The KABC-II is the cognitive test a school psychologist reaches for when the child in front of them speaks Spanish at home, has a language disorder, or comes from a background where a vocabulary test would measure exposure rather than ability. Its unusual feature, a choice of theoretical model before testing begins, is also the feature parents are least often told about. Pearson's page and flyer are the source for everything below.
Download the KABC-II sheet (PDF) (the two models compared, the five scales with their subtests, the global indexes with percentiles and the questions to ask the examiner; two pages, free).
What it is
| KABC-II NU | |
|---|---|
| Authors, publisher | Alan S. Kaufman and Nadeen L. Kaufman; Pearson |
| Year | KABC-II 2004; Normative Update March 2018 |
| Ages | 3:0 to 18:11, one test from preschool to high school |
| Given by | Qualification level C (a psychologist or equivalently trained examiner), one-to-one, paper and easel |
| Time | Core battery: 25 to 55 or 60 minutes (Luria model), 30 or 35 to 70 or 75 minutes (CHC model), by age |
| Norms | 2018 update: 700 children and adolescents aged 3:0 to 18:11 matched to the US population on gender, race and ethnicity, parent education and region |
| Scores | Age-based standard scores (mean 100, SD 15) for the global indexes and scales; scaled scores (mean 10, SD 3) for subtests; percentile ranks; age equivalents |
| Linked to | The KTEA-3 for ability-achievement comparison |
The two models
The examiner decides, before the first subtest, which theory the battery will follow, and the decision changes what is given and what the headline number is.
| Luria model | Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) model | |
|---|---|---|
| Global score | Mental Processing Index (MPI) | Fluid-Crystallized Index (FCI) |
| Scales | Sequential, Simultaneous, Learning, Planning (age 7 and up) | The same four plus Knowledge |
| Acquired knowledge | Left out: no vocabulary or general-information subtests count toward the global score | Included |
| Chosen when | Language, hearing, schooling or culture would make vocabulary an unfair measure of ability: bilingual and English-learner children, language disorders, limited schooling, some autism evaluations | The default for a child with typical language and schooling, and when a full CHC profile is wanted to compare with other tests |
Pearson's page states the choice plainly: the Knowledge/Crystallized Ability subtests must be given in English, with correct answers in other languages credited (and Spanish responses printed on the record form), and the Luria model exists so that the global score need not depend on them at all.
The five scales and their subtests
| Scale (CHC name) | What it measures | Subtests |
|---|---|---|
| Sequential / Gsm | Short-term memory: holding and repeating a sequence | Number Recall, Word Order, Hand Movements |
| Simultaneous / Gv | Visual processing: seeing the whole from the parts | Triangles, Rover, Block Counting, Gestalt Closure, Conceptual Thinking, Face Recognition |
| Learning / Glr | Learning and retrieving new associations | Atlantis, Rebus, and their Delayed Recall versions |
| Planning / Gf | Fluid reasoning (ages 7 and up) | Pattern Reasoning, Story Completion |
| Knowledge / Gc | Crystallized knowledge and vocabulary (CHC model only) | Riddles, Expressive Vocabulary, Verbal Knowledge |
A few in plain words. Atlantis teaches the child made-up names for fish, plants and shells and then asks for them (learning); Rebus teaches words as pictures and has the child read sentences of them. Triangles is building a pictured design from foam triangles; Rover is finding the shortest path for a dog across a grid; Block Counting is counting blocks in a picture where some are hidden. Number Recall and Word Order are repeating sequences; Hand Movements is copying a sequence of hand positions. Pattern Reasoning and Story Completion are the reasoning tasks: complete the pattern, and choose the pictures that complete a story in order. Riddles, Expressive Vocabulary and Verbal Knowledge are the knowledge tasks the Luria model leaves out. The Nonverbal Index (NVI) is built from subtests that can be given with gestures and answered without speech, for a child who is deaf, non-speaking or new to English.
The scores
| Score | About the percentile |
|---|---|
| 70 | 2nd |
| 80 | 9th |
| 85 | 16th |
| 90 | 25th |
| 100 | 50th |
| 110 | 75th |
| 115 | 84th |
| 120 | 91st |
| 130 | 98th |
| 140 | 99.6th |
The report gives the global index (MPI or FCI, and the NVI if computed), the scale indexes with confidence intervals and percentiles, the subtest scaled scores, and the comparisons the examiner ran: which scales are personal strengths or weaknesses against the child's own average, and which are strengths or weaknesses against the norm. Pearson's flyer also points to the qualitative indicators recorded on each subtest, the facilitators and inhibitors (attention, anxiety, impulsivity, perseveration, and so on), which are the examiner's notes on how the child worked and are often the most useful lines for a teacher.
Why it is used, and what to ask
Pearson's own claims for the test are a dual theoretical base, small score differences between ethnic groups, Spanish responses credited, and tasks children enjoy (manipulatives and colourful materials). Independent reviewers broadly accept the first and last; the fairness claim is why districts with many English learners and children from diverse backgrounds choose it. For a parent, the questions are: which model was used and why; whether the Nonverbal Index was computed; what the scale pattern was (a child with Sequential far below Simultaneous has a working-memory-shaped difficulty, which changes how instructions should be given); and whether the KTEA-3 was given alongside, since the two were normed to be compared.
For the achievement side of such an evaluation see the KTEA-3; for the twenty-minute screen that often precedes it, the KBIT-2; for what an IQ test measures and shows, the IQ test page.
Download the KABC-II sheet (PDF) (the models, the scales, the indexes and the questions; two pages, free).
Where to get help
A 1-on-1 online class with a tutor who holds a master's degree and teaches the US curriculum from Grade 1 number work to AP Calculus, chemistry and physics, at 7 am before school, after 4 pm and on weekend mornings, US time, for US$10 to $13 an hour: the evaluation report read together in the free 30-minute first class, the subtest or cluster the score is really pointing at found, and the term spent on exactly that skill, with the method written out the way the school marks it. How online tutoring from India to the USA works, or the 1-on-1 online tutoring page.
Sources: Pearson, Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition Normative Update, product page (KABC-II 2004, NU March 2018; age-based standard scores, age equivalents and percentile ranks; completion 25 to 55 minutes Luria and 35 to 70 minutes CHC; the scales Simultaneous/Gv, Sequential/Gsm, Planning/Gf, Learning/Glr and Knowledge/Gc in the CHC model only; the dual model; the normative sample of 700 aged 3:0 to 18:11; Knowledge subtests in English with other-language responses credited); Pearson, KABC-II NU flyer (2022): qualification level C, ages 3 to 18, 25 to 60 and 30 to 75 minutes, the Luria and CHC foundation, facilitators and inhibitors, the link to the KTEA-3; Pearson, KBIT-2 Revised and KABC-II NU technical report (the FCI and MPI and the subtest names used in the substitution studies). Percentiles are the normal-curve reading of the scale. Fetched 9 November 2026.
Questions parents ask
1What is the KABC-II test?
2What is the difference between the Luria and CHC models on the KABC-II?
3What are the KABC-II scales?
4What is a good KABC-II score?
5What changed in the 2018 KABC-II NU?
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