Runninghead: ASSESSMENT OBSERVATION

Assessment Observation
This observation was conducted on 16 October 2014. The school psychologist made
preparations for the assessment by looking at the student's protocol to see where she had left off
before. The Standard Test Book was placed in the middle of the desk and the chairs were
opposite of one another. The school psychologists did not walk to the classroom because the
student was in the sixth grade and old enough to find his way to her office. As the student
walked into her office, he was greeted with a warm smile and conversation regarding what he
had done this past weekend with his family. It was obvious that the school psychologist had
already built rapport with the student because of the questions she was asking about the student's
brothers and sisters. The rapport building lasted about three to four minutes. The school
psychologist proceeded to administer the fifth subtest of the Woodcock Johnson III, which
involved concept formation. This test involved working with puzzles that contained circles and
squares of different colors and sizes. The student needed to point out the differences in order to
figure out the rules that were being applied in the puzzles. Towards the end of subtest number
five the students seemed to just guess. However, the school psychologist encouraged him to try
his best and let him know that he was close to finishing this test. Concept formation is used to
measure general and brief intellectual ability, thinking ability, fluid reasoning, and executive
processes.
The next test administered by the school psychologist was subtest number 15, which
involved analysis-synthesis. This subtest involved working with some puzzles made up of
different colors and deciphering the rules of the colors that formed other colors. If the student
answered correctly the school psychologist would reply by saying good, but she did not respond
in this manner too often. As in the previous subtest, the student appeared to guess when having

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difficulty in finding solutions to the puzzles. If the student replied with an incorrect answer for
certain items the school psychologist would explain the reasoning of how specific colors formed
another color. Analysis-synthesis is used to measure general intellectual ability, thinking ability,
and fluid reasoning. After completing subtest 15, the school psychologist asked the student how
he was doing, if he needed a drink of water, and if he was okay to continue. The student said
that he was fine and that he could continue.
Next, the school psychologist administered subtest number 16, which is a timed subtest.
The school psychologists set her stopwatch on her iPhone and proceeded to explain the
directions. This test involved decision speed to see how fast the student was able to find two
items that go together are most alike. For this particular test the Subject Response Booklet was
also necessary. The students appeared to do well with this test or at least he seemed to enjoy this
type of test rather than the previous ones. When the alarm from her iPhone sounded she told the
student to stop and put his pencil down. Decision speed is used to measure general intellectual
ability, cognitive efficiency, processing speed, and cognitive fluency. The last test administered
was subtest number 17 memory for words. In this test, the student was required to repeat words
back to the school psychologists. This subtest is used as a measure of intellectual ability,
cognitive efficiency, and short-term memory. After completing these four subtests, the school
psychologist praised the student for his effort. The tests were administered in a flowing manner
because of the school psychologist's familiarity to the standardization rules of each test. Because
of her familiarity with the tests, she was able to complete more tests in a short timeframe then I
thought was possible.