WISC®-V Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - 5th edition

The WISC^®-V, Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, 5 edition is the latest version of the most popular intelligence measure!

The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – 5^th edition was modified and redesigned to provide the most comprehensive picture of the child's abilities. The WISC^®-V is an individual assessment tool measuring intelligence in children aged 6-16 (6;0–16;11).

The WISC^®-V includes 21 tests and allows to calculate the Full Scale IQ and 13 other complex indices. The flexible form makes it easily adaptable to one's needs. Multiplicity of indices and the resulting multiplicity of data provided by the tool allows for a precise and comprehensive definition of the respondent's strengths and weaknesses.

The WISC^® tests can be divided into three categories:

• Primary (10 tests) – providing a comprehensive description and assessment of a child's intellectual abilities. Seven of these primary subtests are used to calculate the FSIQ. The primary subtests are necessary to calculate a numbe of other primary and complementary indices.
• Ancillary (6 tests) – can be applied to replace any of the primary subtests when it can't  be administered. They serve as well to calculate certain ancillary indices.
• Complementary (5 tests) – provide complementary data on cognitive skills when needed. They are used to calculate complementary indices.

To calculate the FSIQ (Full Scale IQ) seven out of the then primary tests are used. When any of the FSIQ tests fails to be administered, one of the ancillary tests or one of the primary tests not included in the FSIQ can be employed.

What is new about this 5^th edition is the possibility it offers to analyse the process of task solving in some tests as well as the possibility to obtain for some indices the so-called contrast results or the assessment of one skill in relation to the other which conditions it.

Reliability: Internal consistencies of complex scores, consistencies of assessments of task-solving processes as well as consistencies of test scores are high both in special groups and in the standardization sample. Moreover, scores proved to be stable within a period of a few weeks and tests requiring subjective evaluation (such as the word comprehension test) give similar results in various evaluators. Generally, all this is a strong argument for the accuracy of the  WISC®-V scores and, in addition, shows that the reliability of the Polish version is close to that of the original version.     

Validity:

• Confirmatory factor analyses of scores in the Polish standardization sample proved the validity of the model involving general intelligence (g) and five factors which underlies the construction of the Scale.
• WISC®-V scores are highly correlated with appropriate scores of the Intelligence and Development Scales IDS-2. The IQ in Wechsler Complete Scale is very highly correlated with the general and complete IQs in the IDS-2; correlations between tests measuring similar cognition domains are from moderate to high.
• WISC®-V scores are significantly correlated with grades in elementary school students, whereas in the case of high school students correlations are clearly lower.
• Another argument for the WISC®-V validity is differences in scores for children from special groups  (e.g. children with outstanding skills, mentally disabled or those with ADHD) in relation to appropriate comparative groups from the standardization sample.  

Norms:

The WISC®-V was standardized using scores obtained in the study conducted on the sample of 2194 children aged 6;0-16;11. Norms for tests and for assessments of task solving processes were developed for 4-months intervals. Norms use the 1-19 scale with a mean of 10 and a standard deviation of 3. Complex indices use the quotient scale with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15. The scores can also be assessed in reference to age equivalents.   

Applicability:

• The WISC®-V can be applied for a thorough assessment of general intellectual functioning  
• The WISC®-V can be used to diagnose outstanding intellectual skills, mental disabilities as well as strong and weak points in cognitive functions  
• The WISC®-V scores may also serve as guidelines for therapy planning and decisions whether to put the child in a clinical or educational institution
• The WISC®-V scores may also be interpreted from the neuropsychological point of view and applied to formulate hypotheses concerning neuropsychological functioning.
• The WISC®-V can also be applied for research purposes.

 Materials:

• Complete kit (manuals, test tools, test booklets and 25 cop. of score sheets)
• Manual 1: Theoretical background, psychometrical qualities, interpretation
• Manual 2: Administration and score calculation
• Manual 3: Administration and score calculation – appendix
• Test tools in a bag
• Test booklets (25 cop.)
• Score sheets  (25 cop.)

The available materials are accompanied by a calculator which is a computer programme to calculate scores in tests and all kinds of indices: basic, auxiliary and complementary.