CONFIDENTIAL

PSYCHO-EDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENT REPORT

STUDENT IDENTIFICATION INFORMATION
Student Name
Date of Birth
Chronological Age
Grade
School

:
:
:
:
:

Kelly Brown
2002: March 13
9 years, 8 months
4
Little Tots Elementary

Dates of Assessment
Date of Report

: xxxxx
: xxxxx

REASON FOR REFERRAL

Kelly was referred for a psycho-educational assessment by staff at her school, Little
Tots Elementary. They have noticed that Kelly has difficulty with short-term memory. It
affects her ability to follow instructions as well as reading comprehension. She also has
difficulty with mathematics. The assessment was requested to determine strengths and
needs for programming purposes and to assist with possible identification as an
exceptional learner.
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
File Review
Parent and teacher questionnaires
Semi-structured clinical interview with Kellys mother
Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children 4th Edition (WISC-IV)
Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement 3rd Edition (W-J III ACH)
Swanson, Nolan and Pelham Parent and Teacher Questionnaire Abbreviated
(SNAP 26)
RELEVANT BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Kellys background information was gleaned from clinic questionnaires and a parent
interview, as well as a review of selected school documents and third-party reports.
Developmental and Medical History:
Kelly is a twin. She and her brother were born at 30 weeks. She was hospitalized
for a month and a half.
She was home for 3 days and then she contracted a virus and returned to the
hospital for another 5 weeks. During that time, she had a heart attack and was on
life support.
Kellys language and motor developmental milestones were reached within typical
limits after her first year.
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Psycho-Educational Assessment Report for Kelly BrownDOB: 2002: March 13Page 2 of 9

Because of Kellys premature birth, she has been followed by Dr. Life Saver,
pediatrician. He diagnosed Kelly with AD/HD: Inattentive Type. Her parents
declined medication.
Kelly was assessed by Occupational Therapist, Janet Twix, in Kindergarten (report
dated, November 28, 2007). On the Beery VMI-5, she had Low Visual-Motor
integration (5th percentile) and Below Average Motor coordination (12 th percentile).
Her visual perception was Average (61st percentile). She received occupational
therapy group sessions to work on developing hand skills to support good pencil
grasp. Her grasp did not improve and a grip was recommended for use in the
classroom.

Family and Social and Behavioural History:

Kelly lives with her parents and twin brother.
There is a family history of AD/HD and anxiety.
Kelly is popular with her peers and has a good sense of humour.
Kellys mother and teacher reported that she often loses things, is distracted by
things around her, and is forgetful.
School History:
Kelly has attended Little Tots Elementary since Kindergarten. She is currently in
grade 4.
She was on an Individual Program Plan in Kindergarten to develop math concepts
(e.g., power of 10, number recognition) and fine-motor skills.
Grade 3 Provincial Achievement Tests, Kelly placed in the acceptable range for
reading and below acceptable range for writing and mathematics. Accommodations
provided included a reader, extra time, and calculator for math.
Teacher comments in report cards suggest challenges with remembering teacher
instructions, and being easily distracted. They also noted low participation in class
discussions.
Kelly has difficulty with activities that require memorization and recall, e.g., spelling,
learning her multiplication table. She is a strong reader but her recall is inconsistent
and she does not remember books that she has read.
Kelly enjoys reading and writing stories.
Kellys teachers support her learning by keeping directions concise and specific;
assignments are chunked; steps are completed one at a time; and Kelly repeats
instructions back to the teacher.

Psycho-Educational Assessment Report for Kelly BrownDOB: 2002: March 13Page 3 of 9

CURRENT ASSESSMENT RESULTS

Observations during Individual Assessment:
Kelly had a good sense of humour and was cooperative. During testing, she often
looked around the room and made off-topic comments. On one occasion, she forgot to
return to the testing room after her lunch break despite reminders by the examiner.
Another time, she asked if she was going to miss her recess break long after it had
already passed. Overall, Kelly struggled to maintain her attention during the testing, and
test results are likely an underestimate of her current level of functioning.
Questions Posed:
1. What is Kellys overall level of intellectual functioning? Are any areas of
cognitive strength or weakness indicated?
Index

Composite
Score

Percentile
Rank

95%
Confidence
Interval

Classification

Verbal Comprehension

85

16

79-93

Low Average

Perceptual Reasoning

102

55

93-110

Average

Working Memory

83 **

13

77-93

Low Average

Processing Speed

68 **

63-80

Extremely Low

Full Scale

* not reported to significant difference between Index Scores (PRI-PSI). FSIQ is not an accurate representation of
overall cognitive abilities
** please interpret these index scores with caution due to variability with subtest scores

Subtest Scores:
Scaled
Score

Percentile
Rank

Similarities

16

Vocabulary

16

Comprehension

25

Subtest

S/W

(Information)
Block Design

25

Picture Concepts

12

75

Subtest

Scaled
Score

Percentile
Rank

S/W
S

Matrix
Reasoning
Digit
Span
Letter-Number
Sequencing

11

63

10

50

Coding

16

Symbol
Search

(Cancellation)

14

91

Note: S indicates a score significantly higher than the individuals overall average score.
W indicates a score significantly lower than the individuals overall average score

Kellys general intellectual ability was evaluated using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale

Psycho-Educational Assessment Report for Kelly BrownDOB: 2002: March 13Page 4 of 9

for Children, Fourth Edition (WISC-IV). This norm-referenced, individually

administered test provides a measure of general intelligence, as well as the specific
measures of verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning, working memory and
processing speed.
Kellys Full-Scale IQ (FSIQ) could not be interpreted because she demonstrated too
much variability among her Indexes that comprise the score. Consequently, her score
does not provide an accurate representation of her underlying abilities. There is
significant difference between Kylies Perceptual Reasoning Index and Processing
Speed Index (34 points, greater than 1.5 SD). The base rate value is 2.1%, which
indicates that this type of difference is not common and only occurs in 2.1% of the
population. However, because Kellys Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI) and
Perceptual Reasoning Index (PRI) were similar, these two scores can be combined to
calculate a General Ability Index (GAI). The GAI is an estimate of general intellectual
ability with a reduced emphasis on tasks that measure working memory and processing
speed. Kelly earned a GAI score of 92, which falls in the Average range and at the 30 th
percentile. This indicates that Kelly performed as well as or better than 30 percent of
individuals in her age in the WISC-IV standardization sample. There is a 95 percent
probability that Kellys true GAI score falls between 86 and 99.
The Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI) is a measure of verbal comprehension,
application of verbal skills and information to the solution of new problems, ability to
process verbal information, ability to think with words, crystallized knowledge, cognitive
flexibility and the ability to self monitor. The VCI is comprised of tasks that required
Kelly to define words (Vocabulary), draw conceptual similarities between words
(Similarities), and answer questions involving knowledge of general principles and
social situations (Comprehension). The difference between Kellys performance on
these three tasks was not large, indicating that her VCI is a good estimate of her
abilities. She earned a VCI score of 85 (16 th percentile; 95 % confidence range = 7993), which falls in the Low Average range. Kellys scores on three of the tasks
(Similarities, Vocabulary and Information) fell within the Below Average Range, while
her score on the Comprehension task was within the Average range when compared to
other children her age. Relative to Kellys own level of overall verbal ability (16 th
percentile), her social comprehension is better developed, but still at the average range.
The Perceptual Reasoning Index (PRI) is a measure of visual perception, organization
and reasoning with visually presented, nonverbal material to assess the types of
problems that are not typically taught in school. The PRI is comprised of tasks that
required Kelly to recreate a series of modeled or pictured designs using blocks (Block
Design), identify the missing portion of an incomplete visual matrix from one of five
response options (Matrix Reasoning) and select one picture from each of two or three
rows of pictures to form a group with common characteristics (Picture Concepts). She
earned a score of 102 (55th percentile; 95% confidence range = 93- 110), which falls in
the Average range. Kellys subtest scaled scores all fell within normal limits, suggesting
average abilities across all areas measured and indicate that her PRI is a good estimate
of her abilities. Kellys performance on two subtests (Matrix Reasoning and Picture

Psycho-Educational Assessment Report for Kelly BrownDOB: 2002: March 13Page 5 of 9

Concepts) represented a relative strength when compared to her other abilities even
though they are in the average range.
The Working Memory Index (WMI) is a measure of immediate memory, the ability to
encode information, sustain attention and manipulate information mentally. The WRI is
comprised of tasks that required Kelly to repeat numbers in revers order as presented
by the examiner (Digit Span) and listen to a sequence of numbers and letter and repeat
the numbers in ascending order, followed by letters in alphabetical order (Letter-Number
sequencing). There was significant and unusual variability between the two subtest
scores indicating that Working Memory can not be adequately described by a single
score (i.e., the WMI) and is not a valid estimate of Kellys short-term memory abilities.
Kelly displayed acceptable ability to retain and recall very short pieces of auditory
information, but she had difficulty when the demands to increased to involve more
concentration and attention as demonstrated by forgetting the instructions for the task
soon after starting. Kelly performance on the Digit Span (50 th percentile) task reflects a
better developed ability, whereas her performance on the Letter-Number Sequencing
task (2nd percentile) reflects a significant area of weakness.
The Processing Speed Index (PSI) is a measure of Processing Speed and represents
Kellys ability to perform simple and react to simple tasks quickly. The PSI is comprised
of tasks that required Kelly to copy symbols that were paired with numbers according to
a key (Coding) and a task that required her to identify the presence of absence of a
target symbol in a row of symbols (Symbol Search). A supplementary task was also
administered that required Kelly to scan and mark pictures of animals as quickly as
possible within a set time frame (Cancellation). The difference between Kellys
performance on these tasks were extremely variable and statistically significant
suggesting that Processing Speed can not be adequately described by a single score
(i.e., the PSI). Within the working memory domain, her skills range from the 0.1
percentile to the 91st percentile. Kellys performance on the Cancellation subtest (91 st
percentile) reflected a strength or above average ability which was in line with the
passion she expressed for animals throughout her assessment. Kellys performance on
the Symbol Search subtest was an exceptional weakness (0.1 percentile) resulting from
a high level of errors on this task.

2. What are Kellys strengths and weaknesses in the areas of reading, math, and
written language?

Psycho-Educational Assessment Report for Kelly BrownDOB: 2002: March 13Page 6 of 9

Age-Based (U.S.) Norms:

Standard
Scores

95%
Confidence Interval

Percentile
Rank

Classification

Broad Reading

99

95-104

49

Average

Broad Math

79

72-86

Borderline

Brief Writing

94

88-100

34

Average

Cluster

The Woodcock Johnson Test of Academic Achievement- 3rd Edition (WJ-III) was
administered to assess Kellys academic achievement and oral language abilities
compared to children of the same age. This assessment helps indicate the relative
strengths and weaknesses among Kellys academic abilities.
Reading
Kellys broad reading score on the WJ-III was Average when compared to same age
peers at the 49th percentile. This score provides an overall measure of reading when
decoding, comprehension, and speed are considered together. All skills were
considered within the Average range when compared to same-age peers.
Word Identification
Reading Fluency
Comprehension

Percentile
59
34
43

Classification
Average
Average
Average

Written Language
Kellys overall written language score was Average when compared to same-age peers
at the 34th percentile. This score provides an overall measure of writing when
mechanics, speed, and expression are considered together. Kellys writing was legible
with adequate spacing and letter formation. Although she appears to have an inefficient
pencil grasp, it did not appear to affect her speed of writing. Kellys spelling skills were
weak (19th percentile).

Spelling
Writing Samples

Percentile
19th
63rd

Classification
Low Average
Average

Math
Kellys total math score on the WJ-III was below average when compared to same-age
peers at the 8th percentile. This score provides an overall measure of math

Psycho-Educational Assessment Report for Kelly BrownDOB: 2002: March 13Page 7 of 9

achievement when calculation skills, problem solving, and speed are considered
together. All areas of Math were an area of weakness for Kelly.
Calculations
Fluency/Speed
Problem Solving

Percentile
12th
4th
14th

Classification
Low Average
Borderline
Low Average

Kelly struggled during the Calculations subtest. She made several careless errors in
math operations and used her fingers for basic operations. She was unable to recall the
procedures for carrying and borrowing during this subtest. On one question requiring
Kelly to calculate the monetary value of coins, she added the dates of the coins. Kelly
showed a low level of strategy use during the problem-solving subtest as shown by only
using the scrap paper provided once. During the fluency subtest, Kelly made many
careless errors with math operations

Psycho-Educational Assessment Report for Kelly BrownDOB: 2002: March 13Page 8 of 9

APPENDIX A
Test Scores
***Test scores are for professional use and should be interpreted with the assistance of a
psychologist.
The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children 4th Edition (WISC-IV) is a measure of intelligence that
compares the childs thinking and reasoning to that of other Canadian children of the same age. Four
Index Scores and a Full Scale score are derived, offering insight into the childs profile of skills.
Composite Scores Summary (Canadian Norms):
Index

Composite
Score

Percentile
Rank

95%
Confidence
Interval

Classification

Verbal Comprehension

85

16

79-93

Low Average

Perceptual Reasoning

102

55

93-110

Average

Working Memory

83

13

77-93

Low Average

Processing Speed

68

63-80

Extremely Low

Full Scale

81*

10

76-87

Low Average

* AS noted in the report, I would not include the FSIQ and would replace it with the GAI
Subtest Scores:
Scaled
Percentile
Scaled
Percentile
Subtest
S/W
Subtest
Score
Rank
Score
Rank
Matrix
Similarities
7
16
11
63
Reasoning
Digit
Vocabulary
7
16
10
50
Span
Letter-Number
Comprehension
8
25
4
2
Sequencing
(Information)
Block Design

25

Picture Concepts

12

75

Coding

16

Symbol
Search

(Cancellation)

Note: S indicates a score significantly higher than the individuals overall average score.
W indicates a score significantly lower than the individuals overall average score.

S/W
S

Psycho-Educational Assessment Report for Kelly BrownDOB: 2002: March 13Page 9 of 9

The Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement 3rd Edition (W-J III ACH) is a measure of the
skills involved in reading, writing, and math. Each test measures various aspects of academic
achievement. Information gathered is used to help identify performance levels, determine
educational progress and identify individual strengths and weaknesses.
Age-Based (U.S.) Norms:
Standard
Scores

95%
Confidence Interval

Percentile
Rank

Classification

Broad Reading

99

95-104

49

Average

Broad Math

79

72-86

Borderline

Brief Writing

94

88-100

34

Average

Standard
Scores

95%
Confidence Interval

Percentile
Rank

Classification

Letter-Word
Identification

104

98-109

59

Average

Reading fluency

94

84-103

34

Average

Story Recall

82

64-100

12

Low Average

Understanding
Directions

100

91-110

50

Average

Calculation

82

70-94

12

Low Average

Math fluency

75

67-82

Borderline

Spelling

87

79-95

19

Low Average

Passage
Comprehension

97

90-105

43

Average

Applied Problems

84

76-92

14

Low Average

Writing Samples

105

95-115

63

Average

Cluster

Subtest Scores:
Subtest