1. MERRELL, K.W., ERVIN, R. A., & PEACOCK, G. G. (2006). SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY FOR THE 21ST CENTURY: FOUNDATIONS AND PRACTICES. NEW YORK, NY: THE GUILFORD PRESS. Chapter 8: The School Psychologist’s Role In Assessment

2. Purposes of Assessments  Day-to-day data  Response to Intervention  Effectiveness of school/ education program  Formative in Nature  Psychoeducational Assessment  Disability Diagnosis  Placement Decisions  Snapshot in Nature Inside (Internal Use)Outside (Involves Everyone)

3. Standards in Assessment Use Test Construction, Evaluation, and Documentation Fairness in TestingTesting Applications ReliabilityEnglish Language LearnersAppropriate Diagnosis ValidityCultural IssuesUsed as intended Item AnalysisUse Multiple Data SourcesReasonable Interpretation Manual and Research DataNormative DataDSM-IV, IDEA, Texts

4. Say it again, Say it again!  “School psychologists must remember that just because an instrument has adequate psychometric properties, it is not necessarily valid for the purpose for which it is being used or the populations with which it is being used”

5. Intellectual Assessment  Issues of cultural fairness  What is this actually measuring?  General Factor  Multiple Factors  What else is it measuring? (estimates)  Ability to adjust or adapt to the environment  Ability to learn  Ability to perform abstract thinking.  What’s the use?  Does not help in actual treatment planning (ATI)  Not required legally for SLD dx

6. Academic Skills  CBM/CBA vs. Normative Testing  Comprehensive Tests vs. Specialized Tests  All areas  Reading  Writing  Oral Language  Math  Language of Administration?

7. CBA/ CBM  Descriptions  CBM is a type of CBA  Evaluate effects of instruction.  Can track change over time  Directly linked to instruction.  Examples  DIBELS  Bracken

8. Functional Assessment  Measures the following behavior  Identify and define the behavior problem.  Identify antecedent of the target behavior.  Identify the function of the behavior.  Identify possible replacement behaviors  Measures the following in academics:  The student does not want to do the work.  The student does not have the time to do the work.  The student has not had enough help to do the work.  The student has not had to do this in the past and is unfamiliar with expectations.  The work is too hard for the student

9. Social, Emotional, and Behavioral  Projective Test Concerns:  Reliability & Validity  Additional Data AND Rapport Builder  Observations  Structured  Unstructured  Anecdotal  Interviews  Structured  Unstructured  Rating Scales  Normative  Informational