Ages: 9-0 through 17-11

Testing Time:60-90 minutes

Administration: Individual or group

The fourth edition of Test of Written Language (TOWL-4) is a norm-referenced, comprehensive diagnostic test of written expression. It is used to (a) identify students who write poorly and, therefore, need special help, (b) determine students' particular strengths and weaknesses in various writing abilities, (c) document students' progress in special writing programs, and (d) measure writing in research.

The test was normed on 2,505 individuals from 18 states whose demographic characteristics approximate those of the U.S. population in 2005. The sample was stratified by age.

Subtests
The TOWL-4 has two forms (i.e., Form A and Form B), each of which contains seven subtests. The subtests represent the conventional, linguistic, and conceptual aspects of writing. Subtests 1-5 use contrived formats; subtests 6-7 use a spontaneously written story to assess important aspects of language. The subtests are: 1. Vocabulary - The student writes a sentence that incorporates a stimulus word. E.g.: For ran, a student writes, "I ran up the hill."
2. Spelling - The student writes sentences from dictation, making proper use of spelling rules.
3. Punctuation - The student writes sentences from dictation, making proper use of punctuation and capitalization rules.
4. Logical Sentences - The student edits an illogical sentence so that it makes better sense. E.g.: "John blinked his nose" is changed to "John blinked his eye."
5. Sentence Combining - The student integrates the meaning of several short sentences into one grammatically correct written sentence. E.g.: "John drives fast" is combined with "John has a red car", making "John drives his red car fast."
6. Contextual Conventions - The student writes a story in response to a stimulus picture. Points are earned for satisfying specific arbitrary requirements relative to orthographic (E.g.: punctua... (more)