CoPS Report Interpretation
Interpreting Lucid CoPS profiles
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CoPS Report Interpretation
Getting started
• Read the CoPS Manual
• Remember that CoPS is just one tool that is part of a range
of methods the teacher should use to understand a child’s
difficulties
• Don’t rush to judgement — consider the whole profile in
relation to the child’s age and other relevant factors
(including social and emotional factors)
• Be flexible in trying out approaches to teaching and
learning — monitor the child’s progress and adapt
methods if required
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CoPS Report Interpretation
General issues in interpretation
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CoPS is not one test but several. Look at the profile, not just
the results of individual tests. Consider the possible impact
on learning of strengths as well as weaknesses.
Combine information from CoPS with other information
about a child. Do not forget to take into account things which
the computer cannot know.
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Always keep a Comments Record for future reference.
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Remember that CoPS measures the cognitive abilities which
underpin learning rather than attainment itself.
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CoPS Report Interpretation
The CoPS Report Generator
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Graphical profile:
 A bar chart that shows the scores for each test in
terms of accuracy and time, in centile score or z score
formats (scoring types are explained in the CoPS
Manual)
 Automatically charts the child abilities against those of
the norm referenced group
Data Tables:
– Summary Tables (numerical scores for each test)
– Individual Test Tables (detailed analysis of responses on
each test)
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CoPS Report Interpretation
Interpretation guidelines
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Threshold of concern - below 20th centile
Threshold of risk - below 5th centile
These thresholds are conventions not absolutes
Examine the profile - compare relative strengths and
limitations
Check non-cognitive factors (motivation, health, testing
conditions, etc)
Look at the macro-profile first, then the micro-profile
Look at accuracy scores first, without considering time
scores
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CoPS Report Interpretation
Accuracy Scores
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Threshold of Concern:
– Child scores below 20th centile
– Consider for intervention of some kind
– Appropriate for ‘Internal Support’
Threshold of Risk:
– Child scores below 5th centile
– Serious difficulty that necessitates intervention and a
differential approach to basis skills teaching
– Appropriate for ‘External Support’
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CoPS Report Interpretation
Other factors to consider
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The particular test
– Some CoPS tests (e.g. Races and Rhymes) were found to be
more highly predictive than others
– Do the results of other CoPS tests confirm or disconfirm an
individual test result?
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The age of the child
– Very young pupils may be immature and need time to adjust
to school
– Some CoPS Tests (e.g. Wock and Zoid’s Letters) are more
predictive with younger pupils than they are with older
pupils
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CoPS Report Interpretation
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Time scores
Look at accuracy scores without time scores first, and then
consider whether time scores may have distorted the
picture
Time scores are less important than accuracy scores, but
they still give useful indicators, e.g.
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Is the child generally fast, slow or average?
When an individual test is completed quickly but with low accuracy
this may be because:
• the child was rushing the test or not concentrating (in which case the
result may not be valid and so the test might be repeated), or:
• the items were too difficult for the child (in which case the result
would be valid) — this can be checked by examining the Data Pages for
that test.
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CoPS Report Interpretation
The macro-profile:
Visual vs. verbal strengths and weaknesses
1. Visual skills better than auditory/verbal skills
• risk of over-reliance on visual strategies in reading and
neglect of phonic strategies
• poor word attack
• often ‘slips through the net’
2. Auditory/verbal skills better than visual skills
• early difficulties with ‘look and say’
• slow, laborious reader
• problems with spelling
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CoPS Report Interpretation
The micro-profile (1):
Fundamental auditory-verbal skills
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All the following are critical for acquiring phonic skills and
processing text efficiently:
Poor auditory short-term (working) memory – look at
performance on Races and Zoid’s Letter Names
Poor phonological awareness (e.g. rhyming, alliteration,
segmentation) – look at performance on Rhymes
Difficulty in fluent verbal labelling, word finding or rapid
naming (lexical access problems) – look at performance on
Zoid’s Friends and Toybox
Poor auditory (phoneme) discrimination – look at
performance on Wock
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CoPS Report Interpretation
Interpreting the phonological tests
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Phoneme discrimination (Wock)
– Ability to discriminate fine differences between speech
sounds; critical for acquisition of phonics.
– May be due to temporary factors (colds, ear infections, etc.)
or non-temporary factors (glue ear, hearing impairment,
etc.).
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Phonological awareness (Rhymes)
– Children with poor phonological awareness have been
shown to be at high risk of literacy difficulties.
– May be due to cognitive factors or environmental factors
(e.g. dyslexia).
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CoPS Report Interpretation
The micro-profile (2):
Fundamental visual skills
1. Visual sequential memory
important for:
• ‘look and say’
• rapid word recognition
• spelling, especially of irregular words)
 look at performance on Rabbits, Zoid’s Friends, and Zoid’s Letters
2. Visual-verbal associative memory
important for:
• ‘look and say’
• phonics
 look at performance on Zoid’s Letter Names and Toybox
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CoPS Report Interpretation
The visual memory tests in CoPS
Associative Test
Sequential Tests
Zoid’s
Friends
Rabbits
Zoid’s Letters
Toybox
Spatial
Symbolic*
* should be compared with Zoid’s Letter Names
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“Verbally
encodable”
CoPS Report Interpretation
Colour discrimination (Clown)
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Where a child has a low performance on Toybox and
Zoid’s Friends, it is important to rule out colour
discrimination difficulties before assuming visual memory
problems.
The Clown test enables you to do this.
The Clown test can also be used as an ‘ice-breaker’.
Where colour discrimination difficulties are found then
these should first be discussed with the child’s parent(s)
and, if necessary, a recommendation given that the child
should be referred to a hospital eye clinic for full
assessment for colour blindness.
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CoPS Report Interpretation
Strategies for learning and teaching
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Cognitive training
– Some cognitive areas are particularly suitable for training,
e.g. phonological awareness and discrimination.
– Other cognitive areas may be harder to improve by training
(e.g. memory).
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Differentiated teaching
– Building on strengths, whilst avoid over-reliance on
strengths.
– Recognising that weaknesses may lead to gaps in the child’s
learning (e.g. weak phonological skills will lead to poor
phonics).
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CoPS Report Interpretation
Reading attainment
Likely impact of cognitive differences on
reading development
+
Visual memory poor; auditory memory good
Average
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Visual memory good; auditory memory poor
5-6 years
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7-8 years
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9-10 years
CoPS Report Interpretation
Solutions in the primary classroom
Consult the suggestions in the Teacher’s Manual
Differentiated worksheets and activities
Classroom support assistants
Computer-based learning (e.g. Wordshark3; Lexia)
Computer support (e.g. word processing; ClickerPlus)
Low-tech support (tape recording, etc
Collaborate with other teachers using CoPS, e.g. to discuss
and exchange profiles
• Interpreting CoPS profiles becomes easier with practice
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CoPS Report Interpretation
Whole-school approach
• Teacher awareness of dyslexic problems
• Dyslexia-friendly environment and approach:
– school (noticeboards, etc.)
– classrooms (Word Walls, etc.)
– schemes of work, text books, etc.
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Classroom assistants
Good use of ICT
Developing study and organisational skills
Enlisting parental support
‘Achieving Dyslexia Friendly Schools Information Pack’
www.bdadyslexia.org.uk
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