This article provides an overview of strength-based assessment of children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral disorders and discusses the development and psychometric characteristics of the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale (BERS). The BERS is a norm-referenced, standardized test that assesses the strengths of children and…

Twenty-two children with mild mental retardation, 27 children with learning disabilities, and 49 nondisabled peers (ages 4-5) were presented with a battery of eight cognitive tasks being considered for inclusion in a new screening test. Results found the components measured different cognitive tasks and led to accurate individual classification…

Describes the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales, a standardized assessment for infants, toddlers and preschool children. It is designed to identify children at risk of developing a communication impairment and to establish a profile of functioning in the areas of communicative, social-affective, and symbolic abilities. (CR)

This article describes the second edition of the Attention Deficit Disorders Evaluation Scale (ADDES II), an individually administered behavior rating scale developed to assist in the identification and service of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorders. Its purpose, administration, interpretation of scores, standardization,…

Biases that can influence the validity of tests are discussed, such as (1) cultural biases affecting students from ethnic minorities, and (2) biases that affect students with disabilities including those related to test content, instructional format, motivation or cognitive arousal, competition, and physical access to testing materials and…

This article describes the Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing, an assessment instrument designed to assess the phonological processing skills of individuals between the ages of 5 and 24.11 years and to identify those with phonological processing difficulties. Its administration, standardization, reliability, and validity are discussed.…

This article reviews the revised KeyMath Revised-Normative Update American and Canadian editions, and a draft version of the 1999 pending revision. The assessment instrument is intended to test basic mathematical concepts, operations, and applications of students in grades K-12. Its administration, standardization, reliability, and validity are…

This article describes the Behavior Assessment System for Children, a multimethod, multidimensional approach to evaluating the behaviors and self-perceptions of children ages 2.6 to 18 years. The BASC contains a Teacher Rating Scale, a Parent Rating Scale, and a Child Self-Report of Personality. Its administration, reliability, and validity are…

This article describes the Comprehensive Assessment of Reading Strategies, a six-level diagnostic series for evaluating mastery of 12 reading strategies at each level by students in grades 3 through 8, as well as allowing for their metacognitive self-assessment. Its administration, standardization; reliability, and validity are discussed.…

This article describes the Comprehensive Test of Nonverbal Intelligence, an assessment designed to evaluate the intellectual ability of students ages 6 to 18.11 years for whom other mental ability tests are inappropriate or to enable comparisons between verbal and nonverbal intellectual ability. Its administration, standardization, reliability,…

This article describes the Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning-Third Edition, a global screener designed to be administered to children ages 3 through 6.11 years. The instrument assesses motor skills, conceptual knowledge, language skills, self-help skills, and social behaviors. Its administration, standardization, reliability,…

This article describes the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test, an assessment of intelligence for individuals ages 4 to 90. The test is designed for those circumstances in which a brief measure of intelligence will suffice and trained professionals may be unavailable for the assessments. Its administration, reliability, and validity are discussed.…

This article describes the Behavior Rating Profile-Second Edition, a rating scale designed to identify students ages 6.6 to 18 years with behavioral, emotional, personal, and social adjustment problems. The test contains a Teacher Rating Scale, a Parent Rating Scale, and Student Rating Scales. Its administration, reliability, and validity are…

This article describes the Kaufman Survey of Early Academic and Language Skills, an assessment of receptive and expressive language skills, pre-academic skills, and articulation of children ages 3 through 6. Three subtests assess vocabulary, numbers, letters and words, and articulation. Its administration, standardization, reliability, and…

This article describes the Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement, an individually administered measure of the school achievement of children ages 6 to 18 years. The normative update extended the age range to include examinees from 19 to 22 years. Its administration, standardization, reliability, and validity are discussed. (Contains references.)…