Week 3

I skipped ahead in my blog post last week, so I am now returning to comment on Elkstrom's article. Although it was a mistake, I am happy that I now have the benefit of our small group discussion to reference when describing the article because we had a number of interesting conversations last week. Although I knew that assessment is an important role for school counselors, I was surprised to read that among school administrators, teachers, and counselors surveyed, counselors were determined to have the strongest background in assessment; therefore having to serve in an advisory role for many staff members. This surprised because of the strong emphasis on the use of standardized tests in recent years which has forced teachers and administrators to focus on data and demonstrate student achievement in quantitative terms. I thought that teachers were required to have a number of classes in assessment, but one of my group members shared that this was not the case, so it would make sense then, that the school counselor would become the go-to person in the school. As I shared in class last week, I'm not yet comfortable with my assessment knowledge to be the "school expert," but I hope that I will feel much more capable by the completion of this course. The discussions we had surrounding ethics was also helpful as we determined that the school counselor is not alone in administering assessments and interpreting results, but should often defer to the school psychologist or even other school officials when appropriate. I think that I may often err on the side of being overly cautious when I first begin working in a school because of my concern at my own competence. I will have have to balance this sense of caution with my desire to help and be as effective as possible in my new role. If time is on my side, I don't see any problems with consulting others before making judgements that could potentially send a student down an entirely different academic or career path. If time is not on my side, then I will have to make the most ethical decision I would make (and the same one I would want a school staff member to make if they were working with my child). Ekstrom, R.B., Elmore, P.B., Schaefer, W.D., Trotter, T.V., & Webster, B. (2004). A survey of assessment and evaluation activities of school counselors. Professional School Counseling, 8 (1), 24-30.