Columbia Mental Maturity Scale-Third Edition
Columbia Mental Maturity Scale-Third Edition
The Columbia Mental Maturity Scale (CMMS) was written by Bessie Burgemeister, Lucille H. Blum, and Irving Lorge. Among the different websites used to find information, there were two publisher companies named. First publisher named was by Psychological Corporation. The Second publisher named was Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Inc. I am not sure if one company decided to take the publishing over, or if the websites were wrong. It has three editions with the first being published in 1954, the second edition released in 1959, and the most recent version released in 1972. This test is used for children that might have some form of a limitation/disability that would deter them away from other tests. Children who have physical limitations, have English as their second language, speech impairments, or hearing loss can complete this scale without a negative bias. This scale can better measure an individual with special needs/requirements as those tests that do not take into account disabilities.
The Columbia scale is “an individually administered instrument designed to assess the general reasoning ability of children between the ages of 3 years, 6 months to 9 years, 11 months.” (Columbia Mental Maturity Scale) The CMMS consists of 92 pictorial and figural, classification items arranged in a series of eight overlapping levels. The test requires “neither a verbal response nor a fine motor skill.” (Kaplan et al, 2005)Administering the tests, “includes teaching the child the task, using three sample items; presenting the test items included in the level appropriate for his chronological age; and recording his response to each item on the Individual Record Form.” (Columbia Mental Maturity Scale)
The tester must find the level indicated with the child’s chronological age to start. Fifty-one to sixty-five items are then presented (depending on the age level). There are drawings, each on a 6-by-19 inch card, that are then shown to
The Columbia Mental Maturity Scale (CMMS) was written by Bessie Burgemeister, Lucille H. Blum, and Irving Lorge. Among the different websites used to find information, there were two publisher companies named. First publisher named was by Psychological Corporation. The Second publisher named was Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Inc. I am not sure if one company decided to take the publishing over, or if the websites were wrong. It has three editions with the first being published in 1954, the second edition released in 1959, and the most recent version released in 1972. This test is used for children that might have some form of a limitation/disability that would deter them away from other tests. Children who have physical limitations, have English as their second language, speech impairments, or hearing loss can complete this scale without a negative bias. This scale can better measure an individual with special needs/requirements as those tests that do not take into account disabilities.
The Columbia scale is “an individually administered instrument designed to assess the general reasoning ability of children between the ages of 3 years, 6 months to 9 years, 11 months.” (Columbia Mental Maturity Scale) The CMMS consists of 92 pictorial and figural, classification items arranged in a series of eight overlapping levels. The test requires “neither a verbal response nor a fine motor skill.” (Kaplan et al, 2005)Administering the tests, “includes teaching the child the task, using three sample items; presenting the test items included in the level appropriate for his chronological age; and recording his response to each item on the Individual Record Form.” (Columbia Mental Maturity Scale)
The tester must find the level indicated with the child’s chronological age to start. Fifty-one to sixty-five items are then presented (depending on the age level). There are drawings, each on a 6-by-19 inch card, that are then shown to
References: Kaplan, R. (2005). Psychological testing. 6th ed. Belmont, CA: Thomson. Retrieved Feb. 13, 2005, from Columbia Mental Maturity Scale Web site: