Introduction
Assessing adolescents is important because it helps health care professionals to design useful interventions. Adolescents are usually assessed before they undergo the Adolescent Treatment Program (ATP). In most cases, psychologists utilize a mutual approach when conducting a psychological assessment.
In particular, teenagers are usually advised to conduct self-assessment before undergoing the test. Self-assessment is aimed at determining procedures for testing. This paper will explore the role of assessment in education. In addition, the paper will define Wechsler Intelligence Scale, Raven’s Progressive Matrices, and General Achievement Tests. Furthermore, the paper will evaluate the best tests for adolescents (Cohen, Swerdlik & Sturman, 2013).
Role of Assessment in education
Assessment can be defined as the practice of collecting and conferring on information from many but dissimilar sources. Assessment is usually done to build an insightful understanding of what learners can perform with their acquired knowledge. The process of assessment is considered complete when results from conducted assessments result in improved learning. Assessment engrosses the utilization of experiential data on learners to improve as well as develop effective learning processes. Therefore, assessment is essential in all systems of education. Assessment is utilized in schools to improve their curricula.
Additionally, assessment is utilized in education systems to monitor the system of education for the purpose of public accountability. Assessment is also essential as it helps policymakers and educators to evaluate instructional practices. Moreover, the assessment helps educators and other stakeholders in education systems to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching practices. Assessments are also carried out to help in portraying students’ achievements. Additionally, assessments have an important role in determining students’ ability to master skills taught in any given institution (UConn, 2014).
Wechsler Intelligence Scale for children
The Wechsler Intelligence Scale (WISC) can be defined as a measure of intelligence, which is usually administered individually. WISC is usually administered for children with ages that range from 6 years to 16years. WISC is usually designed for verbal as well as a non-verbal human intelligence test. David Wechsler created WISC in 1949. According to Wechsler, intelligence entails a universal quality that reveals numerous measurable skills.
Moreover, Wechsler believed that WISC intelligence test would give an individual’s personality in general. WISC is utilized in most schools across the United States and around the world. In particular, WISC test is utilized to evaluate children for placement in schools. In addition, WISC is utilized to evaluate students disabled developmentally. Moreover, WISC is utilized in the neuropsychological evaluation of illnesses such as brain dysfunction, among others. It should also be noted that WISC could also be utilized to diagnose mental retardation as well as particular learning disabilities (Kline, 1999).
Raven’s Progressive Matrices
Raven’s matrices (RPM) are group tests that are usually used in learning systems. Usually, the test is administered to groups that range from 5 years to old age. The tests usually comprise of 60 multiple-choice questions. In most cases, RPM is utilized to measure general intelligence. John Raven created RPM in the 1930s. During the process of administering the tests, individuals are requested to spot omitted elements to fill the test patterns. Usually, the patterns are made in the form of matrices. The matrices include two by two, three by three, or four by four matrices. Versions of RPM matrices include SPM, CPM, and APM versions (Raven & Court, 2003).
General Achievement tests
General achievement test (GAT) is a test given to measure general knowledge. GAT tests students in various fields such as technology, science, humanities, and communication, among others. After the test, students get their scores in respective fields. GAT tests comprise of 70 multi-choice questions accompanied by two written examinations. GAT is essential in evaluating a given school’s examinations and assessments to observe if they are assessed precisely. GAT is placed in three broad groups. The groups include written communication, science, and arts subjects. GAT is also a very significant component of VCE tests. GAT can also be used to moderate results from schools (Halperin & McKay, 1998).
Best tests for adolescents
Most adolescents undergo screening and assessment to determine their suitability for various tasks. Moreover, adolescents also undergo testing to determine their risks to substance disorder. Testing for youths can be vocational, academic, or personality-oriented. Psychologists do vocational testing to determine possible careers for young adults. Academic testing is done to measure the aptitude and achievement of adolescents. This helps to refine their special talents.
Moreover, the personality test is also offered to identify psychological problems in adolescents struggling with disabilities such as anxiety and bipolar, among others. Therefore, to determine the best tests for adolescents, it is important to choose the specific outcomes required from the tests. These outcomes can be academic, vocational, or personality tests. In this regard, GAT and RPM can be considered best in testing the academic capabilities of adolescents. On the other hand, WISC is best for testing disability and for diagnosis purposes (Cohen, Swerdlik & Sturman, 2013).
Conclusion
Adolescents need guidance and counseling to move progressively along their career paths. However, this cannot be achieved without ascertaining the abilities of adolescents. Testing and assessments provide an effective way of determining the abilities of students. In addition, assessment of adolescents helps to diagnose those with learning and mental disabilities, among others. Therefore, testing and assessment are essential for all adolescents.
References
Cohen, R.J., Swerdlik, M.E., & Sturman, E.D. (2013). Psychological testing and assessment: An introduction to test and measurement (8th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill companies.
Halperin, J.M. & McKay, K.E. (1998). Psychological testing for child and adolescent psychiatrists: a review of the past 10 years. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry, 37(6), p. 575-584.
Kline, P. (1999). The Handbook of Psychological Testing. New York, NY: Routledge.
Raven, J. & Court, J.H. (2003). Manual for Raven’s Progressive Matrices and Vocabulary Scales. San Antonio, TX: Harcourt Assessment.
UConn (2014). Assessment: What is Assessment? Web.