Educational Assessment Program
Educational Assessment at the Morgan Academic Center involves four distinct phases of assessment designed to progressively evaluate students’ academic strengths and weaknesses. The various assessment phases provide the Learning Services Team with information that identifies and explains students’ skills and abilities in different learning and academic areas:
Incoming Student Athlete Questionnaire: This questionnaire is completed by all incoming students including freshmen, transfers, and graduate student-athletes prior to their arrival at Penn State. The assessment provides students with an opportunity to self-disclose information about their educational, literacy, interpersonal, health, family and general history/skills.
Risk Assessment: Risk Assessment is defined as a systematic process to collect empirical data; proactive approach to identify academic risk level (low, moderate, high), strengths/areas for growth, and support/service planning; it is ongoing feedback driven to promote student learning and development; also used to identify any needs or changes throughout each term as SAs progress at Penn State.
Screening: Screening is a tool to investigate specific challenges the student-athlete is experiencing and whether they rise to the level of a possible underlying condition; process identifies specific challenges, level of impact, if there are valid signs/symptoms of a suspected disability or other potential explanations or causes for the difficulties; the outcome is typically a simple yes or no (if no, SA is provided with recommendations which may include monitoring or other campus/community referrals
Psychoeducational Evaluation: An evaluation, or “testing,” is the most comprehensive (followed by assessment and screening, respectively); terms often associated with evaluation include Neuropsychological, Psychoeducational, and Psychological yet they are not all interchangeable. A typical evaluation will look at cognitive ability (IQ), academic achievement (reading, writing, math), and other specific areas (e.g., memory, attention, processing, language, personality, etc.) to pinpoint exactly what is contributing to the SAs academic difficulties, if criteria is met for a diagnosis, and provides recommendations.
STUDENT DISABILITY RESOURCES & ACADEMIC ACCOMMODATIONS
Our team works collaboratively with the Penn State Educational Equity Office to assist student-athletes in discovering individualized reasonable accommodations for equal access and full participation in academic pursuits, as well as connect with on- and off-campus resources.
Student athletes may be referred for academic accommodations to address temporary or ongoing challenges that impact their ability to perform academically. This includes situations involving physical injury or surgery (e.g., concussion, orthopedic procedures), psychologically related absences or concerns (e.g., mental health challenges, crisis), and academic-related challenges.
To determine eligibility for academic accommodations, whether temporary or ongoing, the university requires appropriate documentation to verify that the accommodation is both reasonable and necessary. This documentation is essential for offices such as Student Disability Resources (SDR) and serves to guide the provision of support that aligns with the students’ needs.
Across all levels, the Morgan Academic Center staff play a central instructional role in designing curriculum, facilitating class sessions, monitoring progress, and integrating academic support services directly into the course experience. Understanding the connection to team schedules, NCAA requirements, and individualized student needs ensures that each course is relevant, accessible, and deeply supportive of student athlete success.