The relationship between intra-cognitive scatter on the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery-Revised and school achievement

The current study investigated the relationship between total number of significant Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery-Revised (WJ-R) intracognitive strengths and/or weaknesses (scatter) and low and underachievement for 2,974 subjects in grades 1 through 12 from the WJ-R standardization sample. Intra-cognitive strength and weakness base rate information was calculated using two common criteria used to define exceptionality. Independent sample t-tests compared subjects with high or low total numbers of intracognitive strengths and/or weaknesses on six achievement-related dependent variables. A total of up to two significant WJ-R intracognitive strengths and/or weaknesses was found to be common in the sample, and more than two intracognitive strengths and/or weaknesses was not related to low or underachievement. The results reinforce prior recommendations for abandoning the scatter concept in psychoeducational assessment.