Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the Woodcock reading mastery tests-revised with special education students

The factor structure of the Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests–Revised (WRMT‐R) was analyzed using data from a sample of 140 special education students with learning disabilities, mild mental retardation, and serious emotional disturbance. Woodcock asserted that the WRMT‐R measured two important aspects of reading ability: Basic Skills and Reading Comprehension. According to Woodcock, the Word Identification and Word Attack Tests measure two elements of Basic Skills, and the Word Comprehension and Passage Comprehension Tests measure two elements of Reading Comprehension. Together, Basic Skills and Reading Comprehension produce the Total Reading Full‐Scale score. Principal axis factor analysis with a promax rotation and confirmatory factor analysis were used to evaluate evidence that the four tests of the WRMT‐R combine to form the two factors: Basic Skills and Reading Comprehension. The results of the analyses indicated a robust single factor (Total Reading Full‐Scale), and provided little support for Woodcock's hypothesized two‐factor structure. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.