Current Uses of Intelligence Testing
Intelligence tests are commonly used today as part of an assessment battery to help determine if children or adults have cognitive delays, learning disabilities, developmental delays, or are considered gifted. Intelligence tests are also used in some job settings as part of the application process. Since intelligence testing can be used to help identify various disabilities and delays, it is used in both clinical and school settings.
Psychological Batteries in Clinical Settings
There are several types of assessment. Assessments are used to provide information about the child or adult so that clinicians can make informed decisions about treatment and interventions. The types of assessments used include:
- Screening Assessment – A brief assessment with the intent of determining risk or eligibility of certain disorders or programs.
- Focused Assessment – A detailed assessment of a specific area of functioning.
- Diagnostic Assessment – A detailed evaluation of a person’s strengths and weaknesses in various areas (E.g. cognitive, academic, behavioral).
- Counseling and Rehabilitation Assessment – Focuses on a person’s ability to adjust and successfully fulfill daily responsibilities.
- Progress Evaluation Assessment – Focuses on a person’s progress over time.
- Problem-solving Assessment – Focuses on specific types of problems1.
Intelligence testing would be considered a Focused Assessment because it looks specifically at a person’s cognitive abilities and can provide information about a person’s relative strengths and weaknesses. In addition to using formal assessments like the ones listed above, clinicians often use other tools to help get a complete picture of a person they are working with. Clinicians will also use interviews, observations, and informal assessment procedures to gather more information1.
Intelligence tests are one of many tools that clinicians may use to help inform them about a person’s abilities current mental state. Intelligence tests are not necessary for most clinical diagnoses, but in some situations can provide great insight into the way a person conceptualizes information.
Intelligence Testing in School Settings
Intelligence testing is most commonly used in school settings. Intelligence testing can be used in the schools by qualified individuals to help determine if a student has a specific learning disability, a developmental delay, or a cognitive delay. In most schools, the individual that is qualified to administer and interpret intelligence tests is the school psychologist.
Who are School Psychologists?
According to the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), “School psychologists have specialized training in both psychology and education. They use their training and skills to team with educators, parents, and other mental health professionals to ensure that every child learns in a safe, healthy and supportive environment. School psychologists understand school systems, effective teaching and successful learning2.”
School psychologists most commonly use intelligence tests to determine student eligibility for special education services by establishing if there is a specific learning disability. The intelligence test provides a full scale intelligence quotient score with the average being 100. In this situation, IQ is evaluated because it is a strong indicator of how a student is expected to perform academically. Any score above 90 on an IQ test would indicate that the student is expected to perform as well as his or her peers. The student is also given an achievement test which measures their ability on academic material like reading, writing and math. If a student’s IQ score is significantly higher than their achievement test score, it is considered to be a discrepancy and they can qualify for special education services. What this tells us is that the student should be able to perform at a certain level, as indicated by the intelligence test, but something is getting in the way and causing the achievement test score to be lower. The something in the way is a learning disability. The hope is that once a student is identified and receives help for the disability, they will catch up academically and perform at their cognitive level3.
For more information about school psychology visit NASP at http://www.nasponline.org/
Sources
1. [Sattler, Jerome M. Assessment of Children: Cognitive Foundations. San Diego, California. 1995.]↩
2. [National Association of School Psychologists, 2005, paragraph 1]↩
3. [Merrel, Kenneth W., Ervin, Ruth A., and Gimpel, Gretchen A. School Psychology for the 21st Century: Foundations and Practices. New York: New York, 2006. Print.]↩
Intelligence Testing in Education 