Overview
The Woodcock-Johnson V Tests of Cognitive Abilities (WJ V COG; McGrew, Mather, & LaForte, 2025), Woodcock-Johnson V Tests of Achievement (WJ V ACH; Mather, McGrew, & LaForte, 2025a), and the Woodcock-Johnson V Virtual Test Library (WJ V VTL; Mather, McGrew, & LaForte, 2025b) were designed to support efficient, clinically meaningful evaluations of cognitive functioning, academic achievement, and language skills. Comprised of a total of 61 tests, the evaluator is presented with a plethora of tests to choose for customizable integration into a comprehensive evaluation. The WJ V offers several resources, including the Selective Testing Tables for each battery, which provide evaluator’s guidance for test selection based on the referral question and professional judgment of the evaluator.
Each battery has a core set of tests that provide the evaluator with a starting point or a foundational set of tests. These core tests are central to the Core-Selective Evaluation ProcessÔ (C-SEPÔ; Schultz & Stephens, 2015)—a pattern of strengths and weaknesses (PSW) model used for the identification of a Specific Learning Disability (SLD). C-SEPÔ calls for the integration of student learning data with targeted norm-referenced tests, allowing for data-driven, individualized evaluations of students.
WJ V Tests of Cognitive Abilities: An Updated Cognitive Foundation
The WJ V COG, published in February 2025, continues the tradition of its predecessors by aligning with Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory, but with important refinements. The first eight tests of the WJ V COG (McGrew, Mather, & LaForte, 2025) battery assess broad and narrow CHC abilities that are empirically linked to academic performance and learning efficiency. Built on the most current version of the CHC theory of intelligence, the WJ V COG includes eight core tests that serve as the foundation for understanding broad cognitive abilities. Table 1 highlights the list of the first 8 tests, the broad CHC factor measured, and a description of each test task (LaForte, Dailey, & McGrew, 2025).
Table 1. Core WJ V Tests of Cognitive Abilities
Significant updates have been made to the WJ V COG, these range from the number and type of tests required to obtain the General Intellectual Ability (GIA), the split of Glr into separate Gl and Gr clusters, updated composition of the Fluid Reasoning (Gf) cluster, and updates made to other clusters (LaForte, Dailey, & McGrew, 2025).
WJ V Tests of Achievement (WJ V ACH)
The WJ V ACH (Mather, McGrew, & LaForte, 2025a) has been updated and expanded to include the oral language tests and clusters, along with a variety of additional tests that measure reading, writing, and math skills.
WJ V Virtual Test Library (WJ V VTL)
The WJ V VTL (Mather, McGrew, LaForte, & Wendling, 2025b) is a new feature of the WJ V battery that offers tests measuring various rapid automated naming (RAN) tasks, foundational reading skills, and measures of auditory processing. Evaluators can choose additional selective tests from the VTL to obtain deeper understanding of the examinee’s skills in areas of basic reading.
What Is C-SEP?
The Core-Selective Evaluation Process™ (C-SEP™), developed by Schultz and Stephens (2015), is a PSW assessment model designed to streamline evaluations for SLD without sacrificing diagnostic accuracy. Instead of requiring administration of a full battery of cognitive, achievement, and language tests, C-SEP begins with a solid foundation—the eight core WJ V cognitive tests—and then strategically adds supplemental tests only if the data indicate a need for further exploration. Further, the WJ V language and achievement tests utilized within the comprehensive evaluation are strategically chosen based on the referral question and the findings from the analysis of the learning data (Stephens, & Schultz, 2024).
Key Principles of C-SEP include:
How the WJ V Enhances C-SEP Implementation
The WJ V was uniquely designed to support flexible and selective evaluation models like C-SEP. The thoughtful front-loading of broad CHC domains in the first eight subtests makes it possible to quickly identify potential areas of concern, detect intra-individual strengths and weaknesses, and make informed decisions about whether deeper exploration is needed.
For example, if a student performs within expected limits across all core tests, no additional testing may be necessary. However, if a weakness is evident in a domain such as working memory, the evaluator can selectively administer a second Gwm subtest to confirm a deficit and obtain a cluster score. This targeted approach enables evaluators to maximize testing time, reduce assessment fatigue for students, and focus efforts on interpretation and intervention planning.
Additionally, the WJ V’s digital solution allows evaluators the ability to build out customizable test sets, based on the FRQ. Because C-SEP starts with a testing hypothesis, not a fixed battery, the WJ V’s digital custom test sets are a perfect fit. Evaluators can pre-build small, hypothesis-driven test sets (e.g., phonological decoding, reading fluency, verbal reasoning) and launch only what’s needed for the referral question. Additional tests can be added to the test set, if needed. This keeps testing selective and construct-aligned, reduces student burden, and cuts time and cost spent. It also improves defensibility: every measure is tied to a stated hypothesis. Further, these test sets can be saved or edited for future referrals.
Why C-SEP Matters in Today’s Schools
School-based evaluators are increasingly asked to do more with less—more evaluations, more data, and more demands on their time. C-SEP provides a modern, scalable solution for conducting comprehensive and legally defensible evaluations without unnecessary test burden (Stephens & Schultz, 2024).
By using the WJ V tests in a selective manner alongside learning data, evaluators can confidently identify students with SLDs based on reliable patterns, rule out SLD when cognitive and achievement processes are intact, and communicate findings clearly to educators and families.
Final Thoughts
The digital WJ V tests and the C-SEP model are perfectly aligned to support efficient, individualized, and defensible SLD evaluations. This modern approach respects the evaluator’s expertise, reduces unnecessary testing, and improves the utility of assessment results for students, families, and schools. It is a model that meets the moment—and meets the needs of today’s evaluators and learners.
References
LaForte, E. M., Dailey, D., & McGrew, K. S. (2025). WJ V technical abstract. Riverside Assessments, LLC.
Mather, N., McGrew, K. S., LaForte, E. M., & Wendling, B. J. (2025a). Woodcock-Johnson V Tests of Achievement. Riverside Assessments, LLC.
Mather, N., McGrew, K. S., LaForte, E. M., & Wendling, B. J. (2025b). Woodcock-Johnson V Virtual Test Library. Riverside Assessments, LLC.
McGrew, K. S., Mather, N., & LaForte, E. M. (2025). Woodcock-Johnson V Tests of Cognitive Abilities. Riverside Assessments, LLC.
Schultz, E., & Stephens, T., (2015). Core-selective evaluation process: An efficient and comprehensive approach to identify SLD using the WJ IV. The DiaLog Journal, 44(2), 5-12.
Stephens, T., & Schultz, E. (2024). Core-selective evaluation process handbook (C-SEP), second edition: Revised and updated. Dragonfly Publishing, Houston, TX.