By BrainSkills LLC. Reprinted with permission.
Background
The ability to learn is significantly dependent upon the level of a person’s cognitive skill development. One or more weak cognitive skills generally cause learning difficulty. Thereby, if a student is under performing, it is critical to learn whether weak cognitive skills are an issue, and if so, which ones. Until weak cognitive skills are improved, most academic-based remediation efforts are ineffective and the student becomes frustrated. The Gibson Cognitive Skills Test (GCST) serves as a red light/green light indicator. Red light means you need to address weak cognitive skills to empower the student to learn. Green light means the student has the foundational cognitive skill capacity to learn. If the student is struggling in school, there may be other issues.
Prior to now, professional cognitive skill testing was resource intensive and expensive. This type of testing has historically been used to diagnose learning disabilities and thereby has a negative connotation. IQ tests usually only provide an average score and do not break out detailed individual cognitive skill scores. Because of these barriers, there has been only limited and often inadequate testing and diagnoses of cognitive weakness.
The Power to Know
BrainSkills has developed an affordable, professional and comprehensive online cognitive skills assessment. Now an educator or parent can know whether weak cognitive skills are the direct cause of learning challenges. You can help complete the standardization of the GCST and benefit from free tests and more for your school.
Process
- If your school is interested in participating, please contact us. More information about the evaluation will be provided and schools are selected to participate based upon discussions. Access to the test will be provided so school personnel can evaluate the test prior to choosing to participate. You will receive instructions on how to register students and administer the test, which is easy to do. Each participating student will have to be registered. Basic, confidential demographic information must be included in order to create a valid standardized test. Students will only be compared to the whole group of students in their age group. The demographic information ensures a norm group that is sufficiently diverse to match the overall US population.
- The assessment is accessible via the Internet. A high speed connection is required and a computer that can run Flash 9. A quiet room with audio speakers (or headphones in a computer lab setting) is needed for the test process.
- Students can take the test at school or at home with Internet access.
- It takes about 35–40 minutes to complete the test.
- The test measures skills, not academic achievement. There are seven test sections.
- Once the total required number and demographic distribution of test results is completed, test scores will be normalized and a report of results for each participating student will be provided to your school.
The Advantages of Participating
All participating students will receive a professional cognitive skill assessment for no charge. This would normally cost a school on average $150 per student and parents in excess of $1,000 if done privately.
Supervision of the Standardization Process
Professor Dick Carpenter, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs is under contract to BrainSkills to standardize the test.
The Meantime Volume 7 Number 3