Last spring around this time, I was learning statistics in
PSYC 612. While initially nervous about
the math part, I found that it actually came easier than the concepts did. I enjoyed having formulas to plug numbers
into, but became frustrated when I forgot a step along the way and wound up
with the wrong answer. Most of our
discussion and use of statistics for that class seemed to revolve around
research and interpreting the results of research. Because research is not too high on my
priority scale or bucket list, I figured that I’d probably never have to
actually use statistics in my daily work.
After reading for the past couple of weeks, I’ve determined that I
thought wrong. As Drummond & Jones
(2010) state in the introduction to this week’s chapter, “Counselors are often
called upon to interpret the results of tests, rating scales, structured
interviews, and various other instruments used in the assessment process” (p.
63). Ekstrom (2004) found that of 161
school counselors surveyed, 29% were responsible for selecting tests, 63% for
administering tests, and 71% for interpreting tests. Unless another career change is in my near
future (and I sincerely hope that it is not) it looks like I most certainly
have not escaped the daily use of statistics.
However, Drummond & Jones’ explanations of the interpretations of
different types of assessment scores in this week’s reading made the concept of
using them quite a bit less overwhelming and scary.
A couple of new concepts for me included those of stanines
and sten scores. I had heard these words
dropped in other conversations (possibly in my statistics class last year), but
never really knew what they were.
According to Drummond & Jones, stanines are widely used in
education, so it’s probably a good thing that I finally know what they are (a
standard score that converts raw scores into values ranging from 1 to 9). Sten scores are similar, but range from 1 to
10 instead of 1 to 9. I was surprised to
learn that grade equivalents ARE NOT an estimate of the grade at which the
student should be placed. A better way
to understand grade equivalents is as a method of comparing the scores of
typical students at various grade levels on the same test. I found the example of Katy, a 5th-grade
student who received a grade equivalent of 7.4, to be very helpful in
understanding what grade equivalents do and do not tell the
interpreter(s). I also found Drummond & Jones’ explanations
of why it is better to choose to use either a criterion-referenced
interpretation OR a norm-referenced interpretation to be helpful.
References
Drummond, R.J.
& Jones, K. (2010). Assessment
procedures for counselors and helping professionals ( 7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
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