Helping Families Understand How Their Child Learns

Children are more likely to thrive when learning challenges are identified early and families have a clear understanding of how to support them.

​

A First Foundation’s testing and evaluation services are designed to provide parents with a comprehensive picture of their child’s learning, language, and literacy development. Assessments may be used to better understand specific skill areas, identify strengths and areas of need, or determine whether a child may be at risk for learning difficulties.

​

Dr. Kiepert uses standardized and evidence-based assessment tools to provide meaningful information that can help families make informed decisions about intervention, educational support, and next steps.

What to Expect

• Professional Screenings & Evaluations: Assessments conducted by Dr. Kiepert, an educational therapist with a doctorate in educational psychology and specialized training in literacy and dyslexia.

• Comprehensive Reports: Clear, detailed reports outlining assessment results, strengths and areas of need, and recommendations for intervention, further evaluation, or school accommodations when appropriate.

• Parent Consultation & Guidance: Personalized feedback, resources, strategies, and guidance to help families determine appropriate next steps.

​

Comprehensive Literacy Evaluation

A comprehensive literacy evaluation provides an in-depth profile of a child’s current skills in areas related to reading and writing. Depending on the child’s age and abilities, assessment may include:

• Phonological processing

• Phonics and decoding

• Single-word reading

• Spelling

• Oral reading fluency

• Reading and listening comprehension

• Vocabulary

• Written expression

• Print knowledge and sound-symbol knowledge and automaticity

• ​

Please note: IQ and cognitive testing are not included in this evaluation.

​

The evaluation typically takes 120–240 minutes and may be completed over multiple sessions. The process begins with a parent intake to gather information about the child’s developmental, educational, medical, and family history.

​

Following the assessment, Dr. Kiepert meets with parents to review the results and answer questions. Families receive a confidential, comprehensive report describing the child’s language and literacy profile, including strengths, areas of need, assessment results, and recommendations for intervention, services, and school accommodations when appropriate.

​

Skills-Based Reading Assessment

A skills-based reading assessment focuses on specific skills that are essential for reading development and academic success. Depending on the child’s needs, Dr. Kiepert may assess areas such as phonological processing, phonics, vocabulary, reading comprehension, and fluency.

​

Assessment may include norm-referenced and criterion-referenced measures such as the Gray Oral Reading Tests (GORT), Word Identification and Spelling Test (WIST), CORE Phonics Survey, DIBELS, Phonological Awareness Screening Test (PAST), and Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP-2).

​

This targeted approach helps identify specific skill gaps and provides information that can guide individualized instruction and intervention.
 

Early Childhood & Kindergarten Readiness Evaluation

This evaluation focuses on the foundational skills children need for a successful transition to kindergarten.

​

Dr. Kiepert assesses areas including:

• Early literacy and letter recognition

• Phonemic awareness

• Vocabulary and oral language

• Early mathematics

• Cognitive development

• Social-emotional development

​

The evaluation includes a parent interview, child observation, and teacher interview when applicable. Families receive a written report summarizing the results, along with a parent consultation to discuss recommendations and next steps.

​

Progress Monitoring in Reading

Progress monitoring provides an independent measure of a student’s reading development over time. Regular assessment can help determine whether a student is making expected progress, identify areas where difficulties persist, and evaluate the effectiveness of current interventions or accommodations.

Dr. Kiepert uses progress monitoring to help ensure that students remain on track toward their reading goals and receive additional support when needed.

​

Early Childhood Language & Literacy Screening

Early screening can help identify children who may be at risk for difficulties with language and literacy development and determine whether further evaluation may be appropriate.

Using brief, validated, evidence-based assessment tools, Dr. Kiepert screens for potential areas of concern in oral language, early reading, and writing. Screening is a preliminary process and is not intended to provide a diagnosis. Rather, it helps families understand whether additional assessment or early intervention may be beneficial.

​

Supporting Families with Clear Next Steps

A First Foundation’s evaluation services are designed to give families a clearer understanding of how their child learns, where their strengths lie, and where additional support may be needed. Every service includes a parent consultation so that families can leave with practical information and a better understanding of their options.

​

Services are individualized based on the child’s needs and range from approximately $350 for a screening to $2,000 for a comprehensive evaluation.