Assessment for Learning MOOC’s Updates

Testing intelligence and knowledge - WISC

Testing intelligence is a process done to measure the ability of an individual to learn efficiently. This type of evaluation is appropriate in the middle of a psychological assessment, to determine one's capacity to learn accordingly to one's age.
On the other hand, testing for knowledge refers to measuring how much information a person has about a certain topic. This type of evaluation is appropriate for measuring how well a student memorized the information provided in a school or university course.
A very well-known intelligence test is the Weschler Scale. In this opportunity, I'm going to talk specifically about the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC), meant for kids between the ages of 6 and 16. There are four different categories: Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Reasoning, Working Memory, and Processing Speed (Kaufman et al., 2006). This scale consists of different tests that are set to measure children's intelligence, divided into the before mentioned categories.
It's one of the most famous intelligence scales because of how well it relies on data to accurately give information about someone's abilities, and in which subject they need most help. For example, children with ADHD tend to perform lower in Working Memory and Processing Speed (Jacobson et al., 2011).
However, the scale has some weaknesses of its own. For example, it doesn't take into consideration cultural differences, which might impact the result overall. Also, social knowledge and skills aren't measured or recognized, which also has an impact on intelligence.

Jacobson, L. A., Ryan, M., Martin, R. B., Ewen, J., Mostofsky, S. H., Denckla, M. B., & Mahone, E. M. (2011). Working memory influences processing speed and reading fluency in ADHD. Child neuropsychology: a journal on normal and abnormal development in childhood and adolescence, 17(3), 209–224. https://doi.org/10.1080/09297049.2010.532204
Kaufman, A. S., Flanagan, D. P., Alfonso, V. C., & Mascolo, J. T. (2006). Test Review: Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fourth Edition (WISC-IV). Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 24(3), 278–295. doi:10.1177/0734282906288389

  • Fredrick Odongo