Methods of Assessing Intelligence

Influences on assessment:
(Complex and far-reaching collection of procedures and practices reflect the influence of a number of disciplines and points of view)
* Ethical obligations
* Federal laws
* Multiple tests
* Multiple levels of assessment
* Professional standards
* Contributions from other disciplinesdisciplines

+ Encompasses contributions from many disciplines including psychology, medicine and educational measurement
+ It has also been shaped by federal laws and court decisions
+ Evaluates language and cultural differences as an integral part of the assessment process and attempts to minimize racial and cultural bias in measuring learning ability
+ Ethical obligations and professional standards are considered.

Types of Assessments:
Intelligence Testing - Measure intelligence - IQ; the concept of the mental age as a way of reporting a test result.
- Identify children who would benefit from educational instruction.
- Intelligence tests focus on mental abilities.
- Achivement tests focus on academic abilities.Assessing Large Groups- Testing groups of children - norm
" Proficiency tests, entrance tests, achievement tests"Assessing Adaptive Behaviors* Adaptive behavior is the ability to adapt to the environment by developing independent personal and social behavior and by adjusting to changes in the environment.
- Focuses on functional and practical abilities such as communication, activities of daily living and social interaction.Assessing Developmental Skills- Developmental patterns of young children - predictable sequence skills development and learning.
- Measures - motor, language and communication, personal-social,cognitive and adaptive skills.Individual Diagnosis and Prescription* Diagnosing disabilities that may cause mental retardation, physical handicaps and health impairments.
- Important aspect in SPED - resembles the procedures that physicians follow in diagnosing and treating medical conditions.
* Observe symptoms
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