Performance of EMR and learning-disabled students on the brigance, peabody, and wide range achievement tests

Achievement test results are commonly used for making educational decisions for students labeled mildly mentally retarded, educationally retarded, and learning disabled. Teachers frequently assume that individual achievement tests are comparable. High correlations between achievement tests are typically reported and drawn from scores obtained primarily from regular student populations. When these tests are given to special populations, in this case mildly mentally retarded and learning-disabled students, the specific abilities of the pupils interact with aspects of the test items. In the present study, significant differences were found on the subtests of three tests that were designed to measure the same area of achievement.