cognitive tests

WISC stands for the Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children and it’s a very reliable IQ test which tests aptitude. The Woodcock Johnson tests academic achievement. A discrepancy between IQ and achievement (usually 20 pts) is the classic definitiion of a learning disability. However, some school districts are flexible about the criteria. Hope that answers your question.

thanks for the reply. I am familiar with the WISC, but the evaluation at our school said she wanted to use the “woodcock johnson cognitive test” for the IQ. This is what I am not familiar with.

Woodcock Johnson is not an IQ test and an IQ test can only be given by a psychologist.

Cognitive” and “IQ” are both talking about potential, aptitude, or ability vs. achievement (think grades, content knowledge, academic skills). The Woodcock-Johnson has 2 parts— that’s why people get confused. The cognitive part can be considered an IQ test (but has the advantage of requiring less training to administer than the WISC). But… the “gold standard” of IQ tests is the WISC and usually only psychologists have the training to administer it.
The achievement part of the Woodcock-Johnson can be given separately, without the cognitive part. Specific subtests can be chosen depending on what needs to be tested, you don’t have to do the whole thing.
At my school during most initial SPED evals, the psych does the WISC and a diagnostician does the achievement part of the W-J. My child was given both the WISC and W-J cognitive and we were able to use the W-J results for her to qualify.

The cognitive abilities tests tend to focus more on processing skills. They are very helpful in identifying LDs, but they really are not intelligence tests, per se. We tend to see slightly higher standard scores on these tests, like the W-J cognitive abilities, than on the WISC. The trouble I find with using the processing tests as measures of ability, it really doesn’t tell much about how well a child can pull things together and apply thinking skills, which to me are more what intelligence is about. Cognitive abilities tests measure things like processing speeds, sequential processing, etc., generally processes that are lower level and create LDs when several of them are significantly weak.

By the same token, a child can have weak higher order thinking abilities, inferencing, various things that really involve the ability to comprehend situations and solve problems, and still have some very good and intact processing skills. These are the children who may be good rote learners, good word readers, but weaker in the comprehension and understanding.

The WISC seems to tap more into what I might consider to be intelligence, but I don’t think it covers anywhere near all of it.

Hi. Thanks for the reply. At our evaluation and planning meeting, the special ed. teacher said she would administer the tests, including the WJ Cognitive. From what you have said, a psychologist is the only one who can give the WISC.

Is the reason they are suggesting the WJ and not WISC to save money? I would think a trained psychologist would be the preferred person to give any IQ tests.

My psych. says only a psych. can administer the WJ cognitive. I don’t know if this is true strictly speaking, but I do know you should be trained to interpret the results.

and school psychologists aren’t always either, speaking from experience. My son’s WJ-cognitive results made no sense to me the way they were interpreted. I even told the school psychologists that the results were not consistent with other testing and what I had observed. I posted the scores here and Robin G interpreted them for me. She described my son to a tee!!!

Without adequate interpretation, numbers mean nothing.

Beth

Yes. Interpretation is vital. Acutally, the school psychologist in my school impressed me quite a bit (a lot more than the special ed teacher who said would do the WJ Cognitive….) This was my concern. I think the school psychologist would be the better person to give and interpret the testing.

Do I have a say in this??

This was my experience. I learned more from books and this site than the testing report.
The school psych got many things wrong, didn’t even pick up his sequencing deficit and labeled him with a poor memory. He has a great memory. He can’t remember sequential things well.

That is why I really haven’t pursued further educational testing. I have found specific testing from specialists more helpful; a sensory integration OT really helped me understand his sensory integration issues and the developmental optometrist helped me understand his very specific vision issues.

I just try to spot specific deficits and find out how to address them.

I would certainly try. Tell them it is your understanding that this test requires a psychologist to administer and interpet results and thus you would like the school psychologist to do it. Tell them you are comfortable with educational testing done by the sp ed teacher but not psychological. If they appear really bull headed about it, I would gather additional support—call the publishers ect before going to IEP meeting.

Beth

It is against the code of ethics of most professions to administer tests that one has not been trained to administer. Publishers of tests require documentation before a test can be purchased— but of course in the case of schools and agencies the tests are already on site. It is the school or agency’s responsiblity to ensure that only qualified testers use them. In our school system you would have no justification for asking the psych to do testing that another staff member is trained to administer. IF you disagree with the results it is your legal right to request an independent eval at the school’s expense (IEE). Again, the W-J does not require a psychologist to administer. Nor does the WISC, though you will find few non-psychs who have gone through the training and supervision required to administer it.