Learning & Other Cognitive Disorders

Documentation Guidelines for Evaluators

For Pearson Test Accommodations (Reasonable Adjustments)

Introduction

Pearson is committed to ensuring access to the test for all individuals with disabilities. Pearson provides reasonable and appropriate accommodations to individuals with documented disabilities who demonstrate a need for accommodations.

Purpose of Accommodations

Requests for test accommodations are considered on a case-by-case basis. No single type of accommodation (i.e., extra time) would necessarily be appropriate for all individuals with disabilities. Simply demonstrating that an individual meets diagnostic criteria for a disorder does not mean that the person needs accommodations.

The purpose of accommodations is to ensure that candidates can take the test in an accessible manner. However, accommodations are not a guarantee of improved performance or test completion.

Detailed Documentation Requirements

Candidates who are requesting accommodations based on a diagnosis of a learning or other cognitive disorder are generally expected to provide a report from a current, comprehensive psychoeducational or neuropsychological evaluation.

It is essential that the documentation be provided by a qualified evaluator within the last five (5) years* and provide:

• a clear diagnosis
• discussion of the current functional limitation(s)
• specific recommendation for accommodations
• a rationale for the requested accommodations

Specific components of the psychoeducational evaluation should generally include:

1. Identifying information: Examinee’s name, date of birth, testing dates, evaluator’s name and credentials.
2. A comprehensive history, for example educational history, psychosocial history, medical history, etc.
3. A comprehensive IQ test battery using age-based standard scores and equivalent percentiles for each test and subtest that was administered. (Please refer to Appendix A.)
4. A comprehensive academic achievement battery using age-based standard scores and equivalent percentiles for each test and subtest that was administered (Please refer to Appendix A.)
5. Although not required, we strongly recommend administering timed as well as untimed tests in each academic area.
6. Relevant behavioral observations during testing.
7. Information about the current impact of the disorder on academic performance, employment (if relevant), and other relevant activities.
8. Consideration of alternative explanations of the disability, such as ESL factors.
9. A specific diagnosis, generally based on globally recognized standards (e.g., DSM, ICD), and clear evidence that the diagnostic criteria have been met. For a diagnosis of an Intellectual Disability - include assessment information and discussion about the candidate’s levels of adaptive behavior.

*Notes:

1. A qualified professional should evaluate the person who is requesting accommodations. In general, an individual is deemed to be qualified to conduct a neuropsychological or psychoeducational evaluation if they have had extensive graduate-level training in the area of assessment of learning disabilities with adults and is appropriately credentialed. Psychoeducational testing administered by family members, even if otherwise qualified, will not be accepted.
   
   If a graduate-trainee is conducting some or all of the evaluation, for example as part of a university-based assessment practicum, this fact should be noted whenever possible. We will consider the results if both the clinician and the faculty supervisor sign the written report.
2. Currency: Because reasonable accommodations are based on assessment of the current impact and current functional limitations caused by the applicant’s disability, the documentation provided should generally be no older than five (5) years.
3. If the test-taker’s native language is not English, the following information should be included in the diagnostic report:
   • When the candidate first learned English
   • The candidate’s current level of proficiency with oral as well as written English
   • A statement that English-as-a-second-language (ESL) factors are not primarily responsible for the person’s current academic difficulties
   • Information about how the learning disability or cognitive disorder impacted language development in the person’s native language.

APPENDIX A - Commonly Used Intellectual and Academic Assessments for Intellectual, Learning, and Other Cognitive Disorders

Introduction

The following is a list of commonly used intellectual and academic assessments in psychoeducational or neuropsychological evaluations. Since the selection of assessments for an evaluation is based upon the presenting issues of the individual, this list is not intended to be prescriptive in nature, but a useful reference for selecting intellectual and academic assessments.

Note: While this reference on commonly used intellectual and academic assessments is provided for your reference, this list does not constitute an endorsement of these assessment tools by Pearson.

Commonly Used Intellectual Assessments

A current, comprehensive measure of intelligence should be included. Abbreviated IQ batteries (e.g., WASI) or IQ screening measures (e.g., K-BIT) presented alone are not sufficiently comprehensive for diagnostic purposes.

Commonly used intellectual assessments include:

• Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales (RIAS)
• Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales-5th ed. (SB-5)
• Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV (WAIS-IV)
• Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-V (WISC-V)
• Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Cognitive Abilities (WJ-IV COG)
• Kaufman Assessment Battery of Children, 2nd Edition, Normative Update (KABC-II NU)

Commonly Used Academic Assessments

Current, comprehensive assessment of a candidate’s academic skills should be included. Certain portions of the following test batteries may be used as part of a comprehensive psychoeducational evaluation. Please note that while academic screeners (e.g. Wide Range Achievement Test-5) may be included as part of the academic assessment battery, academic screeners alone are not comprehensive measures of one’s academic skills. Although not required, we strongly recommend administering timed as well as untimed tests in each academic area.

Commonly used academic assessments include:

• Kaufman Tests of Educational Achievement-3 (KTEA-3)
• Test of Adolescent & Adult Language-4 (TOAL-4)
• Test of Written Language-4 (TOWL-4)
• Wechsler Individual Achievement Test-III (WIAT-III)
• Wide Range Achievement Test-5 (WRAT-5)
• Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Achievement (WJ-IV ACH)

Commonly Used Subtests/Measures of Academic Achievement