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What is psycho-educational assessment?

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What is psycho-educational assessment?

Assess how to help struggling students


When a child tries to live up to his or her potential in school , parents, educators, and students often want to find the source of the problem. Although to some people, the child may seem "lazy" on the surface, but his or her reluctance to go to work or participate in school activities may be due to deeper learning disabilities or psychological problems that may interfere with the child's learning ability .


Although parents and teachers suspect that students may have learning problems, only psychological education assessments conducted by professionals such as psychologists or neuro-psychologists can lead to a clear diagnosis of learning disabilities. This kind of formal assessment also helps to provide a comprehensive explanation of all factors of children's learning challenges (including cognitive and psychological problems), which may affect school children. Looking for more information about what psycho-educational assessment involves and how can the process help struggling students? Take a look at this.


Involved evaluation measurement and testing


The assessment is usually carried out by a psychologist or other similar professional. Some schools are evaluated by licensed staff (public and private schools usually have psychologists who work for the school and evaluate students, especially those in elementary and middle schools), and some schools require students to be in school.


The evaluators try to create a safe and comfortable environment and establish rapport with the students so that they can make the children feel relaxed and have a good reading for the students.


Evaluators usually start with an intelligence test , such as the Webster's Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC). The test was first developed in the late 1940s and has now entered its fifth edition (starting in 2014) and is called WISC-V.


This version of the WISC assessment can be in paper and pencil format, or in a digital format called Q-interactive®. Research shows that WISC-V provides more evaluation flexibility and more content. This new version demonstrates children's abilities more comprehensively than the previous version. Some of the more significant improvements have made it easier and faster to identify the problems students are facing, and better help identify student learning solutions.


Although the validity of intelligence tests has been controversial, they are still used to generate four main sub-scores: oral comprehension score, perceptual reasoning score, working memory score, and processing speed score. The difference between these scores is worth noting and may indicate the strengths and weaknesses of the child. For example, a child may score higher in one area, such as oral comprehension, and lower in another area, indicating why he or she tends to struggle in certain areas.


The evaluation can last for several hours (some tests are performed in a few days) and may also include performance tests, such as Woodcock Johnson . These tests measure students' academic skills in reading, math, writing, and other fields.


The difference between intelligence tests and achievement tests may also indicate a specific type of learning problem. Assessment may also include tests of other cognitive functions, such as memory, language, executive function (referring to the ability to plan, organize, and perform one's own tasks), attention, and other functions. In addition, the test may include some basic psychological assessments.


What does it look like to complete the psycho educational assessment?


After completing the psycho-education evaluation, the psychologist will complete the evaluation to the parents (and to the school with the permission of the parent or guardian). The evaluation includes a written explanation of the test performed and the results, and the evaluator also describes how the child approached the test.


In addition, the assessment also includes the data generated by each test and records the diagnosis of any learning problems encountered by the child. The report should provide suggestions to help students at the end. These suggestions may include the usual school curriculum to help the student, such as providing extra testing time for the student (for example, if the student has a language barrier or other illness that causes her to work slower for maximum results).



A comprehensive assessment can also provide insight into any psychological factors or other factors that affect your child's schooling. Evaluation should never be punitive or intentional stigmatization; on the contrary, evaluation is designed to help students reach their full potential, explain the factors that affect them, and propose strategies to help students.

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