special education evaluations
Cognitive Psychological Evaluation
WHAT – Testing used to measure a person’s intelligence, including the ability to reason, use language, process information and store memory. Common assessments include the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-4), the Wechsler and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI), and the Stanford Binet Intelligence Scales. Psychological testing often include tests of social-emotional functioning, such as the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale Test, Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) and Differential Ability Scales. Behavior scales, such as the Connors’ Continuous Performance Test or the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC-2) are also utilized.
WHY – Used to estimate a student’s potential to learn and identify areas of strengths and weakness, such as attention, expressive and receptive language, oral and visual perception, and memory. Students with learning disabilities, as well as students with limited exposure to school settings, often have lower IQ scores, and results should be interpreted with caution. Social-emotional difficulties can also depress a student’s scores and affect the student’s ability to learn.
WHEN – Should always be administered as part of an initial special education evaluation. Psychological testing may be combined with other assessments as part of a Psycho-Educational evaluation (see above). Also generally required as part of a mental health assessment for students to receive psychotherapy or psychiatric services outside of school.*