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PAR Education Solutions

Improve student academic performance with scientifically valid assessment instruments.

 

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Comprehensive Assessment Tools and Resources for Those Working with Students from PreK Through College  

Whether you are assessing for a learning disability, compiling the right interventions for a student with emotional disturbance, trying to get your student qualified for special education, guiding a gifted teen, or helping a college-age student find the right major, our tailored and effective solutions are designed to support you. 

Our comprehensive suite of psychological assessments and resources will provide the efficiency and effectiveness required in working with today’s student populations.

Maximize Your Impact In Education

Our solutions enhance student success, offer customizable assessment tools, and provide training for school psychologists and other education-based mental health professionals. 

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Improve Student Outcomes

Our PAR product solutions facilitate interventions, empowering you to make informed decisions and get your students the support they need.

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Customized Assessment Batteries

We can develop a comprehensive suite of assessment instruments that will meet the needs of your particular school or institution.

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Free Product Training On-Demand

We offer no-cost training on many of our instruments, which can be accessed by individuals, or seamlessly integrated into district-wide initiatives.

Educational Specialties Supported by PAR

We understand that your time is valuable, and your resources are limited. PAR is here to help you extend your reach and make a difference within the constraints of the educational organization you work in. 

School Psychologist (K-12)

Facing a new mandate to test for dyslexia? Starting a gifted program? Has a traumatic event impacted your students? Whatever challenges you’re facing, we can support you. PAR has many tools that can help you screen and measure your students for various learning and mental health challenges.  

Receive benefits and support resources such as:  

  • Time and Cost Savings: PAR's digital assessment tools streamline administration, scoring, and reporting, saving you time and costs, and allowing you more time to focus on students. 
  • Automated Online Administration and Scoring: Use PARiConnect, our online assessment platform, for efficient administration and scoring of mental health assessment tools.  
  • BRIEF2 Executive Functioning Measure: Evaluate students during initial assessment, monitor executive functioning over time, and develop personalized interventions.  
  • Comprehensive Training: Access free training on a variety of our assessment products via PAR Training.  
  • Continuing Education: Participate in free live PARtalks webinars that earn you CE credit, keeping you up to date with the latest practices.   

By integrating PAR's solutions, you can focus more on students and less on administrative tasks.  

Top Picks from PAR: Recommended Products Just for You »  

Special Education Directors

Working through the process to get your students with special needs the best educational support and services is your daily challenge. Integrating PAR assessments into your special ed program will provide important data to lay the foundation for IEPs. Our scientifically valid assessments can be an important part of supporting students across your entire district.   

Let PAR assessments help you overcome some of your challenges: 

  • Time and Cost Savings: PAR's digital assessment tools streamline administration, scoring, and reporting, helping you stretch your budget, and allowing you to focus on getting students the help they need. Ask about our subscription and discount volume programs. 
  • Automated Online Administration and Scoring: PARiConnect, our online assessment platform, allows for efficient administration and scoring of mental health assessment tools.  
  • BRIEF2 Executive Functioning Measure: Evaluate students during initial assessment, monitor executive functioning over time, and develop personalized interventions. 
  • FAR/FAW/FAM Family of Assessments: Use this trio of assessments as part of psychoeducation evaluations for the purpose of identifying a learning disability. If you work within an MTSS/RTI system, rely on the results to monitor progress for a specific skill or to help formulate interventions using comprehensive Interpretive Reports.  
  • Comprehensive Training: Access free training on a variety of our assessment products via PAR Training. 
  • Continuing Education: Participate in free live PARtalks webinars that earn you CE credit, keeping you up to date with the latest practices.   

Did you know that when you call our Customer Support team you never get routed through a phone tree? Speak to a live person within seconds of calling us! 

Top Picks from PAR: Recommended Products Just for You »  

School District Administrators

With tight budgets, staffing constraints and the growing number of students needing support services, look to the leader in scientifically valid assessment tools to obtain insight that will make a difference in determining what interventions students need to be successful.  

Implement PAR assessment instruments into your district and receive these benefits:  

  • Time and Cost Savings: PAR's digital assessment tools streamline administration, scoring, and reporting, saving you time and costs, and allowing your team to focus on students. Ask about our subscription plans and volume discounts. 
  • Automated Online Administration and Scoring: PARiConnect, our online assessment platform, is the most reliable in the industry and offers efficient administration and scoring of mental health assessment tools.  
  • BRIEF2 Executive Functioning Measure: With the gold standard in EF, your team will gain essential insight during initial assessment, monitor executive functioning over time, and develop personalized interventions. 
  • Comprehensive Training: Your staff receives free training on a variety of our assessment products via PAR Training. 
  • Continuing Education: Live PARtalks webinars enable your staff to earn free CE credit, keeping everyone up to date with the latest practices.  

Our team of assessment advisors are well-versed in the challenges your school district faces, with many of them having worked in school systems prior to joining PAR. We welcome a conversation on how to integrate PAR assessment tools into your district. 

Top Picks from PAR: Recommended Products Just for Your Schools »  

High School Guidance & Career Counselors 

Your high schoolers rely on you to support their efforts in selecting the right major, the right school, and the right career. While you may not have all the answers, PAR offers the Self-Directed Search. The SDS is a tool that allows your students to explore their options and get excited for what their future may hold, all based on their personality. 

Here are some features of the SDS: 

  • The SDS is easily taken online. 
  • With over 250 questions, it takes a deeper look and provides more insights than other “career tests.”  
  • Links to over 1,400 jobs in O*NET and offers lists of schools that offer training for specific jobs. 
  • Students are emailed their customized report that can be saved, sorted, and revisited.  
  • Group discounts are available. 

Administer the SDS to students in their junior or senior year to get them thinking about the careers that interest them and the education that may be required.  

Top Pick from PAR: Recommended Product Just for Your School »  

University First Year Experience (FYE) Leaders 

Yours is a vital role in ensuring college freshmen not only acclimate to your university or college but also receive resources to set them up for success. PAR offers many tools that can be administered by most school leaders and easily added into your FYE curriculum.    

Here are some ways that we support you: 

  • Career exploration: Guide students into the right major or career path based on their preferences. A detailed and interactive report provided with the Self-Directed Search (SDS) lets students explore both major and career paths that match their personality. 
  • Learning disabilities: Assessments can help alert you to possible undiagnosed learning disabilities or ADHD.  

Our tools can help you guide students to the right career based on their interests or uncover undiagnosed issues that can negatively impact their path to graduation. 

Top Picks from PAR: Recommended Products Just for You »  

University Psychology Professors

It’s crucial to educate your students on the realities in the field of psychological assessment and give them a foundation they’ll use again and again in their careers. When they learn about and use valid, reliable, fully standardized instruments, they’ll enter the field with the knowledge they need to provide the highest standard of care to their own patients and conduct reliable, impactful research. 

Implement PAR assessments instruments into your curriculum and receive these benefits:  

  • PAR's University Partnership Program (UPP): A tailored service that offers dedicated assistance to you and your students as they pursue advanced degrees—so you can spend more time investing in your students. Plus, you’ll get a 40% discount on products used for training and up to three free kits to use in your training courses. (Free kits are offered for newly adopted tests.)
  •  PAR Training: With a free account, access comprehensive training materials for your students—so you don’t need to build a curriculum from scratch. Courses provide in-depth information on administration, the rationale for development, and psychometrics.
  •  Clinical Training Discount: This program is reserved for internships, clinical practicum, and post-doc programs and usually involves training off-site/outside of the university setting. The trainer must apply to the training program. Once you apply, PAR is pleased to extend a 20% discount on your purchase of PAR products. 

Partner with PAR to elevate your curriculum, ensuring precision, compliance, and success in every project.  

Top Picks from PAR: Recommended Products Just for Your Schools Programs»  

Speech-Language Pathologist / Occupational Therapists 

As you work with students with possible or diagnosed motoric or speech problems, selecting the best assessments to uncover the root cause of learning issues is important. PAR instruments help you diagnose learning delays, develop interventions for your plans, and assist in monitoring progress.    

Rely on PAR solutions and support resources such as:  

  • FAR/FAW to Assist in Diagnosing Reading and Writing Issues: Use these assessments as part of psychoeducation evaluations. They do more than just identify if a learning disability is present. They examine the underlying reasons for why the student is performing at a particular skill level. 
  • Time and Cost Savings: PAR's digital assessment tools streamline administration, scoring, and reporting, saving you time and costs, and allowing you to focus on students. 
  • Automated Online Administration and Scoring: Use PARiConnect, our online assessment platform, for efficient administration and scoring of mental health assessment tools. 
  • Comprehensive Training: Access free training on a variety of our assessment products via PAR Training. 
  • Continuing Education: Participate in free live PARtalks webinars that earn you CE credit, keeping you up to date with the latest practices.   

Top Picks from PAR: Recommended Products Just for You »  

Educational Diagnosticians

As an expert in learning disabilities, teaching methods, and academic testing requirements, let PAR be your assessment partner to help you pinpoint learning and behavioral challenges. Our tests help you diagnose learning delays, develop interventions for your plans, and assist in monitoring progress.    

Rely on PAR solutions and support resources such as:  

  • Time and Cost Savings: PAR's digital assessment tools streamline administration, scoring, and reporting, saving you time and money, and allowing you bandwidth to see more students. 
  • Automated Online Administration and Scoring: Use PARiConnect, our online assessment platform, for efficient administration and scoring of mental health assessment tools. Many of our instruments offer robust interpretive reports with recommendations you can include in your reports. 
  • BRIEF2 Executive Functioning Measure: Evaluate students during initial assessment, monitor executive functioning over time, and develop personalized interventions.  
  • Comprehensive Training: Access free training on a variety of our assessment products via PAR Training.  
  • Continuing Education: Participate in free live PARtalks webinars that earn you CE credit, keeping you up to date with the latest practices.   

Top Picks from PAR: Recommended Products Just for You »  

Featured Products for Education

 

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BRIEF2

The Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function, Second Edition, is a proven measure of executive functioning across the life span including the BRIEF-P for preschool age students and the BRIEF2A for students transitioning out of high school. Use it as part of your battery with students with suspected self-regulation concerns such as autism, ADHD, and learning disabilities.

➜ View Product Information

 

 

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RIAS-2

The Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales, Second Edition, is a reliable and valid measurement of g including verbal and nonverbal processing speed. Use it as a stand-alone intellectual assessment or as part of a larger battery to help diagnose intellectual or learning disabilities, and as a way to determine educational placement. Administer digitally or on paper.

➜ View Product Information

 

 

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FAR

The Feifer Assessment of Reading doesn’t just indicate IF a student may have a reading disorder—it goes deeper to tell you WHY the student is struggling—identifying likely dyslexic subtypes. The FAR can measure for dysphonetic dyslexia, surface dyslexia, mixed dyslexia, and reading comprehension deficits, informing decisions about appropriate interventions.

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FAM

The Feifer Assessment of Mathematics has advantages over traditional academic tests because you learn WHY the student is where they are, without having to administer multiple tests to find out. The FAM can identify the specific type of dyscalculia, whether it is verbal, procedural, or semantic. Plus, you receive targeted interventions that can be used to build an IEP.

➜ View Product Information

 

 

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FAW

Is it a cognitive, linguistic, or motoric issue affecting a student's writing skills? Find out with the Feifer Assessment of Writing, a diagnostic achievement test designed to examine the underlying processes that support proficient written language skills. The FAW can identify the possibility of dysgraphia, and determine the specific subtype (graphomotor, executive, and dyslexic). 

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FACT

The Feifer Assessment of Childhood Trauma is the only instrument measuring how stress and trauma impact academic, behavioral, emotional, and physiological functioning in school-based settings. The FACT provides recommendations to help with IEP and 504 plans. Use to screen children within a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) delivery model.

➜ View Product Information

 

 

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EDDT

The Emotional Disturbance Decision Tree makes it easier to determine if your student meets federal criteria to qualify for special education services because it maps directly to IDEA criteria. By assessing from the teacher, parent, and student perspectives, it addresses the broad emotional and behavioral nuances of children who may require special education services for emotional disturbance. 

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SEARS

The Social Emotional Assets and Resilience Scales is a strengths-based tool that measures social–emotional assets in children and adolescents. Focusing on a child's strengths, it can be used with children and adolescents who exhibit a variety of clinical problems or who are at high risk for developing such problems. Includes separate child, adolescent, parent, and teacher forms. 

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KLDA

In only 15 minutes, the Kane Learning Difficulties Assessment screens college-age students for weaknesses in key areas, including reading, writing, math, listening, concentration, memory, organization, time management, oral presentation, self-control, pressure, and anxiety. It can be administered by any mental health or academic professional in a group or individual setting. 

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SDS

The Self-Directed Search is a proven career assessment tool that matches a student's personality to fields of study, education fields of study, and career choices. You can easily give the SDS to your high school or college students online, allowing them to feel confident about preparing for a career that fits them. The SDS then generates a customized report that can be saved, sorted, and revisited.

➜ View Product Information

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Download Our Guide on Childhood Trauma:
Insights for School Psychologists

Gain expert knowledge on identifying and treating childhood trauma to enhance your practice. 


  • Learn more about the rising prevalence—and profound impact—of trauma on children by reading our white paper, Recent Trends in Childhood Trauma.

  • More than two thirds of children report at least 1 traumatic event by the age of 16!

PAR Resources

We offer a robust collection of resources for education professionals to learn about our products and support their endeavors. 

The Importance of Assessing Learning Disorders in Children

Published
Updated
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Learning disorders affect the way an individual’s brain processes, communicates, and stores information. The National Center for Learning Disabilities has estimated that about 15% of Americans—about 10 million adults and children in the United States—have some form of learning disability. Common types of these disorders include:

  • Dyslexia - Impacts a person’s ability to read and comprehend written communication.
  • Dysgraphia - Impacts a person’s ability to write.
  • Dyscalculia - Impacts a person’s ability to do mathematical equations.

Learning disorders are not always easy to recognize, which is why many children with dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia go undiagnosed into adulthood. Without receiving specialized care or help within the school system, these children face several challenges that impact their success. In this article, we will discuss some of the issues that affect people with learning disabilities, as well as how using the right assessment tools can help prevent these problems for children.

How learning disorders impact student success

Learning disorders don’t just influence a student’s day-to-day life in a school environment; they can also affect their entire educational experience. In addition to being three times more likely to drop out of school, students with learning disabilities are less likely to graduate high school than students without disabilities (68% vs. 81%, according to the National Center for Learning Disabilities).

Additionally, although many people with learning disorders have normal or above average IQs, social stigmas can lead others to assume that these individuals have lower IQs. This can limit a student’s potential academic success. It can also negatively impact their:

  • Self-esteem
  • Motivation
  • Energy levels
  • Social and communication skills

The difference of having the right diagnosis

When symptoms of a learning disorder are not recognized early on, children can experience disturbances to the development of their literacy and mathematical skills. This is why it is especially important for schools to have the resources necessary to notice and identify these differences, as students can then be provided with tailored interventions for their individual learning needs. The symptoms of learning disorders vary based on the type (dyslexia, dysgraphia, or dyscalculia), though common signs may include:

  • Trouble reading, writing, spelling, or completing math equations at the expected grade level
  • Problems with memory and/or following instructions
  • Frequently losing track of belongings
  • Difficulty completing homework

The symptoms of a learning disorder can also include behavioral effects, such as acting out or having major emotional reactions while at school.

While there are a variety of reasons why a student may be exhibiting the symptoms listed above, these signs should not go ignored. Early recognition of a learning disability can improve a child’s chances of personal and academic success.

The power of assessment tools for learning disorders

Diagnosing a learning disorder correctly can be difficult without the right tools, but psychological assessments can make a major difference. That’s where the Feifer Assessment of Reading (FAR), Feifer Assessment of Writing (FAW), and Feifer Assessment of Mathematics (FAM) from PAR come in, as these are three tools uniquely designed to examine the cause of a student’s specific learning differences. Each test assesses the individual for the cause of their difficulties with reading, writing, or math, allowing the test provider to create effective interventions, develop appropriate reading strategies, and monitor response to intervention. The screening forms for all three assessments can be administered to students from pre-K through college and can be completed in under 20 minutes. They can also be customized to suit subtypes of learning disorders, helping school psychologists and clinicians to refine their recommended treatment plans.

Unlike traditional academic achievement assessments, the FAR, FAM, and FAW differ in that they are diagnostic measures with specific neurocognitive processes built directly into each test. In this way, these tools from PAR focus on getting to the why behind a student’s learning disorder, which in turn allows for improved treatments and outcomes. These assessments can be integrated in the following ways:

  • As a general screening of dyslexia, dysgraphia, or dyscalculia
  • To determine diagnosis of a learning disability as part of a comprehensive psychological evaluation
  • For progress monitoring of discrete skills for school systems operating in a MTSS/RTI paradigm
  • To design a deficit- or skill-specific intervention plan using strategies and resources found in the interpretive report

Unlock your students’ potential with learning disability assessments from PAR

Discover how the FAR, FAW, and FAM can change the way learning disorders are assessed and how they can improve outcomes for students. 

learning FAR FAW dyscalculia dysgraphia dyslexia school psychology learning disabilities reading