What advantage do I have choosing Raleigh Educational Testing

Dr. James Porowski is a licensed psychologist with over eighteen years' experience evaluating children for learning disabilities. He works closely with parents to help their children succeed in school.

Children benefit from a relaxed and non-threatening environment to create a positive testing experience. While many clinics employ graduate students under supervision or technicians to administer testing, Dr. Porowski works individually with each child. This insures the most accurate results for parents.

What do parents learn as a result of testing?

Parents receive a detailed report covering their child's strengths and weaknesses, and any learning disability that is discovered. Recommendations are made for maximizing strengths and developing a plan to work on areas of weakness.

When is educational testing a good idea?

Educational testing is recommended in situations where a student continues to experience academic difficulties after various interventions have been attempted. When parent/teacher conferences, tutoring, study skills help, behavior modification, and increased discipline and structure in the home have been tried, but have not seemed to help enough. Another situation would be when parents and/or teachers observe major discrepancies over time in school work – from day to day or between subject areas.

Will educational testing help with an IEP plan?

Yes. Educational testing will often provide the foundation for an effective IEP plan.

What is a Learning Disability?

When you as parents feel that your child should be doing better in school than their grades are indicating, your child may be hindered by a learning disability.

Technically speaking, a learning disability is diagnosed when testing results reveal a significant discrepancy (difference) between a student’s scores on achievement tests (in reading, mathematics, and/or written language). And his/her educational expectancy range (based upon age, educational background, and intelligence).

Or simply put, when there is a strong difference between how smart a child is and how they do in school subjects such as Reading, Math, or Writing, there is probably a learning disability involved.

Of course there are other factors that bring about success in school. Low motivation and various emotional factors can also hinder a child. When parents and teachers are uncertain as to why a child is struggling, testing may also be recommended, since it is the only way to determine if other factors are involved.

Do you test individuals for other reasons than a learning disability?

Yes. We evaluate individuals for a variety of reasons. While the most common evaluation is for children with suspected learning disabilities, there are other situations where testing is needed. When you as a parent are unable to determine whether your child struggles with emotional factors, such as anxiety or low motivation. We can provide additional testing to help your child succeed in their school setting.

What does a testing evaluation consist of?

Evaluations generally consist of a standard Intelligence test and a standard achievement test. Additional assessments such as visual motor development, parent and teacher rating scales, and individual rating scales (in the case of adults) are frequently included.

I am worried about my child. How will they view the whole idea of testing?

Children are glad to hear things like:

“Most children enjoy this kind of testing.”

“You will work with puzzles and answer questions, but it is not for a grade.”

“This will help you do better in school, and let us know how we can help make school easier and more fun.”

Older students find encouragement by knowing that:

“They will understand how they think, by learning their strengths and weaknesses.”

“This will help them do better in school.”

“Testing could provide help in college.”