Educational & Learning Assessment for Children & Adolescents
Every child learns differently. An educational and learning assessment can help build a clearer picture of your child’s academic skills, individual learning profile and areas where they may benefit from additional support.
At Healthy Little Minds Psychology, we assess areas such as reading, reading comprehension, spelling, written expression and mathematics. We consider your child’s individual strengths and learning experiences alongside their academic skills to develop a comprehensive understanding of their learning profile.
Educational and learning assessment may also contribute to understanding whether a child’s pattern of learning difficulties is consistent with a Specific Learning Disorder.
What Is an Educational & Learning Assessment?
An educational and learning assessment explores a child’s academic skills and individual learning profile.
Assessment may examine areas such as reading, reading comprehension, spelling, written expression and mathematics to understand how your child is currently developing particular academic skills.
The assessment can identify areas of strength as well as areas where learning may be more effortful. This information can help families and schools better understand a child’s learning needs and consider appropriate educational support.
Where there are ongoing difficulties with particular academic skills, assessment may also contribute to considering whether the child’s profile is consistent with a Specific Learning Disorder.
An educational and learning assessment considers your child’s academic skills within the broader context of their development, learning experiences and individual circumstances.
What Areas Can Be Assessed?
Reading
Assessment may explore skills involved in accurately and efficiently reading words and understanding written information.
Reading Comprehension
Assessment may explore how your child understands, interprets and responds to information presented in written text.
Spelling
Assessment may explore your child’s ability to use knowledge of sounds, letters, words and spelling patterns when spelling.
Written Expression
Assessment may explore how your child communicates ideas through writing, including aspects such as sentence construction, organisation and development of ideas.
Mathematics
Assessment may explore mathematical skills including number knowledge, calculation, mathematical reasoning and problem-solving.
Mathematical Fluency
Assessment may explore how accurately and efficiently your child completes familiar mathematical tasks.
Understanding Your Child’s Learning Profile
Children develop academic skills at different rates and can show very different patterns of learning strengths and areas where learning is more effortful.
For example, a child may have strong oral language skills while finding reading or written expression more challenging. Another child may understand mathematical concepts but find calculation or mathematical fluency more difficult.
An educational and learning assessment can help identify these individual patterns.
Rather than focusing only on whether a child is performing above or below a particular benchmark, we look at the pattern of skills across the areas assessed.
Understanding your child’s learning profile can help families and schools consider how best to support their learning and identify areas where targeted teaching, intervention, adjustments or other support may be helpful.
When Might an Educational & Learning Assessment Be Helpful?
An educational and learning assessment may be helpful when there are ongoing questions about a child’s academic development or learning profile.
Families may consider an assessment when:
a child is experiencing persistent difficulties with reading, spelling, writing or mathematics
a child is working hard but finding particular areas of learning difficult
a child’s academic progress does not appear to reflect their effort or abilities
there are noticeable differences between areas of academic strength and difficulty
a child is finding one particular area of learning significantly more effortful than others
a school has recommended further assessment
additional information is needed to guide educational planning or intervention
there are questions about a possible Specific Learning Disorder
a child’s individual learning strengths and support needs need to be better understood.
The most appropriate assessment depends on your child’s individual circumstances and the questions you are hoping to answer.
What Is Involved in an Educational & Learning Assessment?
An educational and learning assessment is a comprehensive, individualised process. It involves gathering information about your child’s development, learning experiences and academic skills, alongside standardised assessment activities appropriate to their age and the questions being explored.
Initial Consultation
We meet with parents or caregivers to learn more about your child’s development, strengths, learning experiences and individual needs.
We discuss what you would like the assessment to help you understand and gather relevant background information about your child’s educational history, academic experiences and everyday functioning.
Information Gathering & Assessment
We gather relevant information to develop a comprehensive understanding of your child’s learning profile. With parent or caregiver consent, this may include information from teachers, schools or other relevant health and education professionals.
Your child then completes educational and learning assessment activities appropriate to their age and individual profile. These may explore areas such as reading, reading comprehension, spelling, written expression and mathematics, depending on the purpose of the assessment.
The assessment is tailored to your child’s age, abilities and individual circumstances.
Feedback Session
Following the assessment, we meet with parents or caregivers for a feedback session.
We discuss the assessment findings, your child’s individual pattern of academic strengths and areas where they may benefit from additional support, and what the results may mean in the context of their learning experiences.
There is an opportunity to ask questions and discuss practical ways to support your child’s learning at home and school.
Report & Recommendations
A comprehensive report is provided outlining the assessment findings and your child’s individual learning profile, together with practical recommendations.
Recommendations may include strategies to support learning and classroom participation, as well as suggestions for educational intervention, adjustments or other supports where appropriate.
Where appropriate, recommendations may also identify opportunities for collaboration with your child’s school or other professionals, with your consent.
Educational & Learning Assessment and Specific Learning Disorders
Some children experience persistent difficulties with particular areas of academic learning, such as reading, spelling, written expression or mathematics.
An educational and learning assessment can provide important information about a child’s academic skills and may contribute to considering whether their learning profile is consistent with a Specific Learning Disorder.
Understanding a Specific Learning Disorder involves more than looking at a child’s performance on an academic assessment alone. Relevant developmental, educational and learning history, the nature and persistence of the difficulties, and other factors that may affect learning are also considered.
An assessment therefore aims to understand the child’s learning profile within the context of their broader developmental and educational experiences.
Where appropriate, assessment findings can help identify practical recommendations for supporting the child’s learning at home and school.
What Other Factors Can Affect Learning?
Academic performance can be influenced by many different factors. Considering these factors helps place assessment results within the broader context of your child’s experiences.
Attention & Executive Functioning
Attention, working memory, planning, organisation and task initiation can influence how a child approaches and completes learning activities.
Language & Communication
Language development and communication can influence a child’s ability to understand instructions, process information and express ideas.
Cognitive Profile
Individual patterns of cognitive strengths and abilities can influence how a child approaches different types of learning and problem-solving.
Emotional Wellbeing
Anxiety, stress, emotional wellbeing and confidence can affect participation, concentration and engagement with learning.
School & Learning Environment
Teaching approaches, classroom environments, educational opportunities and the level of support available can influence a child’s learning experiences.
Attendance & Learning Opportunities
School attendance, changes in schooling and opportunities to practise particular skills can also affect academic development.
Understanding these factors helps us consider your child’s academic skills within the context of their broader developmental and educational experiences.
Educational & Learning Assessment and Cognitive Assessment
Educational and learning assessment and cognitive assessment provide different types of information and can sometimes be considered together.
An educational and learning assessment focuses on academic skills such as reading, spelling, written expression and mathematics. It provides information about your child’s current skills and individual pattern of academic achievement.
A cognitive assessment explores aspects of thinking and reasoning, such as verbal reasoning, visual-spatial reasoning, fluid reasoning, working memory and processing speed.
Considering both cognitive and academic information can sometimes provide a more comprehensive understanding of a child’s learning profile.
The most appropriate assessment depends on your child’s individual circumstances and the questions you are hoping to answer.
A Strengths-Based Approach to Educational & Learning Assessment
At Healthy Little Minds Psychology, we take a strengths-based approach to educational and learning assessment.
We recognise that children learn in different ways and that academic performance is only one part of understanding a child’s broader abilities and experiences.
Recognising Learning Strengths
Assessment considers areas in which your child is demonstrating skills and progress, as well as areas where learning may be more effortful.
Understanding strengths can help identify ways to build confidence and support engagement with learning.
Understanding Individual Learning Patterns
Children can show very different patterns of academic development. Looking at these individual patterns can provide more useful information than focusing only on whether a child is performing above or below a particular benchmark.
Looking Beyond Academic Scores
Assessment results are considered alongside your child’s developmental history, learning experiences, cognitive profile where available, emotional wellbeing and educational environment.
Supporting Meaningful Participation
Recommendations are designed to provide practical information that can help families and schools consider ways to support your child’s learning, participation and development.
Our goal is to help children feel understood in their learning and to identify supports that build on their strengths while addressing areas where additional assistance may be helpful.
Educational & Learning Assessment FAQs
-
An educational and learning assessment explores a child’s academic skills and individual learning profile. Depending on the purpose of the assessment, this may include reading, reading comprehension, spelling, written expression and mathematics.
-
Assessment may explore different aspects of academic achievement, including reading, reading comprehension, spelling, written expression, mathematics and mathematical fluency.
-
Educational and learning assessment can be considered during childhood and adolescence. The assessment approach and activities are adapted to the child’s developmental stage, age and individual circumstances.
-
An educational and learning assessment can provide important information about a child’s reading and spelling skills and may contribute to considering whether their profile is consistent with Specific Learning Disorder with impairment in reading or written expression. A broader assessment of developmental, cognition, educational and learning history will also be required.
-
An educational and learning assessment can provide information about a child’s mathematical skills and may contribute to considering whether their profile is consistent with Specific Learning Disorder with impairment in mathematics. The child’s broader developmental, cognitive and educational history is also considered.
-
The terms educational assessment and learning assessment are sometimes used to describe assessment of academic skills and learning. At Healthy Little Minds Psychology, our educational and learning assessment considers your child’s academic skills and individual learning profile across relevant areas such as reading, spelling, writing and mathematics.
-
No. Educational and learning assessment focuses on academic skills such as reading, spelling, writing and mathematics. Cognitive assessment explores aspects of thinking and reasoning. The two assessments can sometimes be considered together to develop a more comprehensive understanding of a child’s learning profile.
-
Yes. Assessment findings can provide information that may assist families and schools to better understand a child’s learning profile and consider appropriate teaching approaches, intervention, adjustments and other educational supports. Recommendations are tailored to the individual child.
Considering an Educational & Learning Assessment for Your Child?
Every child develops and learns in their own way. Understanding your child’s individual learning profile can provide useful information about their strengths and areas where additional support may be helpful.
If you are considering an educational and learning assessment and would like to discuss whether it may be appropriate for your child, we’re happy to talk through your needs and answer your questions.