An introduction to CAT4 in an

international settingWebinar – March 2013

Sue Thompson

Phil Wileman

Cognitive Abilities Test____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

• History of CAT for over 30 years in the UK

• Most widely used test of reasoning abilities

• Verbal

• Non-verbal

• Quantitative

• Spatial

• Used to assess student potential and learning preferences

• Enhances all aspects of teaching and learning

Cognitive Abilities Test – 4th Edition____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

• Published in September 2012

• Major re-structure to allow separate reporting of Spatial

scores

• Differentiates between Non-verbal Reasoning and Spatial

Ability

• New model for reporting on individual students

Importantly

• Based on established research demonstrating the value of

including discrete tests of Spatial Ability when assessing

students in other domains such as Verbal Ability and maths

CAT4 structure

2 Verbal

Verbal Classification Verbal Analogies

2 Quantitative

Number Analogies Number Series

2 Non-verbal

Figure Classification Figure Matrices

2 Spatial

Figure Analysis Figure Recognition

Verbal Classification____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Verbal Analogies____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Number Analogies____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Number Series____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Figure Classification____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Figure Matrices____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Figure Analysis____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Figure Recognition____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Cognitive Abilities Test in International

Schools____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

• Focus on the individual student and ensuring that learning is appropriate

• On entry assessment allows the school to asses the student and place them

appropriately in sets

• Identifies ‘gifted’ students – now able to identify those with high levels of

spatial as well as verbal and numerical ability

• Provides a British framework that correlates with national curriculum key stages

• offers supporting information for feeding back to parents

• 3 out of 4 parts of CAT4 are not dependent on language

• CAT is for students from age 7:06 to 17:11 – same test format all the way

through

• Supports all aspects of teaching and learning and used as reference point when

planning and setting targets

Cognitive Abilities Test & the importance

of assessing Spatial Ability ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

• All learners must apply a range of skills, including spatial skills, in order to learn effectively

• High levels of spatial skill can sometimes be at the expense of verbal skills (CAT4 ‘extreme

spatial profile’)

• Spatial learners are able to take in visual information quickly and efficiently and use

imagination and recall to transform such information mentally

• Spatial learners are creative problem solvers – often seeing the answer quickly

• Spatial skills asset in STEM and visual arts – vital that these students are identified and

encouraged

• May be overlooked by the teacher – instruction may be verbally biased even in STEM

subjects

• Spatial learners respond to hands on learning

• Must be supported to develop auditory-sequential learning (if verbal skills are weak or

relatively weaker)

• Without assessing spatial ability many talented students will be missed

CAT4 Reports____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

New reports____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Individual report for teachers – Secondary student

New reports____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Individual report for parents – Secondary student

New reports____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Individual report for teachers – Primary student

New reports____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Individual report for parents – Primary student