The Individual Intellectual Assessment Endorsement (IIA) is a program designed to meet Kentucky Department of Educations requirements and the Kentucky Administrative Requirements (704 KAR 20:330. Endorsement for individual intellectual assessment.). The endorsement for individual intellectual assessment shall be valid for administering individual assessments at all grade levels in the schools of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. This program prepares individuals to administer, score and interpret individual intellectual assessment instruments, with primary focus on the Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children (WISC IV). It also provides training in certain types of academic achievement measures (Wechsler Individual Achievement Test- WIAT II) and a limited number of focused assessment instruments such as behavior rating scales, self report measures and clinical assessment tools that would be part of a counseling evaluation or academic assessment. These assessments are used in the school to make recommendations to Academic Release Committees, Section 504 Committees and other committees or individuals interested in developing and promoting academic and behavioral plans to improve student’s school performance.

This program, as described earlier, is for school counselors and only certified school counselors receive the endorsement to their school guidance certificate. The first course in the series (COU 826 Assessment in Counseling) is open to both school and mental health counselors and the assessments taught in this class could be used in both settings.

The IIA has three pre-requisites which most students have completed on their Master’s program: EPY 816 Tests and Measurements, COU 848 Child and Adolescent Counseling, and COU 855 Diagnosis and Treatment in Counseling. The IIA series consists of three courses: COU 826 Assessment in Counseling, COU 826 Individual Intellectual Assessment, and COU 856 Assessment Practicum. Each course is a pre-requisite for the other and the series begins each Summer session with COU 826 Assessment in Counseling. Again this course is open to all students, but the two courses that follow (COU 827 in the Fall and COU 856 in the Spring) are limited to students chosen from an application process. The three course series for the IIA is completed in 12 months (Summer, Fall and Spring sessions).

If interested in the IIA endorsement, students need to complete the application that follows on the next page. Students accepted into the IIA program will also need to have a site mentor in the field who is currently working in assessment (school counselor with the endorsement or a school psychologist). A mentor contract must be completed and approved with the application (Mentor Contract follows the IIA application).