Testing: The Whys and Wherefores Washington Parent Magazine, February 1999 As parents, we all hope our children are growing, developing and learning at appropriate age milestones. We constantly keep a watchful eye on them as they move from one stage to another, whether physically, socially, emotionally or academically. As we observe and monitor our children’s progress, we often wonder if they are following the normal developmental milestones. Sometimes, we suspect that delays are present; at other times, we suspect that our child is advanced in some areas. In addition to talking with other parents to compare our children, we usually consult our pediatricians to reassure ourselves that everything is okay. For our school-age children, we often ask teachers and guidance counselors if learning is on track. We in the Washington metropolitan area are very fortunate to have a wide range of services available, in both the public and private sectors, to help us determine if things are on track. Testing is one way to identify your child’s strengths and weaknesses as well as to clarify or identify suspected delays. Seek Consultation First Before you decide to have your child tested, consult with pediatricians, school staff and private educational consultants who do overall case management. These consultations will provide you with valuable information about the various reasons for testing, and the normal ranges of intellectual, social and emotional development. Prepare for the initial consultation by jotting down your main concerns and worries, and what friends, teachers and pediatricians say about your child. Also come prepared with information about her birth, medical history and approximate ages for developmental milestones (sitting, crawling, self-feeding, walking, talking, etc.). Remember to keep the consultation focused on your concerns. The professional you meet with should provide concrete information about the various types of evaluations available and specific reasons why your child should or should not be tested. If testing is recommended, be sure to get a list of possible referrals. Find out who is the most appropriate person to do the testing: an educational diagnostician, psychologist, occupational therapist, speech and language therapist, neurologist or optometrist. Frequently, children need different combinations of tests, so be sure the person you consult provides you with information about the types of testing that seem most appropriate. This discussion will help clarify issues to prevent unnecessary testing or testing that is done too early. Be cautious of professionals who immediately recommend a full battery of tests. Sometimes it is more appropriate to focus on a specific issue with selective testing, rather than do a wide range of testing. Reasons for Testing Preschool Age Remember that all children develop and grow at different rates. A problem in one or two specific skill areas might not be serious. However, it is important to have the problem checked out. The sooner a delay is discovered, the sooner help can be provided. Early intervention can make a significant difference in your child’s progress. Free screenings are provided by all public school systems, usually by their Child Find programs. You should pursue testing (often called a screening) if you have concerns about your child’s development in any of the following areas: body coordination, self-help, knowledge/concepts, speech/language, getting along with others, attention, hyperactivity, vision/hearing. Public school Child Find programs, parent resource centers and pediatricians will provide you with lists of normal age ranges for developmental skills. Private testing is also available. Be sure to consult first with a professional who will help guide you to the most appropriate source for testing, such as a speech therapist, educational diagnostician, psychologist, occupational therapist, etc. Kindergarten Readiness Testing Some private school kindergarten programs require testing to evaluate a child’s language skills, fine and gross motor skills, and academic readiness skills. Testing very young children before kindergarten is often a tricky business. They can be having an “off’ day, be easily distracted, might have some separation anxiety, so test results are not always 100 percent reliable. Parent questionnaires, parent interviews and school visits to observe your child in free play are often a better reflection of her skills. School-age Children For school children who do not necessarily have delays or major problems, testing is appropriate when parents want more detailed information than the school provides about their child’s relative strengths and weaknesses, learning styles (i.e., is my child more of a visual learner, auditory learner, kinesthetic/motor learner?), and innate potential (overall intelligence/I.Q.). Also, individualized, private testing is appropriate when parents or school staff have concerns about scores on group-administered standardized tests given in public and private schools. Sometimes scores on these tests do not reflect what’s happening in the classroom on a regular basis, so more comprehensive, individualized testing can reveal more specific information about your child’s skills in a particular area. Also, if group-administered test scores fall below the average range, then additional academic testing is advised. If your child is experiencing difficulty learning, either in the classroom or at home with homework, then more comprehensive tests are appropriate to identify specific weaknesses. You, as the parent, can request that the school test your child. But you shouldn’t wait for the school to initiate testing if you are observing at home that your child is struggling, taking much longer than average to finish homework or is getting frustrated by school work. Sometimes teachers notice in the classroom that a particular student is having difficulty with certain academic tasks, following directions, remembering facts and concepts, or is performing inconsistently from one day to the next. In these cases, either parents or teachers can ask the school’s Child Study Committee to meet and decide if an individualized battery of tests is needed to help determine eligibility for special education services. Moreover, any child from birth through age 21 who is suspected of having a disability is qualified for an individual multi-disciplinary evaluation of eligibility for special education services. Written parental permission is always obtained for these evaluations. If the parent agrees to an assessment, a team will conduct the evaluation. Parents have the right to be involved in choosing areas for assessment and must receive written notice of this right. The child must be assessed in any area related to her suspected disability and may have some or all of the following assessments: Psychological: The psychological evaluation must be conducted by a qualified psychologist, and will inform the parents and the school staff about the child’s intellectual, emotional and social development, including how she relates to other people. If your child is suspected of having an attention deficit disorder, some information about her attention skills can be gleaned from this evaluation. A psychological assessment also includes personality testing to evaluate a child’s social and emotional skills. Sometimes psychologists will give parents and teachers additional questionnaires which will be used as a part of the total evaluation. These questionnaires include specific information about a child’s past history and current behaviors in socializing and attention skills at home and at school. Educational: Educational testing informs parents and school staff about the child’s present abilities and academic achievement and identifies any learning problems. Individualized, specific tests can be administered in areas of reading, math, written language and general knowledge. Typically, testing for learning disabilities includes a battery of tests in all these areas, and then some more specific additional diagnostic testing in the area identified as the weakest or most problematic. For example, if a child struggles with sounding out new words, specific tests would be given to evaluate her phonics and word attack skills. If she takes an excessively long time getting her thoughts down on paper, then specific tests would be given to evaluate visual-motor skills and/or written language skills. The child’s performance during the testing is analyzed to determine what specific academic areas are the weakest, so educational plans can be made for remediation, compensation and appropriate classroom adaptations. Educational testing will also identify the child’s relative strengths so that these can be used to her advantage in school and at home. Test scores for educational evaluations include age equivalents, grade equivalents, standard scores and percentile ranks. To determine if a child’s academic abilities and achievement are significantly lower than her potential, the standard scores from the educational tests (in reading, math, written language and general knowledge) are compared with her I.Q. scores from the psychological evaluation. Other informal measures such as the child’s day-to-day classroom performance, work samples and classroom observations are also used to evaluate academic achievement and abilities. In addition to psychological and educational evaluations, other testing may be completed in the areas of speech, language and motor abilities. These tests are administered by speech and language and occupational therapists. Parents can request that the public school test their child. The Child Study Committee determines if testing is indicated. Parents may wish to obtain an independent psychological evaluation. An independent evaluation is conducted by qualified professionals who do not work for the school division. The school system must consider the results of independent evaluations in its decision about a child’s education. When the assessment process is complete, parents have the right to examine all reports and information and to have it explained to them. And remember, no single test can be used as the only basis for determining eligibility for services. School Placement/School Program Decisions Some private schools require an intelligence test, such as the WPPSI and WISC. The purpose of these tests is to compare your child’s overall intelligence with the school’s population to gauge whether your child will be comfortable learning within that school’s educational environment. Remember, schools use scores from intelligence tests as just one set of criteria, along with other factors, before final decisions are made. If parents feel that their child could benefit from an advanced placement or gifted and talented programs, then intelligence testing is also appropriate. Tests which determine learning styles are helpful when deciding which type of private school is the most appropriate for your child. Since we have so many fine private and public schools in our area, knowing more about your child’s learning profile often helps narrow down choices for school placement. A final note: Whether looking at test scores or a child’s actual sample work, school staff and evaluators need to consider the effort it takes her to achieve certain scores on tests. Parents must always be their child’s number one advocate and let
teachers, evaluators and school staff know the amount of effort it takes
to do homework and special projects. Remember, often teachers are seeing
only final products rather than observing the effort and help needed at
home to achieve the result. This is valuable information that should be
included in the assessment process. |