Intellectual Functioning

A measure of cognitive ability will be on each evaluation.  This may be a formal assessment using one of the measures below or it may be a review of previous records.  Intellectual assessment and intelligence testing refer to the evaluation of an individual’s general intellectual functioning and cognitive abilities.  Intelligence tests provide at least one measure of ‘‘general intellectual functioning’’ which typically refers to one’s global or overall level of intelligence, often referred to as IQ (intelligence quotient). Higher IQ scores are assumed to mean that the individual has higher intellectual functioning.  The most common measures of intellectual ability are standardized, norm-referenced intelligence tests, many of which yield a score where average performance is set at 100. The term IQ (or Full Scale IQ–FSIQ) is the traditional designation for these scores.

The school psychologist serving your district will typically conduct any assessments and/or file reviews for the area of intellectual ability for students K-12.  In early childhood, intellectual ability is often measured a bit differently as more general cognitive functioning which is often assessed through tests given by an early childhood special education teacher.    

Some commonly used norm-referenced tests include the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI), Wechsler Intelligence for Children (WISC), Woodcock–Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities (WJ), the Stanford–Binet Intelligence Scale (SB), the Differential Abilities Scale (DAS), and the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (KABC). All of these measures have been updated and re-normed over time. Assessments should be conducted using the most recent edition of the test to ensure up-to-date test norms.

Disability Categories with IQ Still Involved in Eligibility

SLD

DCD

S/L (Language Impaired)

The Evaluation Report should include the following information in this section for current results:

1. An introductory paragraph that describes the battery administered

2. A statement summarizing overall functioning, if the global score is able to be interpreted  

3. A statement regarding the value of composite/cluster scores in understanding functioning

4. A statement addressing the validity of the assessment results as well as a qualifying statement based on the measures used.