Educational Assessments

What is an educational assessment?

Comprehensive Educational Assessments (containing both the Cognitive and Achievement Assessments) help parents and educators gain insight to a child’s unique learning profile and academic capacity. Educational Assessments assess areas of mental functioning related to memory, the ability to pay attention to tasks and to solve problems. They assist parents and educators to make informed decisions regarding their child’s educational placement, optimal learning environment and individual learning needs.

A Cognitive Assessment (WISC) is an individually administered intelligence test for children between the ages of 2.5 and 16 inclusive that can be completed without reading or writing. The test can take up to 2 hours to administer and generates a Full Scale IQ (formerly known as an intelligence quotient or IQ score) which represents a child’s general intellectual ability. It also provides five primary index scores (i.e., Verbal Comprehension Index, Visual Spatial Index, Fluid Reasoning Index, Working Memory Index, and Processing Speed Index) that represent a child’s abilities in more discrete cognitive domains.

An Achievement Assessment (WIAT) is suitable for use in a variety of clinical and educational settings, including schools, clinics and private practices to identify the academic strengths and weaknesses of a student (aged over 4 yrs, up to 19 yrs). The results can be interpreted by our team to inform decisions regarding eligibility for educational services, educational placement, or diagnosis of a specific learning disability, and to design instructional objectives and plan interventions.

How is an educational assessment usually run?

A cognitive assessment is usually conducted in stages and can include:

  • An initial parent interview to gather some history about your child and their development
  • The assessment process (package):
  • 2 x 50 minute sessions (or 1 x 90 minute session) to administer the standardised cognitive (intelligence) test (WISC-V)
  • 3 x 50 minute sessions to administer the standardised achievement (academic) test (WIAT-III)
  • A detailed assessment report of findings from both tests with tailored behavioural and educational recommendations for your child
  • 1 x 50 minute parent feedback session to discuss your child’s assessment and answer any questions you may have.

At The Anna Centre, we provide cognitive assessments for children aged 6 years to 16 years. For adults we can provide a cognitive assessment for individuals aged 16 years to 90 years.

Cognitive skills occupy a vital role in an individual’s overall development, as they include some of the brain’s core functions such as thinking, reading, learning, retaining information, and paying attention and are used to solve problems, remember tasks and make decisions.