Tests of Dyslexia (TOD™) FAQs
1. What is the TOD?
The Tests of Dyslexia (TOD) is a comprehensive battery of tests and resources designed to help identify and plan interventions for individuals of all ages with dyslexia. It is authored by Nancy Mather, PhD, R. Steve McCallum, PhD, Sherry Mee Bell, PhD, and Barbara J. Wendling, MA.
For more information on the TOD please see our TOD overview video and TOD unboxing video.
2. What is the TOD used for?
The TOD identifies the risk and probability of dyslexia or specific learning disability in reading in individuals ages 5 to 89 years. The TOD also provides instruction and intervention recommendations based on assessment results.
3. What comprises the TOD?
The TOD has the following components:
- TOD-Screener (TOD-S), comprised of three tests that are also the first three tests of both the TOD-E and TOD-C, which can be administered to groups or to individuals, available in a paper or digital format
- TOD-Early (TOD-E), designed for the early identification of students in Grades K–2 (5 years, 0 months–9 years, 3 months)
- TOD-Comprehensive (TOD-C), designed for examinees from Grade 1 to adulthood (6 years, 0 months–89 years, 11 months)
- Self, Parent, and Teacher Online Rating Forms designed to indicate risk of dyslexia as well as to capture qualitative indicators of dyslexia, such as a family history of reading problems and early difficulties with speech and language
- TOD Dyslexia Interventions and Recommendations Companion Guide to help examiners develop IEPs and targeted intervention plans to address specific skill weaknesses
There is some age overlap between the TOD-E and TOD-C for Grades 1 and 2 (6 years, 0 months–9 years 3, months). When choosing between the TOD-E and the TOD-C for that age range the TOD-E is recommended for emergent readers who do not yet read connected text, and the TOD-C is recommended for those who can read connected text. The TOD-S is also required when using the TOD-E or TOD-C if you would like to obtain a Dyslexia Diagnostic Index. The TOD-S is essentially the first three tests given when you are using the TOD-E and TOD-C.
4. What indexes, composites, and tests does the TOD include?
The TOD includes:
- Indexes designed to indicate the risk and probability of dyslexia
- Dyslexia Risk Index
- Dyslexia Diagnostic Index/Early Dyslexia Diagnostic Index
- Linguistic Processing Index/Early Dyslexia Diagnostic Index
- Reading and Spelling Index/Early Reading and Spelling Index
- Composites and tests that measure reading skills (untimed and timed), spelling, specific linguistic risk factors (phonological awareness, orthographic processing, rapid automatized naming, and working memory), and vocabulary and reasoning abilities. (See the TOD page under “show more” for composites and tests.)
5. Who can purchase the TOD?
Standards of practice for which professionals may engage in assessment vary greatly within different countries, states, and localities. As a test publisher, WPS only qualifies individuals for test purchase, not for test use. The latter is the purview of licensing boards and is guided by the local standard of practice for each area and profession. As such, we are unable to comment on whether any specific individual is qualified for use of a specific assessment. It is up to each professional to ensure that he or she is working within the scope of his or her practice in a competent, legal, and ethical manner. All the TOD components can be purchased by educators, psychologists, and related professionals who serve those who may have dyslexia. These are Level B tests, so examiners must have a bachelor’s degree in psychology or a related discipline and training and instruction in administration and interpretation of standardized tests.
In regard to potential users of the TOD, professional standards in testing are presented in the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing published by the American Educational Research Association (AERA), American Psychological Association (APA), and the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME). Examiners should use only those tests for which they have the appropriate training and expertise.
Test publishers provide qualification guidelines to help determine who may purchase their tests. WPS has the following guidelines:
6. Who can use the TOD?
The components of the TOD can be used by a variety of clinicians and educators. For example, a classroom teacher may administer the TOD-Screener and complete the Teacher Rating Form. Professionals including reading specialists, CALTs, educational diagnosticians, psychologists, special educators, SLPs, and others with experience and training in assessment are best suited to administer the TOD-Early or the TOD-Comprehensive due to their advanced coursework and experience with standardized tests. Teachers trained to administer the test and supervised by professionals with advanced training with standardized assessments may also administer the TOD-E or TOD-C. Interpreting test results requires a higher level of skill. For that reason, while a broader range of individuals can administer the test, interpretating results requires a knowledge of dyslexia and formal training in test administration, scoring, and interpretation. It is up to each professional to ensure that he or she is working within the scope of his or her practice in a competent, legal, and ethical manner.
7. What is the training for the product?
There are several training options for the TOD. At minimum, the training expectation is for the professional user to read the manual independently to ensure a thorough understanding of all administration and interpretive procedures, and to practice test administration until the user feels competent in its administration. It is up to each professional to ensure that he or she is working within the scope of his or her practice in a competent, legal, and ethical manner.
The TOD Training Video Program (LMS-705) is the ideal training option. The TOD Training Video Program is an online self-study option that includes training videos and associated digital support material. The training video includes sample test administration with Dr. Nancy Mather describing what is being done, as well as how to interpret results
WPS ProLearn® offers a variety of webinars and TOD-specific training videos, as well as an Independent Study, all with the opportunity to purchase CEs after completion. Professional development and learning opportunities are continually updated to reflect the needs of our customers.
Group training is available by contacting one of our Assessment Consultants at consult@wpspublish.com.
8. How do I score the product?
The TOD-S, TOD-E, and TOD-C can all be scored by hand using the record forms and the TOD Print Norms book or TOD Online Norms book. The TOD-S, TOD-E, and TOD-C print forms can all also be scored online using the WPS Online Evaluation System at platform.wpspublish.com.
The TOD-S also has an online administration and scoring option.
The TOD Rating Forms are online scoring only. While the online rating forms can be printed out for use with individuals who do not have access to a computer, they must be scored online and not by hand.
9. How do I access the rating forms?
The rating forms included in the TOD-C, TOD-E, and TOD Combination kits are only available on our Online Evaluation System™ (OES) at platform.wpspublish.com. Once you use the activation code on the OES, you can email a link to any of the Parent, Teacher, or Self-Rating Forms to raters, or you can print them out if you prefer to use paper. Printing and emailing forms costs nothing. The form use is consumed at the point of scoring, which must be done online. The scoring program generates a useful report.
10. What items do I need to purchase?
You may purchase any of the TOD kits (Combination, Screener, Early, or Comprehensive), all of which include forms, manual, and intervention planner, or you may purchase individual items. Reach out to customerservice@wpspublish.com or call us at 844.378.4918 with any purchasing questions.
Please note that the tests of the TOD-Screener (TOD-S) are also the first 3 tests of the TOD-Early (TOD-E) and TOD-Comprehensive (TOD-C), which is why the TOD-S is included in those kits.
For screening only, you would need the TOD-Screener which will yield the Dyslexia Risk Index (DRI).
For working with elementary school-aged individuals, we recommend the TOD Combination Kit, which includes the TOD-S, TOD-E, and TOD-C. The TOD-E will yield the Early Dyslexia Diagnostic Index (EDDI) and the TOD-C will yield the Dyslexia Diagnostic Index (DDI).
For working with teens or adults, we recommend the TOD-Comprehensive Kit. The TOD-C will yield the Dyslexia Diagnostic Index (DDI).
For more help deciding what TOD kit may be right for you please see the below infographic, or watch the TOD Purchasing Guide.
11. What is the reliability/validity of the TOD?
Reliability and validity evidence occurs over time and from multiple studies and methodologies and cannot be defined by single scores. A brief summary is provided here, but it is suggested to review Chapter 5 for more detailed information (available for viewing under "Download Sample Material" on the product page).
In general, the reliabilities of the TOD tests and composites are almost all >.80 and thus support the stability of the TOD across tests and over time. Several studies provide validity evidence for the TOD. Confirmatory factor analyses support the factorial structure of the Dyslexia Risk and Diagnostic Index scores, as well as the component Reading and Spelling and Linguistic Processing Index scores. Additionally, concurrent validity analyses demonstrate that each TOD test correlates in expected ways with other tests of similar constructs. Most importantly, comparisons between typically developing individuals and those with a diagnosed reading disability show that the latter group performs more poorly on the TOD measures. This disparity in performance represents a clinically meaningful difference. Furthermore, at a cutoff score of 80, the TOD-S Dyslexia Risk Index discriminates individuals with a reading disability from typically developing individuals with sensitivity of ≥.80 and specificity of ≥.99; the TOD-C Dyslexia Diagnostic Index does so with sensitivity of ≥.78 and specificity of ≥.97; and the TOD-E Early Dyslexia Diagnostic Index does so with sensitivity of ≥.80 and specificity of ≥.99. Sensitivity increases as the cutoff score increases. These results support the utility of the TOD in both clinical or school settings to identify individuals with dyslexia.
12. Is a certain group contained in the standardization or clinical sample?
2,518 individuals aged 5 to 89 participated in the standardization and validation studies. The TOD normative samples are TOD-C child (n = 1,401); TOD-C adult (n = 342); and TOD-E (n = 347). The TOD-S was taken by individuals in each of the three samples and serves as the basis for the TOD-S standardization. Each sample closely matches U.S. Census data based on gender, race/ethnicity, parents’ educational level, and geographic region. The remaining individuals made up the clinical validation samples and had a reading disability and/or other clinical diagnosis.
13. Is there a digital version?
Yes, digital versions are available, though print response booklets are still required for the TOD-C.
The TOD Online Manual (W-700MP), TOD Online Norms (W-700NP), and Dyslexia Interventions and Recommendations: An Online Companion Guide to the Tests of Dyslexia (TOD) (W-700JP) are available digitally.
The TOD-S Online Administration Guide (W-701DP) and Response Booklets are available in digital format for online administration and scoring.
Digital easel pdfs are available for the TOD-C Easels 1 & 2 (W-700GP & W-700HP) and TOD-E Easel (W-702EP).
The TOD Rating Scales are administered and scored online only.
For information on remote administration please view this video: https://youtu.be/AMg_qoTlF_Y.
14. How do I use the Dyslexia Interventions and Recommendations: A Companion Guide to the Tests of Dyslexia (TOD)?
There are two ways to use the companion guide.
Users can access this guide either through a paper or online version. A paper version of the guide is included in the TOD Combination, TOD-Early, and TOD-Comprehensive Kits. You can also purchase an online pdf version of the guide separately from the kits. To use these versions of the guide, simply look through to pick out interventions or recommendations that are appropriate for the individual you have evaluated.
The second way to utilize the companion guide is via the WPS Online Evaluation System (OES). Once you have completed scoring, you can create a free Interventions and Recommendations report. This report can be tailored to the individual you have evaluated by selecting those interventions and recommendations you feel are most appropriate.
15. What do I need to use the TOD remotely?
If you are planning on using a paper kit for in-person administration but would also like the option to administer TOD remotely, you will need the following materials for remote administration:
For the TOD-S:
- TOD-S Administration and Response Booklets (either print or online)
For the TOD-E:
- TOD-S Administration and Response Booklets (either print or online)
- TOD-E Digital Easel (W-702EP)
- TOD-E Print Record Form Grades K-2 (pack of 10) (W-702A)
For the TOD-C:
What you need for remote-only administration:
TOD-S Screener Online Kit (W-701P) which includes:
The individual TOD-E items:
The individual TOD-C items:
Online Rating Scales for Parent, Teacher, and Self are also available and provide quantitative and qualitative information supplemental to the performance-based tests.
Please note that the TOD-E has one component that is print format only; the Record Form (for the examiner), and the TOD-C has two components that are print format only; the Response Booklet (for the examinee) and the Record Form (for the examiner). Please see our video on how to administer the TOD remotely for guidance on remote use (here).