Assessment Understanding the PsychoEducational Evaluation Elizabeth A Rizzi

Assessment: Understanding the Psycho-Educational Evaluation Elizabeth A. Rizzi, MA NYS Certified School Psychologist John Jay High School

Components of the Psycho-educational Assessment • Cognitive Assessment • Academic Assessment • Classroom Observation • Input from Teachers and other school staff • RTI (Response to Intervention Data) • Social Emotional Assessment (if needed) • Adaptive Functioning (if needed) • Executive Functioning (if needed)

Cognitive Assessment • A cognitive assessment is an examination conducted to determine someone’s level of intellectual functioning through performance of various tasks designed to assess different types of reasoning. • Often referred to as “IQ” or “Full Scale IQ”

Cognitive Assessments • Wechsler Intelligence Tests (WPPSI-IV, WISC-IV, WAIS-IV) • Woodcock Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities (WJ-III Cog) • Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (KABC-2) {also has a non verbal scale available} • Stanford Binet Intelligence Scales (SB V) • C-TONI, TONI and UNIT (non verbal)

What they have in common: • Crystallized Intelligence (Verbal) • Fluid Intelligence (Non Verbal) • Working Memory • Processing Speed • Overall General Intellectual Ability (FSIQ, GAI, FCI)

Crystallized Intelligence (Gc) [Verbal] • Crystallized intelligence is the ability to use skills, knowledge, and experience. It does not equate to memory or knowledge, but it does rely on accessing information from long-term memory. • Crystallized intelligence is one’s lifetime intellectual achievement, as demonstrated largely through one's vocabulary and general knowledge. Tends to improve with age – more experiences = more knowledge.

Fluid Intelligence (Gf) [Non-Verbal] • Fluid intelligence or fluid reasoning is the capacity to think logically and solve problems in novel situations, independent of acquired knowledge. • It is necessary for all logical problem solving, e. g. , in scientific, mathematical and technical problem solving.

Levels approach to Cognitive Functioning 1. Full Scale IQ 2. Index Scores 3. Subtest Deviations 4. Subtest & Process Comparisons 5. Response Patterns 6. Qualitative Analysis (Observation)

Standard Scores • Most standardized test scores are reported as standard scores • Standard Scores ARE NOT the same as test scores … not out of 100%

Standard Scores • At a CSE meeting, a parent is told that the child earned a standard score of 85 in one area, a standard score of 70 in another area. Most parents are relieved to hear this news. Why? Most parents believe these numbers are similar to grades, with 100 as the highest score and 0 as the lowest. • In statistics, a standard score indicates by how many standard deviations an observation is above or below the mean.

Standard Score Descriptors 130 and above 120 -129 110 -119 90 -109 80 -89 70 -79 69 and below Very Superior High Average Low Average Borderline (Low) Extremely Low

Academic Achievement Assessment Reading • Decoding • Comprehension Mathematics • Concepts • Computation Written Language • Written Expression • Spelling

Academic Achievement Assessments • Wechsler Individual Achievement Test, Third Edition (WIAT-III) • Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement, Second or Third Edition (KTEA-2, KTEA-3) • Diagnostic Achievement Battery, Third Edition (DAB-3) • Woodcock Johnson Test of Achievement, Fourth Edition (WJ-IV)

Supplemental Components of Assessment Behavior Assessment • Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition (BASC-II) • Attention Deficit Disorder Evaluation Scale, Third Edition (ADDES-3) Adaptive Functioning • Adaptive Behavior Assessment System, Second Edition (ABAS-II) Executive Function • Behavior Rating Inventory for Executive Functioning (BRIEF) • Planning Index on KABC-2

Questions? elizabeth. rizzi@wcsdny. org