Assessments at The Reading Foundation are all administered by Dr. Truch (click here for bio) and are of two types.  

(1) An in-depth learning assessment. This type of assessment is the most common at The Reading Foundation.  The student's potential for reading and academics is established by looking at his/her oral vocabulary levels. The process of reading itself is then carefully assessed, starting at the phonological level. Letter-sound connections, word attack ability, word identification skills, spelling skills and reading and listening comprehension are all assessed.
Math and written language are also explored. The information from the assessment, together with recommendations, is provided to the parents on the same day. A written report follows. The assessment allows us to determine how long the student needs in each of our programs (or whether they need the programs at all) and whether or not we can combine some programs in the course of time the student spends with us. The assessment also acts as a baseline to gauge future growth. The average length of stay in each of our programs is 80 hours over a four-week period. However, some students eventually require much longer because their needs are greater and some students require less because their difficulties are mild.

(2) A traditional psycho-educational assessment.  Dr. Truch is a chartered psychologist and much of his early career as a school psychologist involved administering standardized cognitive and educational assessments.  These assessments are mandated by provincial regulations and are necessary if a student is to be “coded” for special needs and requires an Individual Program Plan (IPP).  They are also often required for entry into special programs (such as for gifted students) and several private schools in the Calgary area.  Such assessments are much lengthier in duration in terms of administration and interpretation time and therefore costlier to the client.  A psycho-educational assessment is not required if a student is to enroll in the clinical programs at The Reading Foundation since the in-depth learning assessment described above serves that purpose.  However, when necessary, Dr. Truch has both the training and depth of experience to conduct them.  In fact, he is the author of “The WISC-IV Companion,” (Austin, Texas, Pro-Ed Publications, 2006) a popular reference book that deals with administering and interpreting the commonly used Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Fourth Edition (WISC-IV). 

Please call The Reading Foundation if you have any questions regarding the assessment of your child.