Have you ever wondered why some learners seem to juggle school, friendships, and daily tasks with ease, while others struggle to stay organized, manage emotions, and see tasks through to completion?
These challenges are often connected to a set of mental skills known as executive functions.
One of the most reliable ways to gather information on executive functioning skills is through the use of standardized EF assessment tools, such as rating scales and performance tests.
These tools help families, teachers, and other professionals better understand how to support students’ success in and out of the classroom.
This article provides an overview of commonly used standardized tools for assessing executive functioning and explains how each one plays a crucial role in understanding a learner’s needs.
Introduction to Executive Functioning
Executive functioning refers to a set of high-level cognitive processes that enable individuals to plan, organize, and execute tasks effectively. These processes include working memory, verbal fluency, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility, among others. Executive functioning skills are essential for achieving goals, solving problems, and managing emotions. For children, these skills are critical for academic success, social relationships, and emotional regulation. Executive function skills develop over time and are influenced by various factors.
The development of executive functioning skills can be assessed through various executive function tests. For instance, the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning (BRIEF) provides insights into how a child manages emotions, behavior, and thinking skills in everyday life. Another example is the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), which evaluates a child’s ability to display cognitive flexibility and problem-solving skills. The WCST shows a similar consistency of validation as the BRIEF and has been used in various validation studies.
Understanding executive functioning is crucial for identifying strengths and weaknesses. By doing so, educators, parents, and professionals can develop strategies to improve cognitive skills and manage executive dysfunction. This comprehensive understanding helps in creating tailored support plans that enhance a child’s ability to navigate daily tasks and achieve their goals.
Review of Executive Functioning Skills
Executive functioning skills are the mental abilities we use to manage our thoughts, actions and emotions to reach our goals. Executive functioning skill development is crucial for managing thoughts, actions, and emotions to reach our goals. These executive skills include the ability to stay organized, follow directions, control impulses, and handle problems as they arise. Impulse control is one of the key executive skills that help learners wait their turn in class and manage their reactions to unexpected changes. Inhibitory control starts to develop in infancy and begins to decline in the 60s. When a learner uses strategies like using a checklist to pack their backpack, waiting their turn in class, or navigating an unexpected change during the day, they are using executive functioning skills. These skills are important for academic and social success. Some learners will need more support to develop and use these skills, just like others may need support to develop math or reading skills.
What does Standardized Mean?
A standardized test is a carefully designed tool used to measure a learner’s skills in a consistent way. These tests are given in the same way every time, with specific instructions, using the same materials, and in a quiet environment (p. 98). These tests are designed to measure specific skills accurately and consistently, ensuring their psychometric properties are robust. The tests require the examiner to follow a strict set of guidelines to ensure the results have the best chance of accurately assessing the learner’s skills. These tests are important because they result in norms, or comparison scores, which show how a child’s performance compares to others of the same age or grade.
Because professionals want the results of the assessment to be as accurate as possible, standardization helps ensure that the tests accurately measure the skills they aim to assess (validity) and yield consistent results over time (reliability).
Importance of Assessing Executive Functioning Skills
Rating scales and performance tests can help identify areas of strength and challenge in children and adults with ADHD, Autism, learning disabilities, genetic conditions, traumatic brain injuries, Alzheimer’s, and more. Understanding the impact executive function has on daily life is crucial for identifying how to best support individuals. Understanding every learner’s executive functioning needs is an important step in identifying how to best support them in the school, home, and community. Conditions such as ADHD and Autism can significantly affect executive functioning, highlighting the interplay between mental health and cognitive skills. Cultural and contextual differences significantly influence the assessment of executive function in children in low-and-middle-income countries. These assessments are used in both healthy and clinical populations to provide a comprehensive understanding of executive functioning across different groups.
Executive Dysfunction and Its Impact
Executive dysfunction refers to difficulties with executive functioning skills, such as planning, organization, and self-regulation. This dysfunction can significantly impact daily life, leading to challenges with time management, task initiation, and emotional control. In children, executive dysfunction can affect academic performance, social relationships, and emotional well-being.
The impact of executive dysfunction can be assessed through various executive function tests. For example, the Tower Test evaluates planning and problem-solving skills, while the Trail Making Test assesses cognitive flexibility and processing speed. Understanding the impact of executive dysfunction is crucial for developing strategies to support individuals with executive function deficits.
Research shows that executive dysfunction can be managed through various interventions, including cognitive training, behavioral therapy, and accommodations in school settings. By identifying strengths and weaknesses, and by developing strategies to support executive functioning, individuals with executive dysfunction can achieve their goals and improve their overall quality of life. This comprehensive approach ensures that they receive the necessary support to navigate their daily tasks effectively.
Assessment Process and Standardized Tools
The RIOT/ICEL Matrix is a helpful framework that school teams sometimes use during the assessment process to make sure they consider the full picture of a learner’s needs. The RIOT/ICEL Matrix helps in systematically collecting data to understand a learner’s needs comprehensively. RIOT is an acronym that stands for Review, Interview, Observe, and Test. These are four ways to gather information about a student’s learning and behavior. Whereas ICEL is an acronym that stands for Instruction, Curriculum, Environment, and Learner, which are different areas considered when trying to understand what might be impacting a student’s success.
Both rating scales and performance tests are formal tools that produce standardized scores based on a student’s performance. These tools also measure specific executive functions such as planning, organization, and self-regulation. These tools also measure the learner’s personal skills, not the quality of instruction, curriculum, or the environment. When referencing the RIOT/ICEL Matrix, the following tools would fall under the categories of “Test” (RIOT) and “Learner” (ICEL).
Executive Functioning Rating Scales
Executive functioning rating scales are tools used by individuals who know a learner well, such as parents and teachers, to help measure how a child utilizes their executive functioning skills in everyday life. These scales offer a quick and efficient way to gather a wealth of information on skills such as organization, planning, and self-control in various everyday tasks (e.g., school, home, or community). These scales help in understanding a child’s ability to utilize executive functioning skills in different settings. Once the learner is of a certain age, depending on the scale used, they can also report on their use of EF skills.
Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Second Edition (BRIEF-2)
The BRIEF-2 was created by Gerard A. Gioia, Peter K. Isquith, Steven C. Guy, and Lauren Kenworthy and published in 2015. It is a questionnaire designed to look at how a child manages emotions, behavior, and thinking skills in everyday life. The BRIEF-2 takes approximately 10 minutes to complete and includes forms for parents and teachers to fill out for learners aged 5-18 years old, as well as self-report forms for learners aged 11-18 years old. Upon completing the scale, three index scores are provided, including behavioral, emotional, and cognitive executive functioning. These indices are composed of skills assessing areas including Inhibit, Self-Monitor, Shift, Emotional Control, Initiate, Working Memory, Plan/Organize, Task-Monitor, and Organization of Materials.
Brown Executive Function/Attention Scales (Brown EF/A Scales)
The Brown EF/A Scales were created by Dr. Thomas E. Brown, and the most updated version was published in 2018. This scale assesses attention and executive functioning skills in children, teens, and adults, beginning at age 3. The scale is based on Dr. Thomas Brown’s six-cluster model of executive functions, including activation, focus, effort, emotion, memory, and action. This scale also evaluates the severity of specific behaviors, rather than the frequency with which they occur. This scale takes about 10-15 minutes to complete, and forms are available for all age groups.
Comprehensive Executive Function Inventory (CEFI)
The CEFI was created by Jack A. Naglieri, Ph.D., and Sam Goldstein, Ph.D, and published in 2013. It is used to measure EF skills in children and teens aged 5 to 18 years old. There is also a self-report version for learners between 12 and 18 years old. The CEFI assesses nine areas of executive function (EF), including attention, inhibitory control, planning, emotion regulation, initiation, self-monitoring, flexibility, organization, and working memory (p.3). Standard scores are provided in every area, along with an overall full-scale executive functioning score. The skills assessed do not follow a narrow model of executive functioning (EF) skills, but rather broadly assess various thinking and behavioral skills consistent with executive functioning (p. 2).
Other Broad-Band Rating Scales
Broad-band rating scales are those that assess a variety of social, emotional, and behavioral skills, other than executive functioning. Many of these scales are given to better pinpoint what narrow-band scales should be administered to gather more specific information on areas to support. Some examples of broadband rating scales include the Behavior Assessment System for Children-3 (BASC-3) or the Conners Comprehensive Behavior Rating Scale.
Executive Functioning Performance Tests
Performance-based.,-Executive%20function%20rating) executive function tasks are tests conducted on paper or a computer that directly measure a learner’s ability to utilize specific skills, such as self-control or memory. One common test is the Digit Span, which assesses verbal working memory by requiring learners to repeat numbers in reverse order. These assessments are administered directly to a learner in a quiet, controlled environment with the intention of exploring a student’s EF skills in greater depth. In the Digit Span test, learners must repeat a sequence of numbers in reverse order, testing their working memory. Another test, the Spatial Span, evaluates visual working memory by having learners recall the order of blocks touched by the examiner.
Because these assessments are conducted in a controlled setting, they may not always accurately reflect how a student demonstrates EF skills in a natural classroom setting.
| D-KEFS | EFT-E : NU | NEPSY-II | WCST | TEA-Ch2 / TEA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Developer | Delis, Kaplan, Kramer | Bowers & Huisingh | Korkman et al. | Grant & Berg; Heaton manual | Manly, Anderson, Robertson et al. |
| Year Published | 2001 | 2017 update | 2007 | 1948 / 1993 | 2016 / 1994 |
| Age Range | 8–89 | 7–12 | 3–16 | 6½–89 | 5–15 / 18–80 |
| Administration & Time | 9 subtests (pick by need); up to 90 min | 4 verbal tasks; ~60 min | Select subtests; 45-90 min | Card sort (64/128 cards); 20-30 min | Game-style tasks; 45-55 min (child) / 60 min (adult) |
| Main EF Domains | Set-shifting, inhibition, planning, fluency, reasoning | Verbal WM, mental flexibility, inference, prediction | Attention, inhibition, planning, fluency, flexibility | Cognitive flexibility, concept formation, problem-solving, perseveration | Selective, sustained, divided attention; switching |
| Price* | Kit ≈ $1,100 | Kit $252 | Kit ≈ $1,300 | Kit ≈ $540 | Child kit ≈ $500; adult ≈ $559 |
| Reliability / Validity | Good (.70–.85); norms > 1,500; flags EF disorders | Strong (α >.90); norms 647; accurately identifies deficits | Stable; norms 1,200; widely validated in clinics | High scorer agreement; norms ≈ 900; sensitive to frontal EF issues | Reliable; UK norms; separates ADHD, stroke, TBI |
| Practical Notes | Comprehensive battery; rich error analysis; time-intensive | Elementary-focused, language-rich; useful for IEP goals | Whole-child neuro profile; flexible subtest pick | Classic flexibility test; quick; abstract task less classroom-like | Ecological, engaging; alt forms allow retest; UK norms may need local comparison |
*Approx. U.S. list pricing, Apr 27 2025.
Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS)
The D-KEFS was created by Dean Delis, Edith Kaplan and Joel Kramer and published in 2001. It measures various executive functioning skills in children and adults aged 8 to 89. The assessment evaluates various verbal and nonverbal executive functioning skills. Instead of providing an overall EF score, it employs a “cognitive process approach,” which involves breaking down the skills into smaller components that can be examined more closely to better understand the learner’s areas of strength and challenge.
Executive Functions Tests – Elementary: Normative Update (EFT-E: NU)
The EFT-E: NU was created by Linda Bowers and Rosemary Huisingh and the updated version was published in 2017. This assessment is a direct assessment that can be administered to learners between the ages of 7 and 12. This test assesses language-based executive functions in four subtests including Attention and Immediate Memory: Auditory/Visual, Working Memory and Flexible Thinking/Shifting. The results also include an overall executive functioning index score.
NEPSY-Second Edition (NEPSY-II)
The NEPSY-II was created by Marit Korkman, Ursula Kirk, and Sally Kemp and published in 2007. The NEPSY-II includes 32 different subtests and four delayed tasks to assess six different areas of thinking and learning, including Attention and Executive Functioning, Language, Memory and Learning, Social Perception, Sensorimotor Skills, and Visuospatial Processing (p. 2). The skills assessed as part of this battery go beyond executive functioning. Depending on the concern for the learner, parts of the NEPSY-II are completed that align with the referral question(s).
Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST)
The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), developed by David Grant and Esta Berg, assesses cognitive flexibility, problem-solving abilities, and the capacity to adapt based on feedback. In this task, learners sort cards according to changing rules, which they must identify based on examiner feedback. The WCST typically takes around 20 minutes and is appropriate for ages 6½ to 89. The test is particularly useful for evaluating frontal-lobe-related skills, including cognitive flexibility and the tendency toward perseverative (repetitive) errors. Although it provides valuable insights into cognitive flexibility, it’s important to interpret the abstract card-sorting performance alongside other measures and observations, since the WCST tasks may not directly resemble everyday classroom situations.
Test of Everyday Attention for Children-Second Edition (TEA-Ch2) & The Test of Everyday Attention (TEA)
The TEA-Ch2 was created by Tom Manly, Vicki Anderson, John Crawford, Melanie George, and Ian H. Robertson and published in 2016. It is an assessment designed to measure different parts of a child’s attention. It is used with learners aged 5 to 15 years. It assesses three different domains, including selective attention, sustained attention, and switching attention (p. 2). This allows professionals to better understand how the learner focuses on important information while ignoring distractions, stays focused over time, and moves attention from one task to another.
The TEA was created by Ian Nimmo-Smith, PhD, Valerie Ridgeway, PhD, Ian H. Robertson, PhD, Tony Ward, Ph.D, and published in 1994. It measures the same skills as the TEA-Ch2, but is used for older learners who are between the ages of 18 and 80.
Additional Considerations
Standardized tools, such as rating scales and performance tests, are helpful for understanding a person’s strengths and needs. Other factors such as stress, sleep, and socio-cultural influences can also impact executive function and should be considered during assessments. Stress, loneliness, lack of sleep, and lack of exercise can negatively influence executive function. They are only one part of a full evaluation. Evaluations utilize various sources of information (e.g., interviews, observations) to gain a comprehensive understanding of the learner and their needs. When all this information is assembled, it provides a clear and comprehensive picture to help inform parents, teachers, and other professionals. This information can then be used to inform decision-making and planning for home, school, or community support.
Additional Resources
Life Skills Advocate has a free executive functioning assessment, which is a helpful tool that school staff can use to track a student’s progress on executive functioning goals over time. Tools that support self-awareness are essential for individuals seeking to enhance their executive functioning skills. While this rating scale isn’t as heavily researched or nationally “normed” as some formal tests, it still gives teachers and support staff a simple way to monitor important everyday skills like organization, self-control, and time management. This can be especially useful for measuring growth and adjusting support for students working on executive functioning challenges at school.
Further Reading
- American Institutes for Research (2023) – RIOT and ICEL Matrix
- American Psychological Association (2025) – Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System
- Committee on Psychological Testing, Including Validity Testing, for Social Security Administration Disability Determinations; Board on the Health of Select Populations; Institute of Medicine (2015) – Psychological Testing in the Service of Disability Determination
- Life Skills Advocate (2022) – What is Executive Functioning?
- Multi-Health Systems (2022) – CEFI Brochure
- Multi-Health Systems (2024) – Choosing the right tools: Broadband vs. Narrowband Assessments
- PAR (2025) – Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function®, Second Edition
- Pearson (2019) – The Basics of Brown EF/A Scales
- Pearson (2018) – Test of Everyday Attention for Children, Second Edition Technical Report
- Slosson Educational Publications (n.d.) – Executive Functions Test – Elementary (EFT-E : NU)
- Soto, Kofler, Singh, Wells, Irwin, Groves, & Miller (2020) – Executive functioning rating scales: Ecologically valid or construct invalid?
- The Psychological Corporation (2007) – Chapter 2 – Design and Purpose of the NEPSY-II