A website created for families
who want to know more about the assessment process!
|
|
|
Eligibility
Testing All parents are entitled to
know what is happening with their children at school. They have the right to ask
the school district to begin an evaluation process to determine whether or not
their child has a disability. Many times the evaluation process may be
suggested by the child’s teacher. Do not be alarmed; rather be informed and
obtain as much information as possible. Parents have the right to speak with the evaluator and ask any questions they want answered. There may be language, motor and/or psycho-educational tests. The parents have the right to be a partner in this evaluation process. Some of the more common professionally administered tests are listed below. WISC-III (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – ages 6 ˝ to 16 ˝) Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery Brigance – Comprehensive Inventory of Basic Skills Stanford-Binet Intelligence (4th edition)
WISC-III
(Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – ages 6 ˝ to 16 ˝)
This is the most commonly
used intelligence test. The two broad areas of assessment are verbal and
performance, each containing sub-tests. The various sub-tests in the verbal
section measure vocabulary, abstract and concrete verbal reasoning, mental
alertness, concentration, and memory involving language and listening. The
performance sub-tests measure abilities such as awareness of visual detail,
perception of part/whole relations, reproduction of part/whole relations, and
logical sequencing using pictures. From the various sub-tests,
a psychologist can create a profile indicating possible areas of strength and
weakness along with general potential. The test scores will help a classroom
teacher, a special education teacher and the parents to gain insights into
successful teaching techniques. Woodcock-Johnson
Psycho-Educational Battery
The Woodcock-Johnson Educational Battery was published in 1977 and
revised in 1989. It is made up of sub-tests arranged in two main parts, the
Tests of Cognitive Ability and the Tests of Achievement. A positive feature of
the Woodcock-Johnson is its capacity to assess both learning aptitude and
academic performance within one assessment system. The tests in the cognitive
battery serve several purposes. First, they provide an estimate of overall
intellectual functioning. Second, the sub-tests are clustered into seven
cognitive factors to allows description of more specific abilities. Third, the
sub-tests are arranged into aptitude clusters to allow prediction of academic
achievement. The following list are some of the tests given in the cognitive
ability part. An important factor to remember is "no reading" is
required, most responses are oral or the student points to the correct answer.
The curriculum areas that
are assessed in the Achievement test portion of the Woodcock-Johnson are
reading, math, written language and knowledge. The following are the measures of
the various curriculum areas:
Reading
Mathematics
Written Language
Knowledge
In addition, sound
blending, sound patterns, letter/word identification and word attacks are
additional supplementary Woodcock tests that are of particular importance for
evaluating a student with dyslexia. Brigance
– Comprehensive Inventory of Basic Skills The Brigance is designed primarily for use in the elementary and middle
schools. The Brigance Inventory is comprehensive because:
The Brigance may be used as an assessment instrument to identify areas of
strengths and weaknesses. There needs to be an identification of basic skills
within those areas that have or have not been mastered. Also, the Brigance is an
instructional guide of objectives that state functional and measurable terms. It
is a record-keeping and tracking system that is efficient, ongoing, specific,
and easily interpreted. Finally, the Brigance is a
tool for developing and communicating an Individualized Education Plan that will
best meet the specific needs of the student.
Stanford-Binet
Intelligence (4th edition)
In 1986, the
Stanford-Binet was revised. The new edition represents several major changes:
The
Stanford-Binet IV is designed for persons age two through adult. The
test contains fifteen sub-tests that assess four areas of intellectual
performance. The sub-tests are listed below along with the area being tested: Verbal Reasoning
Vocabulary Comprehension Absurdities
Verbal Relations Abstract/Visual Reasoning Pattern Analysis Copying Matrices Paper Folding and Cutting
Quantitative
Reasoning
Quantitative Number Series Equation Building Short-Term Memory Bead Memory Memory for Sentences Memory for Digits Memory for Objects
Results of the Stanford-Binet IV evaluation tests, as well as other tests
of assessment, will assist educators and parents in providing the best possible
educational program for the student. The four major assessment tests that were
cited above, are just a few of the many evaluation processes available to a
child. Parents should become as informed as possible in the steps for the
assessment of their child. Parents, when finding out the test results,
find out how your child reacted during the test. Does he/she refuse to
try? Does he/she come close to the answers? Does he/she become
easily frustrated? After the testing, parents should become informed
about the evaluation results, the plan of action, the monitoring of their
child’s progress and finally the evaluation of their child’s program. Do not
just sign the papers. Become involved with the entire process. For further information on eligibility tests, visit the following site. http://www.greenwoodinstitute.org/homeschool/firststep.html
Much of
the information on the tests was provided by: McLoughlin, J.A. (1994). Assessing
Special Students, (4th ed.). Prentice
|
|
|
Home | Background|
Pre-K | Elementary | Secondary
| Post-Secondary
|
