Common Educational Tests used for Assessments for Special Education
PROCESS DEFINITION TESTS WHICH GIVE INFORMATION
Ability to reason, to think
Cognition/Intelligence abstractly, and to solve
problems.
Ability to use cognitive
processes which rely
Verbal Intelligence
primarily on verbal
language
Ability to use cognitive
Non Verbal processes which do not
Intelligence rely primarily on verbal
language.
Language
Ability to understand
Receptive Verbal
incoming spoken
Language
language.
• Wechsler tests: WISC-III, WAIS-R,
WPPSI-R
• Stanford-Binet: Fourth Edition
• Differential Ability Scales (DAS)
• Wechsler: Verbal Scales
• Stanford-Binet: FE-Verbal
Comprehension Factor
• DAS: Verbal Ability
• Wechsler: Performance Scales
• Stanford-Binet: FE: Nonverbal
Reasoning/Visualization Factor
• DAS: Nonverbal Ability
• Kaufman Assessment Battery for
Children (K-ABC): Nonverbal Scale
• Leiter International Performance
Scale
• Columbia Mental Maturity Scale
• Raven’s Progressive Matrices
• Wechsler: Verbal Scales
• Test of Language Development-2
(TOLD-2): Listening Composite
• Test of Auditory Comprehension of
Language-Revised
• Clinical Evaluation of Language
Fundamentals (CELF-R): Receptive
Subtests
• Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-
Revised

 Common Educational Tests used for Assessments for Special Education

PROCESS DEFINITION TESTS WHICH GIVE INFORMATION

• Wechsler: Verbal Scales

• TOLD-2: Speaking Composite
Ability to convey ideas • CELF-R: Expressive Subtests
Expressive Verbal
and relate information • Woodcock-Johnson, Revised-Rests
Language
through oral language. of Cognitive Ability (WJ-R COG):
Oral Language Cluster
• Speech Exam and Language Sample

• Wechsler: Picture Completion,

Picture Arrangement, Object
Ability to derive meaning
Assembly
from pictures, gestures,
• Stanford-Binet: FE – Absurdities
Receptive Nonverbal and facial expressions,
• K-ABC: Gestalt Closure, Photo
Language and to interpret social
Series, Face Recognition
situations without verbal
• Detroit Tests of Learning Aptitude-2
clues.
(DTLA-2): Conceptual Matching
• Observations of behavior

Ability to convey
• Goodenough-Harris Drawing Test
meaning through
Expressive Nonverbal • Kinetic Family Drawing
gestures, facial
Language • ITPA: Manual Expression
expressions, and
• Observations of behavior
drawings.

Auditory Skills

• Wepman Auditory Discrimination

Test –2nd Edition
• Test of Auditory Perceptual Skills
Ability to detect subtle
(TAPS): Auditory Word
Auditory likenesses and
Discrimination
Discrimination difference between
• Goldman-Fristoe-Woodcock Test
speech sounds.

 Common Educational Tests used for Assessments for Special Education

PROCESS DEFINITION TESTS WHICH GIVE INFORMATION

Auditory Discrimination

Ability to break words • WJ-R, Cognitive: Incomplete Words

into syllables and/or • Slingerland: Test 7, Echolalia
Auditory Analysis
discrete sound • Auditory Analysis Task (plant = p-l-a-
components n-t)

Ability to combine
supplied sounds or • WJ-R, Cognitive: Sound Blending
Auditory Synthesis
syllables into words • Mann-Suiter Sound Blending
(sound blending).

• Wechsler: Digit Span

• Stanford-Binet: FE- Memory for
Ability to retain Sentences, Memory for Digits
Auditory Immediate information just heard for • K-ABC: Number Recall, Word Order
Memory a short period of time • WJ-R, Cognitive: Memory for
(no storage involved). Sentences, Memory for Words
• DTLA-2: Sentence Imitation, Word
Sequences, Oral Directions

Ability to store and recall

Auditory Recent • Slingerland: Tests 6, 8
recently heard auditory
Memory • Ray Auditory-Verbal Learning Test
material.

• Wechsler: Information, Similarities,

Ability to store and recall
Auditory Remote auditory material heard
Memory several moths or years
earlier.
Vocabulary, Comprehension
• Stanford-Binet: FE – Vocabulary,
Comprehension, Verbal Relations
• WJ-R, Achievement: Knowledge
Cluster
• Peabody Individual Achievement
Test- Revised: General Information

 Common Educational Tests used for Assessments for Special Education

PROCESS DEFINITION TESTS WHICH GIVE INFORMATION

Visual Skills

• Wechsler: Performance Scale

Ability to detect subtle
likenesses and
Visual Discrimination differences in visual
stimuli such as symbols,
pictures, and designs.
• WJ-R, Cognitive: Visual Matching,
Cross Out
• Motor Free Visual Perception Test
• Slingeland: Test 4
• Test of Visual Perceptual Skills
(TVPS): Visual Discrimination

• Wechsler: Performance Scale

• K-ABC: Gestalt Closure, Triangles,
Matrix Analogies, Photo Series
Ability to identify the
• Slingerland: Tests 1, 2, 3, 8
parts of a visual stimulus
Visual Analysis • Motor Free Visual Perception Test
and to differentiate figure
• Jordan Left-Right Reversal Test
from ground.
(1990 Edition)
• Observations of word list and
paragraph reading

Ability to identify the • Wechsler: Picture Arrangement,

Visual parts of a visual stimulus Block Design, Object Assembly
Analysis/Synthesis and to combine visual • K-ABC: Triangles, Photo Series
elements into a whole. • Raven’s Progressive Matrices

• Wechsler: Coding Stanford-Binet:

Ability to retain
Visual Immediate information just seen for
Memory a short period of time
(no storage involved).
FE – Bead Memory, Memory for
Objects
• K-ABC: Hand Movements, Spatial
Memory
• WJ-R, Cognitive, Picture Recognition

Ability to store and recall • Slingerland: Tests 3, 5

Visual Recent
recently seen visual • Ray Complex Figure Drawing
Memory
information • Weekly Spelling Tests

 Common Educational Tests used for Assessments for Special Education
PROCESS DEFINITION
Ability to store and recall
Visual Remote visual information seen
Memory several months or years
earlier.
Ability to perceive spatial
relationships involving
one’s own body and the
environment. Ability to
Visual-Spatial
organize and interpret
Orientation
spatial relationships on a
two-dimensional level as
in copying, writing, or
reading.
Ability to investigate
visual material in a
Visual Scanning
systematic, organized
way.
Motor Skills
Ability to control fine
Fine Motor muscle movements, as
Coordination in writing, drawing, and
cutting
Fine Motor Ability to coordinate
Coordination – articulatory movement
Speech patterns for speech
TESTS WHICH GIVE INFORMATION
• Wechsler: Picture Completion,
Object Assembly
• Achievement tests: word recognition,
oral reading, spelling
• Slingerland Tests: 1, 2
• Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test
• Jordan Left-Right Reversal Test
(1990)
• Wechsler: Block Design
• Right-Left Discrimination Test
• Observations of written work,
reading, and behavior
• Slingerland: Tests 3, 4, 8
• Motor Free Visual Perception Test
• Jordan Left-Right Reversal Test
(1990)
• Observations of paragraph reading
• Wechsler: Coding, Mazes
• Stanford-Binet: FE – Copying
• Bender-Gestalt
• Developmental Test of Visual-Motor
Integration (VMI)
• Slingerland: Tests 1, 2, 5, 6
• Observations of writing, drawing, and
cutting
• Speech Exam
• Slingerland: Echolalia

 Common Educational Tests used for Assessments for Special Education

PROCESS DEFINITION TESTS WHICH GIVE INFORMATION

Ability to identify and

• Task: Examiner moves child’s
Tactile-Kinesthetic interpret information
fingers to form letters or numbers
Discrimination gained through touch
with eyes closed; child identifies
and movement

• Task: Examiner teaches a new word

Ability to remember through repeated writing; child
Kinesthetic Memory information gained reproduces letter
through movement • Observations of motor patterns in
writing

Ability to coordinate
large muscle • Bruininks – Oseretsky Test of Motor
Gross Motor
movements as in Proficiency
Coordination
running, walking, • Observation of gross motor activities
skipping, and throwing.

• Slingerland
Ability to transfer
• Halstead – Reitan and Reitan –
information from one
Indiana Neuropsychological Test
sensory modality to
Batteries
another. Ability to
Modality Integration • WJ-R, Cognitive: Visual – Auditory
coordinate two or three
Learning
modalities in the
• Comparisons of performance on
production of outgoing
academic tasks such as reading,
responses.
copying, and dictated spelling

Social and Emotional Adjustment

• Projective Drawing Tests

• Apperception Tests (CAT, TAT,
Self-Concept and
Roberts)
Relationships with
• Piers-Harris Self Concept Scale
Others
• Sentence Completion Tests
• Rorschach

 Common Educational Tests used for Assessments for Special Education

PROCESS DEFINITION TESTS WHICH GIVE INFORMATION

• Woodcock-Johnson Scales of
Independent Behavior (SIB)
• Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale
Social Maturity and
• Developmental Profile II
Appropriateness of
• Child Behavior Checklist
Behavior
• Conners Parent & Teacher Rating
Scales
• Behavior Evaluation Scale – 2
•

Academic Skills and Achievement

• Wechsler Individual Achievement

Test (WIAT): Reading Composite
• Woodcock-Johnson, Revised-Tests
Ability to decode
of Achievement (WJ-R ACH):
unfamiliar words, to
Reading and Phonics Reading Subtests
recognize familiar words,
Skills • Kaufman Test of Educational
and to understand
Achievement (K-TEA): Reading
written material.
Composite
• Ekwall Reading Test
• Informal survey of phonics skills

Ability to encode words

• WIAT: Spelling
in written form. Use of
• K-TEA: Spelling
spelling rules, visual
Spelling Skills • Wide Range Achievement Test-3
recall, and auditory
(WRAT-3): Spelling
analysis skills in
• Dictated Spelling Tasks
encoding words.

• WIAT: Written Expression

Neatness, spatial
• Test of Written Language –2 (TOWL-
organization, and
2)
Handwriting Skills knowledge of manuscript
• Slingerland, Tests 1, 2, 5, 6
and/or cursive
• Alphabet writing task
alphabets.
• Classroom Writing Samples

 Common Educational Tests used for Assessments for Special Education

PROCESS DEFINITION TESTS WHICH GIVE INFORMATION

• WIAT: Writing Composite

Ability to organize and
relate ideas in written
Written Language
form. Knowledge of
Skills
written language
mechanics skills.
• Test of Written Language – 2
• Test of Early Written Language
(TEWL)
• Test of Written English
• WJ-R, Achievement: Written
Language Subtests

• WIAT: Mathematics Composite

Ability to perform
• Key Math-Revised
arithmetic computations
• WJ-R, Achievement: Mathematics
Mathematics Skills and to solve problems
Subtests
involving mathematical
• K-TEA: Mathematics Composite
concepts and reasoning.
• WRAT-3: Arithmetic

Physical Health and Development

Keenness of • Snellen Vision Screening

Visual Activity
vision. • Titmus Test

Keenness of • Pure Tone Audiometric Screening

Auditory Activity
hearing • Tympanometry

Health &
• Health & Developmental Interview
Developmental
• Neurodevelopmental Exam
History