With the eventual publication in 12 languages and an anticipated international norm group of more than 20,000 children and young people, this is a publishing feat never accomplished before. And with over 500 Hogrefe employees working as part of the IDS-2 development team, it was clear from the beginning that collaboration was going to be key. 

Ingrid Stucki, Head of Publishing for Hogrefe Switzerland – the first region to publish the IDS-2 after having published the original version years earlier – describes what the early development process was like:

“The development took a long time as it was obviously very time consuming to develop all the new items needed and to standardise such a complex test in a representative way. We had already considered during development that the test would be adapted later in different countries. So, we needed to find items that worked in different cultures without too many problems,” Ingrid explains. “It was a great opportunity for us to include feedback from all over Europe in the development of the test.”

Hogrefe in the Netherlands also successfully deployed the IDS-2 in 2018, and now has hundreds of active and engaged users and regular dedicated training courses. And yet its success there was never a guarantee, as Simon Nak, Publishing Manager of the Dutch team explains:

“The IDS-2 was the first big test with a completely unknown name that we launched here. Because of that it took more work to inform people about it, but in doing so it also showed people Hogrefe really had something good and new to offer.” 

Reflecting on the impact the IDS-2 has had on the Hogrefe brand in the Netherlands, Simon says, “I think it helped give Hogrefe a clearer profile in the Netherlands, as a publisher with relevant, new instruments and scientific credibility in our field.”

This credibility stems from Hogrefe’s intrinsic belief that the science behind a test is paramount. If a test does not have a strong scientific basis, then it has no place on our test shelves. As Ingrid explains, “the IDS-2 project was only possible because we are experts in psychology and psychological test development.”

Christina Kowalczyk, Director of Assessment in the U.S. team, which is currently collecting data on the IDS-2, knows this well, noting that there is so much that goes into bringing a Hogrefe test to the market.

“The IDS-2 exemplifies Hogrefe’s “More than a Publisher” mantra with who we are, what we do, and how we do it. Hogrefe’s staff includes seasoned psychologists, researchers, and educators. The U.S. staff alone has more than 30 years’ experience in assessment development, research, marketing, publishing, test administration, and teaching.”

And working with external specialists has been critical to the process too. 

“We consulted with several experts in the fields of cognitive testing, social-emotional development, literacy, and U.S. curriculum to be sure the IDS-2 meets current market trends.’ She adds that the IDS-2 adaptation process has been a “wonderful learning experience.”

And it is wonderful to know that the IDS-2 will have a long legacy beyond its day-to-day applications. Stemming from the extensive standardisation work, the IDS-2 has already generated an impressive repository of data for IDS-2 researchers to use as they study the cognitive and developmental patterns of children and adolescents around the world. This expanding database will help support research endeavours for years to come, having already generated a wealth of academic publications.

As we reflect on the Hogrefe Group’s milestone 75 years and celebrate our accomplishments we recognise that we would not have reached this landmark or had the opportunity to embark on a project like the IDS-2 without the relationships we have formed along the way and the links we have fostered together. 

And as we look to the future, we remain committed to providing scientific solutions that empower practitioners and advance the field of child development and its research – making us not just a publisher, but an ally in the journey towards better outcomes for children across the globe. We hope that you see us as ‘more than a publisher’ too.

Assessing the ‘whole child’ across 30 subtests and six domains in ages 5 to 20 years, the IDS-2’s unparalleled structure and wide age range make it the most comprehensive diagnostic assessment available, allowing detailed analysis like never before. No longer must the test user switch between multiple measures and separate norm groups – the IDS-2 gives a complete picture of the child’s strengths and developmental challenges, providing meaningful results for targeted intervention. Find out more here.