Choosing a test type and level

The full version of CoPS consists of all 9 subtests. 

It is possible to administer a shorter version, Quick CoPS, if teachers feel that it might be more time appropriate. 

Full Version of CoPS

For the full version of CoPS, all nine subtests will need to be completed.

Order in which the subtests are administered

The order in which CoPS subtests are attempted is not particularly important. As teachers become more experienced with CoPS, they will find that they develop their own views about which subtests are most useful to begin with. However, it is generally not recommended that Rabbits be given as the first subtest (especially with younger students) because of the high demands which that subtest places on visual scanning, concentration and attention.

The subtests also do not need to be administered in one session or sitting. Please see 'Timing of the session/s' in When to test with CoPS for more information on this.

Quick CoPS

There is the possibility of administering a shorter form of CoPS. If teachers feel that there is insufficient time available to administer all of the CoPS subtests, a shorter testing procedure known as Quick CoPS may be adopted. In this procedure only four of the nine subtests are used, and the assessment will usually be completed in less than 30 minutes overall. This will provide a less comprehensive picture of a student’s abilities, but is a satisfactory solution when circumstances prevent using all nine subtests.

Electing to use Quick CoPS will require the teacher to make decisions about which four subtests to use. This will differ according to:

• the age of the student (to the nearest month)
• the nature of the student’s difficulties (if known) and any other information about the student which the teacher possesses

For comprehensive advice on selecting subtests and for further procedural information about administering Quick CoPS and examples please see the ‘Quick CoPS’ section in the User Manual available here.

CoPS has been standardised for use with students from 4 years 0 months to 7 years 11 months. It is one digital assessment for all children within that age range, however most of the subtests are adaptive and will adjust in difficulty based on students’ performance through the test and in the practice questions. Most of the subtests contain a variety of different difficulty levels, making them accessible to children in this age range with varying levels of ability.