Cross battery assessment is a tool that has been used primarily in the field of intelligence testing. Intelligence tests (IQ tests) were initially developed to find learning disabilities in children. IQ tests have been criticized for having a narrow, singular definition of intelligence. Cross battery assessments are used in conjunction with traditional intelligence tests in order to expand the measurement of intelligence to include different types of abilities.
How they are used
The Cattel-Horn-Carroll (CHC) is the most popular cross-battery assessment tool. CHC is used to interpret test scores for intelligence tests. The CHC is used in conjunction with other tests to detect different types of intelligences that the original test itself does not.
The CHC is most often used with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC). The WISC is the most popular intelligence test for children. CHC builds on the results of the WISC, in order to find greater variety in it's measures.
How they function
The WISC measures intelligence in five areas: full scale IQ, verbal comprehension, working memory and processing speed. These are traditional measures of cognition. By using the CHC along with the WISC, measurements can become much more finely tuned.
The CHC measures expand measurement to include auditory processing, processing speeding-including reaction time and accuracy, short-term/immediate recall, long-term memory storage and retrieval, reading and writing abilities and quantitative knowledge. This creates a more specific, varied and accurate measure of overall abilities.
Advantages
The use of cross battery assessment in intelligence testing has largely expanded the field. Intelligence was once thought of as simply a general ability, something that was limited to solely to static cognitive ability. However, a cross-battery approach, using the CHC, broadens the scope of intelligence testing, yet builds on years of research and development in IQ testing.
The CHC also helps by interpreting results based on intelligence clusters, rather than traditionally focusing on sub-tests, as is the case with most traditional intelligence measures. Clusters give a more accurate picture of a person's overall abilities.
These tools not only work to help broaden the measurements of intelligence when looking at an individual test, but also help to expand the definition of intelligence in general. By breaking intelligence down into smaller categories, it allows the tests to measure specific intelligences, broader types of intelligence as well as general intelligence with greater accuracy.
Furthermore, the specificity found in cross battery tests, such as the CHC, can help teachers to understand how students learn and cater interventions for the specific student. This is particularly advantageous for students with learning disabilities.
Tags: intelligence testing, assessment tool, conjunction with, definition intelligence, different types, expand measurement, intelligence tests
