the role of assessment

The differences between Achievement and Aptitude have always been something that has gotten mixed up in my head. I understand the differences but since there are places where they overlap I sometimes confuse them. I think that these chapters hit at a perfect time especially since some of the presentations deal with the differences. Achievement tests measure one’s current level of knowledge based on prior educational experiences (Drummond & Jones, 2010).  Aptitude tests, on the other hand, are utilized primarily for their predictive capabilities.  Aptitude is defined as “an innate (unlearned) or acquired ability to be good at something” (Drummond & Jones, p. 200).

As school counselors it will be important to know the differences in the types of tests we are using to evaluate our clients. I remember taking aptitude tests in high school and I was never where I thought I should be. Mostly because I struggle to prove my book smarts on normal tests. According to my school guidance counselor I was not college material. I was taking mostly AP classes and doing well in them but because I could not preform the way I should have been on the aptitude tests- she told me that I was going to be unsuccessful.

 Something our program strives to  do is to have us as future clients accurately assess all pieces of information instead of basing future decisions of clients abilities on one test. As "excellent future predictors" colleges often look not only at a student’s scores on aptitude tests, but also at high school GPA, which is calculated based on a student’s achievement record.  An interesting note that I found in relation to admissions tests is that they tend to underpredict the performance of women in college setting (Drummond & Jones).


Drummond, R.J. & Jones, K. (2010). Assessment procedures for counselors and helping professionals ( 7^th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

School Counselor's Role in Assessment

Something that I have struggled with in this class relates to what portions of assessment and interpretation we will actually be a part of in our job.  My previous knowledge as always been that school psychologists do the testing and school counselors meet with students about personal and academic issues.  It seemed clear to me that because school counselors were not getting intensive training on assessment procedures and school psychologists were that they would be the only ones doing so.  As we have been going through this class it is becoming clearer to me that the role of school counselors and school psychologists are not always specific and that these roles change according to where you work and with what age level you work. 

As I was reading this week's article, I started to think about the benefits of gaining more training in this field and its relevance to my future job.  Giordano and Schwiebert (1997) looks at school counselor's perceptions of the usefulness of assessment tools, their frequency within our job and how much training is necessary to be successful.  One important piece I picked up from this week's readings is that school counselors are a part of a multidisciplinary team working to benefit students and our role is to gather information from every source possible.  "The special challenge to school counselors is to gather the assessment information from all sources and to develop a treatment plan that is understandable and relevant to all members of the team, including parents and children" (Giordano & Schwiebert, p. 1, 1997).  I am discovering more and more that this is our role to put the puzzle together.  When it comes to assessment as well as other aspects of school, we need to pull as much as we can to see the full picture of the student.  This does not mean that we will be doing the testing all the time but it does mean we need to have a thorough understanding of what tests are used, how they are used and what the scores mean for our students.  Another important point I took from the article is that not only should we be educated on testing instruments currently in a graduate program but we need to consistently educate ourselves over time.  Giordano and Schwiebert (1997) pointed out that assessment tools are constantly being revised updated as well as new instruments being created for new issues that arise.  Professional development is important and assessment is one area that I will try to ensure I stay up to date with in my field.  The results of this study made it clear that many school counselors wished they had that further training and continued education in the area of assessment.  Being aware of this before I begin my career will be beneficial to my success and how I can benefit my students.

As I was reading Chapters 9 and 10, I was able to gain a better understanding of these two distinct areas of assessment, Achievement and Aptitude (Drummond & Jones, 2010).  I could see their relationships as well as their differences.  One aspect of Chapter 9 that I found to be extremely helpful was the case study done on James (Drummond & Jones, 2010).  This really gave me a fuller picture of what would be expected of us as school counselors when gathering data and using test results.  It also allowed me to see James as a holistic student and how different areas I may not have considered previously may be affecting his success in school.  Assessment clearly can benefit our students and it is our job to understand why.

Drummond, R. J. and Jones, K. (2010). Assessment procedures for counselors and helping professionals. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.
Giordano, F.G. & Schwiebert, V. L. (1997). School counselors’ perceptions of the usefulness of standardized tests, frequency of their use, and assessment training needs. School Counselor, 44(3), 1-9.

Chapters 9 & 10

Before taking this class, I don’t think I could have explained to you what the differences between intelligence, achievement, and aptitude tests were.  This week’s readings helped to make the distinction much clearer to me.  Achievement tests measure one’s current level of knowledge based on prior educational experiences (Drummond & Jones, 2010).  Most tests that teachers develop in order to check for comprehension of the material they are teaching would be considered achievement tests.  Also falling in this category would be the dreaded standardized state tests, such as the PSSAs and Keystone Exams.  One thing that I remembered from my SPED 600 class is that when considering students for special education services, one thing that the multidisciplinary team (MDT) will consider is the difference between intelligence and achievement scores.  If there is a large gap, (e.g. a student has a normal or relatively high IQ but low achievement test scores), a learning disability, such as a processing disorder, may be the culprit.  This is just one example of the many facets that make up the assessment process.

Aptitude tests, on the other hand, are utilized primarily for their predictive capabilities.  Aptitude is defined as “an innate (unlearned) or acquired ability to be good at something” (Drummond & Jones, p. 200).  Both multiple-aptitude test batteries and specialized aptitude tests are available.  These are often used in both educational and vocational programs.  Other aptitude tests include admissions and readiness tests, which all of us have had to take in order to be admitted into graduate studies.  While achievement tests are designed to measure what an individual knows or can do right now, “they can also be considered an excellent predictor of future performance in educational or vocational programs” (Drummond & Jones, p. 179).  For this reason, colleges often look not only at a student’s scores on aptitude tests, but also at high school GPA, which is calculated based on a student’s achievement record.  An interesting note that I found in relation to admissions tests is that they tend to underpredict the performance of women in college setting (Drummond & Jones).  I don’t have my college entrance test scores on-hand at the moment, but I can tell you that for the most part they were probably on the average to slightly above-average side of things.  However, I can tell you that my college grades up to this point have been very high, thus, I believe I can personally relate to admissions tests underpredicting my performance.  I am glad that when considering my application to the School Counseling program, more than my GRE scores were considered.  It seems that it would be very unfair to base someone’s admittance on how they happened to test on one day of the year.  However, when considered in tandem with undergraduate GPA, recommendations, and life/work experiences, a more holistic picture is provided and a more informed decision can be made.  This is why I often tell my students that how they perform in high school could have big impacts on their post-secondary plans.  Work ethic can play an even greater role than test scores.  This is something that I think I will continue to emphasize to students as a school counselor and as an assessment interpreter.

Reference

Drummond, R.J. & Jones, K. (2010). Assessment procedures for counselors and helping professionals ( 7^th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

 

Week 8: Achievement Tests

         The chapters on achievement and aptitude came in at the perfect time.  Starting next week, we will be administering the PSSA’s for the next two weeks.  Then, the following week, the fourth graders will be taking the science PSSA’s.  Even though these are not listed as achievement tests, I feel as though they are similar.  According to the chapter, the achievement assessments require the test takers to demonstrate their knowledge which focuses on the present of what the child is able to do right now.  However, these tests are found to also predict academic performance.  The students will be required to demonstrate their knowledge of what they have learned this past year and I have grown to have negative feelings towards these tests.  I understand and agree that we need to assess a students’ progress but at times it is overkill.  They are given four state tests throughout the year in addition to the PSSA.  There are times that we stop other valuable instruction in order to prepare them and teach to the test.  I remember that in elementary school we had reading, writing, math, science, and social studies.  Now, social studies have been cut and some grades must stop science due to needing time for preparation.  Even though there are positives, such as, establishing their academic level, monitoring achievement, and identifying their strengths and weaknesses, there is also a downside.  Another point of the chapter that I could relate to was when the criterion-referenced tests were discussed.  It stated that they could be used for the purpose of evaluating the curriculum, identify topics that should be remediated, and to document student mastery of objectives.  This reminded me of the high school in terms of the Keystone Assessments that will be first administered this coming year.  The high school is no longer administering the PSSA’s but substituting the Keystone.  The Keystone is an assessment that assesses the student on a particular content such as Algebra.  There is discussion that the students would not be able to move on unless they pass with proficiency; however, at this given time it is a gray area and nothing has been determined.    

            In regards to achievement test, I think it is great that it allows you to test across various content areas and what  I have learned not only from my chapter but the KTEA II in which I will be presenting you are able to administer only one subtest if needed.  These tests can be used as a great tool to determine ability.  However, I do not believe that it is the only factor that should be looked at.  Drummond and Jones brought up the SAT’s and it reminded me of the GRE’s.  I personally am not a good test taker and this hinders me in the way that I am capable of achieving great things.  Yet, if you would solely base my test scores in determining my ability to achieve you would think otherwise.  In conclusion, achievement and aptitude test can be valuable to counselors, school psychologists, and teachers but need to be given appropriately. 

 Drummond, R. J. and Jones, K. (2010). Assessment procedures for counselors and helping professionals. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.

Week 8

I appreciated the information presented in the article by Giordano, Schweibert, and Brotherton. Because of the sheer volume of tests available for use with children, it is helpful to know which ones have been rated by this sample of counselors as most useful. In practice, it may be helpful for me to specifically learn how to use the top six assessments cited in the article, including the WISC-R, BDI, the Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory, the Strong Interest Inventory, the MBTI, and the WAIS-R. In addition to learning about these assessments on my own, I anticipate that I will also acquire more information about these assessments in this course. The sentiments expressed by the counselors in this article seem to echo many of the same discussions that we’ve had in class so far. The study participants expressed a need for more training using specific assessment tools and interpreting instruments more generally. I’m also happy that the counselors recognized the importance of implementing a comprehensive testing program which uses a variety of tests, which could cover such diverse topics as intelligence and personality tests, career inventories, and substance abuse and depression assessments. In suggesting a range of instruments, the counselors “recognize that useful assessment information can reflect many aspects of the student and can come from different types of professionals” (Giordano, F.G., Schweibert, V.L., & Brotherton, W.D., 1997, p. 5). Drummond and Jones provide a useful example demonstrating the importance of using multiple sources of data when presenting the case study about a student named James in chapter nine. According to James’ results from the Stanford Achievement test, his strongest area of achievement is mathematics, as he scored high in comparison to other 5th graders on this portion of the exam. On the other hand, his scores on Listening, Total Reading, Language, Spelling, and Science are below average as compared to his peers. When his scores on this test are compared with his performance in class, administrators find that he is an average student in mathematics, but lacks behind in reading comprehension and has difficulty following directions. His problems in reading comprehension affect his performance in other areas as well, including science and social studies. When an additional piece of data is added into this overall picture, which includes James’ below average performance in vocabulary, listening comprehension and other areas of reading comprehension on a local minimum-skills level test, administrators can definitely confirm that James struggles in this area. Taking other contextual factors into consideration, such as fairly strong parental support and normal attendance, disciplinary, and homework completion records, indicates that James struggles in his reading aptitude. Because of this wide range of data pointing to a specific need, James is assigned to work in a specific learning disabilities resource room. This referral would not have been possible without incorporating the multiple sources of data described above. Drummond, R. J. & Jones, K. (2010). Assessment procedures for counselors and helping professionals. (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Giordano, F.G. & Schwiebert, V. L. (1997). School counselors’ perceptions of the usefulness of standardized tests, frequency of their use, and assessment training needs. School Counselor (44)3.

Week 8

            When reading the Giordano & Schwibert (1997) article, I realized that the findings of this report echo what I experience in the school setting: “School psychologists administer most of the standardized psychometric assessments used in school settings and school counselors primarily play a role in interpreting these assessments.”  However, to negate this statement, it is still the school psychologists who interpret, but school counselors do need to have the capability in understanding the assessment scores and their implications.

            Reading about achievement tests stirred up many thoughts and emotions for me, as I strongly feel that the emphasis on standardized testing in schools truly does a disservice to students and to the educational system as a whole. While in theory standardized achievement tests are used for such purposes as monitoring student achievement over time and identifying academic strengths and weaknesses, as stated in chapter 9 (Drummond & Jones, 2010), a major use of state-wide standardized tests is not listed: to determine funding for school districts.  There are so many factors that can determine “adequate” yearly progress for a particular student, and a standardized test is not a valid or reliable measurement to do so, in my opinion.  Penalizing schools who do not meet AYP does such a disservice to students who need resources the most. In addition, there are many factors that affect student achievement that schools have no control over, as stated on pages 193 & 194. Poor nutrition is one of these factors, and is an issue that I am very passionate about.   Even in school I see students making poor nutrition decisions. I despise seeing students eating nothing but refined sugars for lunch, especially those who have focus and attention issues.  It truly affects behavior and focus, and to this day I do not understand why schools offer these foods as an option.  Another major issue is parental involvement.  I have found that students have the most school success when parents are involved, value education, and hold their children accountable.  Often times students who do poorly in school and on standardized assessments do not have the parental involvement that more successful students have.  Of course there are exceptions, but it is such an underlying factor of student success. 

            When reading about aptitude tests, especially about the DAT for PCA, I was reminded of Joanna’s presentation last week.  While the test yields scores that assess aptitude in constructs that relate to various occupations, personality has a lot to do with career success.  For example, if a person has high verbal reasoning skills and becoming a manager of an establishment, yet has horrible interpersonal skills, perhaps specifically an ability to delegate, he or she may not be regarded as an effective manager.  I wonder, how many establishments use these multiple-aptitude batteries and specialized aptitude batteries as a way of determining whether or not to hire an applicant?  I found the BMCT test for mechanical ability fairly interesting, and so I asked my husband about whether or not he has had experience with it. My husband has almost always had mechanical and construction jobs, and currently has his own small plumbing and remodeling business.  Not only has he never taken such a test, but he has never heard of them.  Overall I find it very interesting that there are assessments that measure specialized aptitude.  I had no idea that such a wide range of tests was in existence.  I would imagine, as in the case of the artistic ability assessments, that the more abstract a construct is, the more difficult it is to create a valid assessment.

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

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

Giordano, F.G. & Schwiebert, V. L. (1997). School counselors’ perceptions of the 

usefulness of standardized tests, frequency of their use, and assessment training needs. School Counselor (44)3.

Blog #8

            I am always surprised to hear feedback from people who have been in the school counseling field and talk about how much of their time is spent doing everything but counseling children.  While I have grown to accept the reality of many of the tasks I may be asked to do as a school counselor, I still would like to be able to take everything that I have learned throughout grad school and apply it to my job.  I am attending graduate school, specifically Millersville, for a reason.  I wanted to be able to provide myself with a good quality education, while also developing a good framework of counseling experience. 

I do understand the importance of assessment and standardized testing.   Although, I still have my doubts about how highly we hold the results of some of the tests.  I also think that it is necessary for counselors to play some sort of role within the testing process.  However, I do feel that the main role of the counselor within a school should never be overlooked.  I had the opportunity to speak to a school psychologist that works at one of the local school districts, and she told me that in her school district, school counselors play a big role in assisting with the standardized testing process, but very rarely do anything with assessments.  The entire assessment process was the role of the school psychologist.

Again, this information was not surprising to me, but it still discouraged me a little to think that I may never be putting into practice the information and the tools that I am learning throughout this course.  I thought to myself, why do they make this assessment course a requirement when we may never even use it?  Honestly, I was kind of bummed out to hear that I may not even be involved with the assessment process, but after some reflection, I truly understand the point of this course and why it is required for us.  I may not directly work with assessments once I get into the field, but I am still going to have to understand how the process works.  There are several ways that I will be able to apply my basic knowledge of assessments in schools, even if it is simply assisting with the standardized testing process.  Another example of applying my knowledge about assessments would be the following.  If a student who just took an assessment test comes to me upset about the results, I will be able to empathize with them, and will also be able to educate them about the importance of not focusing on the results of one test.  Whatever the example may be, I have developed a greater appreciation for the reasons of why this course is required for us.

 

Drummond, R. J. and Jones, K. (2010). Assessment Procedures for Counselors and Helping Professionals. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.