehension abilities and receptive vocabulary skills.
● Adam may enjoy becoming a member of a student-led finance association at Michigan
State University to meet new friends and meet people with similar interests.
● Taking the time to learn the meaning of unknown words when coming across them in a
book, conversation, or while listening to something may help increase Adam’s receptive
vocabulary.
● Forming a study group and participating in class discussion would be a good way for
Adam to meet peers and get to know his professors.
● Some classes that Adam will be required to take in college may not be of interest to him.
Staying motivated and speaking up in class, despite preferring to be quiet, could help him
stay committed to the course's content.