Assessing Children’s Cognitive Development and Learning Gloria Maccow, Ph.D., Assessment Training Consultant

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Assessing Children’s Cognitive Development and Learning Gloria Maccow, Ph.D. Assessment Training Consultant 2

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Assessing Children’s Cognitive Development and Learning Gloria Maccow, Ph.D., Assessment Training Consultant

Objectives •

Describe cognitive factors that are related to  learning;

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Describe developmentally appropriate  assessment of cognitive abilities;

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Describe how teachers can link assessment  data to instruction and intervention.

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In Early Childhood Programs, . . . some children learn the pre‐academic skills we present;  some children do not.

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Assessing Children’s Cognitive Development and Learning Gloria Maccow, Ph.D., Assessment Training Consultant

In Early Childhood Programs, . . . some children wait their turn;  others respond before you complete the instructions.

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What child factors account for such differences in performance?

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Assessing Children’s Cognitive Development and Learning Gloria Maccow, Ph.D., Assessment Training Consultant

Berninger, 2007 Curriculum and  Curriculum and  Instructional Materials Instructional Materials

Teacher’s Instruction Teacher’s Instruction (Pedagogy) (Pedagogy)

Learner’s Skills Learner’s Skills

Individual Differences in the  Individual Differences in the  Processes in Learner’s Brain Processes in Learner’s Brain

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The Learner: Cognitive Development Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive  Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive  Development Development Sensori‐motor (Birth to 2 years) Sensori‐motor (Birth to 2 years) Pre‐operational (2 to 7 years) Pre‐operational (2 to 7 years) Concrete operational (7 to 11 years) Concrete operational (7 to 11 years) Formal operational (11 to 15 years) Formal operational (11 to 15 years) (Santrock & Yussen, 1992) 8

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Assessing Children’s Cognitive Development and Learning Gloria Maccow, Ph.D., Assessment Training Consultant

Information Processing

Information Information from fromthe the environment environment

Sensory Sensory and and Perceptual Perceptual Processes Processes

Memory Memory

Thinking Thinking

Language Language

(Santrock & Yussen, 1992) 9

Information Processing Brain Mind Cognition • memory • problem-solving • reasoning

Output

Input

(Santrock & Yussen, 1992) 10

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Assessing Children’s Cognitive Development and Learning Gloria Maccow, Ph.D., Assessment Training Consultant

Areas to Assess (Developmentally Appropriate)

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Skills Social‐Emotional Competencies                      Behavioral Competencies  Pre‐Academic Skills

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Assessing Children’s Cognitive Development and Learning Gloria Maccow, Ph.D., Assessment Training Consultant

Process of Learning Collecting, Sorting, Storing, Remembering  Information 

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Sensory-Motor Functions and Learning Output Output

Input Input 

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Is the child able to see the  Is the child able to see the  information? Is visual acuity  information? Is visual acuity  within normal limits? What  within normal limits? What  about visual discrimination? about visual discrimination?



Is the child able to hear the  Is the child able to hear the  information? Is hearing acuity  information? Is hearing acuity  within normal limits? What  within normal limits? What  about auditory  about auditory  discrimination? discrimination?



Is the child able to  Is the child able to  respond in writing? Are  respond in writing? Are  fine motor abilities within  fine motor abilities within  normal limits? normal limits? Is the child able to  Is the child able to  respond orally? Are  respond orally? Are  language production  language production  abilities within normal  abilities within normal  limits? limits?

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Assessing Children’s Cognitive Development and Learning Gloria Maccow, Ph.D., Assessment Training Consultant

Attention and Learning Does the child . . .

 

 

selectively attend to  selectively attend to  certain stimuli while  certain stimuli while  ignoring competing,  ignoring competing,  irrelevant stimuli?  irrelevant stimuli?  sustain attentional  sustain attentional  focus for a prolonged  focus for a prolonged  period? period?

 

 

shift attentional  shift attentional  resources from one  resources from one  activity to another?  activity to another?  respond to more than  respond to more than  one task  one task  simultaneously – simultaneously – divided attention? divided attention?

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Process of Learning and Remembering Encoding

External information is transformed into  mental representations or memories and  stored in STM. 

Consolidation

Information from immediate memory is  solidified into long‐term memory stores.

Retrieval

Information is brought into conscious  awareness. Delayed Delayed

Semantic Semantic

Immediate Immediate

Working Working 16

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Assessing Children’s Cognitive Development and Learning Gloria Maccow, Ph.D., Assessment Training Consultant

Visual-Spatial Processes and Learning 

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Much of what is presented in school has either a visual‐ spatial or language basis. Visual‐perceptual skills play a major role in the  development of a child’s handwriting skills, and fluency  in math and reading. For example, a student may be able to name individual  letters in a word (visual analysis,  b‐e‐d), but she may  be unable to integrate the letters to say the word  (visual synthesis, bed).

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Language and Learning Receptive Receptive

Expressive Expressive

Children must  Children must  understand words and  understand words and  sentences to perceive  sentences to perceive  and process  and process  information. information.

They must use words to  They must use words to  show they can retrieve  show they can retrieve  information from  information from  memory. memory.

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Assessing Children’s Cognitive Development and Learning Gloria Maccow, Ph.D., Assessment Training Consultant

Language and Learning Early Early development development of of reading reading depends depends critically critically on on whether whether the the –– receptive receptive phonological phonological component component of of the the aural aural system system and and the the –– expressive expressive phonological phonological component component of of the the oral oral system system are are developing developing in in an an age-appropriate age-appropriate manner manner (Berninger, (Berninger,2007). 2007). Language

Literacy 19

Executive Functions 

Mental functions associated with ability to  engage in behaviors that are: – Purposeful – Organized – Self‐regulated – Goal‐directed



Internal supervisory guide for learning  and performance in the classroom.  20

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Assessing Children’s Cognitive Development and Learning Gloria Maccow, Ph.D., Assessment Training Consultant

Executive Functions and Working Memory 

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Many executive function tasks also require  working memory—actively holding information  in memory during cognitive tasks.   Children with poor working memory may lose  the “thread” and forget parts of the instruction,  or even their own intention in the face of  competing stimuli.

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Cognitive Processing Speed and Learning 

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The ability to perform automatically−with little or  no effort−improves dramatically as children get  older.  Automaticity is linked to speed and processing  capacity; as an activity is completed faster, it  requires less processing capacity.  As processing capacity increases, it becomes easier  to complete tasks that were previously considered  to be difficult. (Santrock & Yussen, 1992). 22

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Assessing Children’s Cognitive Development and Learning Gloria Maccow, Ph.D., Assessment Training Consultant

Sample Data . . .

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5 4 4 4 3

5 2 4 4 4

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Assessing Children’s Cognitive Development and Learning Gloria Maccow, Ph.D., Assessment Training Consultant

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Assessing Children’s Cognitive Development and Learning Gloria Maccow, Ph.D., Assessment Training Consultant

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Recommendations

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Assessing Children’s Cognitive Development and Learning Gloria Maccow, Ph.D., Assessment Training Consultant

Psycho-educational Psycho-educationalInterpretation InterpretationChart Chart

Eligibility Eligibility Determination Determination

Student’s Student’sName: Name: Sample SampleStudent Student Age: 3:10 Age: 3:10 School: Early School: EarlyHeadStart HeadStart Test: Test:

DAS-II DAS-II

Chart Adapted from Guilford County Schools, NC Chart Adapted from Guilford County Schools, NC

Extremely Low

Borderline

Superior

6.7%

2.2 %

Low Average

Average Range

High Average

16.1 %

50 % of Students

16.1 %

6.7 %

Very Superior 2.2 %

GCA SS = 65 Verbal Comprehension SS = 69 Nonverbal Reasoning SS = 73 Spatial SS = 72 Early Number Concepts PR = 3 Recall of Digits Forward PR = 2 Recognition of Pictures PR = 3 70

80

90

100

110

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Psycho-educational Psycho-educationalInterpretation InterpretationChart Chart Student’s Student’sName: Name: Sample SampleStudent Student Age: Age: School: School:

4:7 4:7 Pre-K Pre-K

Test: Test:

WPPSI-IV WPPSI-IV

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Instructional Instructional Planning Planning

Chart Adapted from Guilford County Schools, NC Chart Adapted from Guilford County Schools, NC

Extremely Low

Borderline

Superior

6.7%

2.2 %

Low Average

Average Range

High Average

16.1 %

50 % of Students

16.1 %

6.7 %

Very Superior 2.2 %

Full Scale IQ = 117

Verbal Comprehension = 132

Visual-Spatial = 112

Fluid Reasoning = 114

Working Memory = 97

Processing Speed = 91 70

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Assessing Children’s Cognitive Development and Learning Gloria Maccow, Ph.D., Assessment Training Consultant

Summary

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Assessment Process 

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If a child is not performing a grade‐level  skill, identify the cognitive factors that  are necessary for and related to  performance of the skill. Assess the cognitive factors to determine  why the child is struggling with the  specific skill. 32

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Assessing Children’s Cognitive Development and Learning Gloria Maccow, Ph.D., Assessment Training Consultant

Learning Depends on . . .  

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sensory‐motor functions, sensory‐motor functions, attentional processes,  attentional processes,  visual‐spatial processing,  visual‐spatial processing,  language processes,  language processes,  memory and learning processes, memory and learning processes, executive functions, and executive functions, and speed and efficiency of cognitive  speed and efficiency of cognitive  processing. processing. 33

References Bayley, N. (2006). Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler  Development‐Third Edition. San Antonio, TX: Pearson. Berninger, V. W. (2007). PAL‐II user’s guide. San  Antonio, TX: Pearson. Elliott, C. (2007). Differential Ability Scales‐Second  Edition: Introductory and technical handbook.  Bloomington, MN: Pearson. Korkman, M., Kirk, U., & Kemp, S. (2007). NEPSY‐II. San  Antonio, TX: Pearson. 34

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Assessing Children’s Cognitive Development and Learning Gloria Maccow, Ph.D., Assessment Training Consultant

References Mather, N., & Goldstein, S. (2008). Learning disabilities  and challenging behaviors.  Baltimore, MD: Brookes. Santrock, J. W., & Yussen, S. R. (1992). Child  development. Dubuque, IA: Brown). Wechsler, D. (2004). Wechsler Intelligence Scale for  Children‐Fourth Edition. San Antonio, TX: Pearson. Wechsler, D. (2012). Wechsler Preschool and Primary  Scale of Intelligence‐Fourth Edition. (2012). San Antonio,  TX: Pearson.

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Customer Service 1‐800‐627‐7271 (USA)

Comments and Questions [email protected] 724‐766‐7692 36

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