What are the most common tests used in the assessment of a child with suspected learning disabilities?
The law requires that the student be given an individually administered test of ability or intelligence and tests of achievement in areas such as reading, math, and writing. The most commonly used test of intelligence is the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-III (WISC-III). Sometimes the Wechsler Pre-School and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Revised (WPPSI-R) or the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test: Fourth Edition (S-B IV) are used. The most commonly used achievement tests are the Wide Range Achievement Test -Revision 3 (WRAT 3), the Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT), and the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho Educational Battery-Revised (WJPEB-R). All of these are short tests designed to tell you the grade level at which the student is performing in reading, writing, spelling and math. In order for a student to be eligible for special education based on a learning disability, there must be a severe discrepancy between ability and achievement. See Chapter 3, Information on Eligibil
