Not the Test but the Test User and Test Taker

The theme I picked up from this week's readings was that although understanding the test, its background, validity and reliability are important, the way that the test user administers the test and the preparation and performance of the student are crucial to interpretation.  Once the test has been established, it depends on how it is administered and prepped to give the most accurate results of an individual.  Anastasi (1992) states "whether any tool is an instrument of good or harm depends on how the tool is used" (p.610).  This quote stuck with me because as a school counselor we can make the difference between a beneficial or unbeneficial assessment.  One of the main reasons that was touched on in the article was the need for humans to find shortcuts or quick solutions when doing something.  It has already been shown that school counselors have so many responsibilities and little time to do it in as well as having incredibly large caseloads.  Due to these unfortunate factors, school counselors look for ways to shorten the length of time needed for certain tasks.  It makes logical sense to me that testing would be the perfect example of an area someone may think they could cut their time down.  Having awareness about the characteristic to do this can prevent inaccurate results from being found.  Each assessment tool was created to be administered in a particular way to provide results that are the most valid and reliable.  When a test user changes those procedures, it interferes with previous validity and reliability results that have been determined. 

 

A second important point I took from the Anastasi (1992) article was that test scores show us how well an individual is performing at the time of the test but it does not tell us why they are performing as they do.  This seems to be another reoccurring theme throughout Appraisal.  From day one with working on the puzzle to the testing presentations we have been doing and our interpretation sessions, assessment tools only provide one piece to the puzzle.  Just looking at my session with my client, I learned a lot about her but with little to no context.  Without having those other pieces to the puzzle it is hard to say why she performed the way she did and what it could mean for her in the future.  This is something that we will always have to keep in mind as school counselors.  Using an assessment tool is an easier way to provide tangible "evidence" of something going on with a student but this does not always explain or diagnose the problem.  We need to ensure decisions are not being made just on what we find through one test. 

The section from our chapter reading that stuck with me the most was that on test preparation and performance.  This gave me a look into how school counselors could benefit students during assessment periods.  Providing students with the opportunity to better their readiness for an assessment in particular a state test or admissions test is extremely beneficial.  Assessments are not always providing a clear representation of a student but at times it is one of the limited ways a student is being assessed.  By coaching the students on the best ways to take these types of exams as well as using test-wiseness and lowering their test anxiety, students can do better to more accurately represent their knowledge and ability (Drummond and Jones, 2010).  I was definitely able to appreciate this week's readings and gain a lot of new insight for my future work with assessments and interpretation.

Anastasi, A. (1992). What counselors should know about the use and interpretation of psychological

tests. Journal of Counseling & Development, 70, 610-615.

 

Drummond, R. J. and Jones, K. (2010). Assessment procedures for counselors and

helping professionals. (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.