Test Administrator Requirements

Transcription

1 CELF 4 CTOPP Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals, Fourth Edition Comprehensive Phonological Processing The CELF 4, like its predecessors, is an individually administered clinical tool for the identification, diagnosis, and follow up evaluation of language and communication disorders in students 5 21 years old. The test can be administered by speech language pathologists, school psychologists, special educators, and diagnosticians who have been trained and are experienced in administration and interpretation of individually administered, standardized tests. "Examiners who give and interpret the CTOPP should have extensive formal training in assessment. This training should result in a thorough understanding of test statistics; general procedures governing test administration, scoring, and interpretation; and specific information about phonological ability testing. Supervised practice in administering and interpreting phonological ability testing is also desirable. This special training can be obtained from numerous sources. Most often, the training can be acquired by enrolling in college courses devoted to assessment. Such courses frequently are found in departments of school psychology, general and special education, speech pathology, reading, and counseling, among others. Workshops sponsored by local school agencies or private consultants are other sources of training. Examiners with such experience should have little difficulty in mastering the procedures necessary to give, score, and interpret the CTOPP properly." GORT 5 ITPA 3 Gray Oral Reading Tests, Fifth Edition Illinois Psycholinguistic Abilities "Examiners who administer and interpret the GORT 5 should have some formal training in assessment. This training should result in a basic understanding of testing statistics; general procedures governing test administration, scoring, and interpretation; and specific information about reading evaluation. Supervised practice in using reading tests is also desirable. Qualified examiners include teachers, school psychologists, and diagnosticians. Examiners with these backgrounds and experience should have little difficulty in mastering the procedures necessary to properly administer and score the GORT 5." "Examiners who give and interpret the ITPA 3 should have extensive formal training in assessment. This training should have a basic understanding of test statistics; general procedures governing test administration, scoring, and interpretation; and specific information about the evaluation of cognitive and linguistic abilities. Supervised practice in using mental ability tests is also desirable. This special training can be obtained from numerous sources. Most often, the training can be acquired by enrolling in college courses devoted to assessment. Such courses frequently are found in departments of school psychology, special education, speech pathology, reading, and counseling, among others. Workshops sponsored by local school agencies or private consultants are other sources of training. Examiners with such experience should have little difficulty in mastering the procedures necessary to give, score, and interpret the ITPA 3 properly." 1

2 Examiners with backgrounds in the fields of psychology or education who have completed graduate level training in measurement, guidance, or individual psychological assessment may administer, score, and interpret the KTEA II Comprehensive. Qualified examiners include, but are not limited to school or clinical psychologists, qualified special education teachers, educational diagnosticians, reading specialists, counselors, and others within these and related fields. KTEA II TAPS TOWRE Kaufman Educational Achievement, Second Edition Auditory Processing Skills, Third Edition Word Reading Efficiency Qualified examiners have training in and understanding of the principles of test administration, including establishing and maintaining rapport, following standardized testing procedures, and statistical concepts related to scoring and interpreting test results. In addition, examiners should have experience testing students of the ages, linguistic, or cultural backgrounds, or educational or disability status that they will test with the KTEA II Comprehensive. Competent interpretation requires an understanding of errors of measurement, confidence intervals, the meaning of derived scores, the use of statistical procedures to determine strengths and weaknesses, and the educational implications of patterns of errors in different content areas. KTEA II Comprehensive results should always be interpreted in the context of other test results, assessment procedures, and background information, by a professional trained in both psychology and education. "The TAPS 3 is intended to be used by teachers, resource specialists, speech/language pathologists, audiologists, school psychologists, counselors, learning specialists and others involved in a child's educational evaluation and planning. Prior to administration of the test, the examiner should become thoroughly familiar with the administration and scoring procedures presented in this manual and should conduct several trial administrations. Interpretation of the test results must be conducted by individuals who have formal training in psychometrics and who have full knowledge of the use of derived scores and the limitations of test results." The TOWRE can be given by anyone who can read and understand the test manual and has knowledge of standard assessment procedures. This includes, but is not limited to, teachers, instructional aides, school psychologists, speech pathologists, and school counselors. Knowledge of pronunciation convention in English is also required for proper scoring of the Phonemic Decoding Efficiency subtest. Before actually administering the TOWRE, examiners should consult local school policies, state regulations, and position statements of their respective professional organizations regarding test administration, interpretation, and issues of confidentiality. This is especially important when the purpose of the testing is to diagnose handicapping conditions and to qualify individuals for special programs. 2

3 TPAS Phonological Awareness in Spanish "Examiners who give and interpret the TPAS must be fluent Spanish speakers and have some formal training in assessment. This training should result in a basic understanding of testing statistics; general procedures governing test administration, scoring, and interpretation; and specific information about mental ability evaluation. Supervised Practice in using academic ability tests is desirable. This specialized training can be obtained from numerous sources. Most often, the training can be acquired by enrolling in college courses devoted to assessment. Such courses frequently are found in departments of school psychology, special education, speech pathology, reading, and counseling, among others. Workshops sponsored by local school agencies or private consultants are other sources of training. Examiners with such experience should have little difficulty in mastering the procedures necessary to give, score, and interpret the TPAS properly. Before giving the TPAS, examiners should consult local school policies, state regulations, and position statements of their respective professional organizations regarding test administration, interpretation, and issues of confidentiality. This is especially the case when the purpose of the testing is to diagnose disabilities and to qualify individuals for special programs. TOPA Phonological Awareness The entire test is to be given in Spanish. Because educational agencies may not have trained assessment personnel who are fluent in Spanish, they may wish to employ personnel (paraprofessionals, aides, etc.) who lack extensive training experience but are fluent speakers of the Spanish dialect of the child. In these cases, the person chosen to administer the TPAS should receive specific instruction and training in administering the test and should work under the direct supervision of someone with the appropriate background, training, and expertise." Although the TOPA is designed to be administered and scored easily, professionals who give and score the test are assumed to have (a) a background in educational assessment and (b) speech that is sufficiently clear for administering the test. An adequate background in testing is usually obtained from any one of numerous sources. Most often, training can be acquired through college courses devoted to assessment. Such courses frequently are found in departments of school psychology, elementary or secondary education, reading, and so on. Workshops sponsored by local agencies or private consultants are other sources of training. Examiners with such experience should have little trouble in mastering the procedures necessary to give and score the TOPA properly. Because the TOPA is a test of receptive phonology, examiners must speak clearly and be easily understood. Those who have articulation deficits or who speak in a dialect different from that of the students should not administer the test. 3

4 The examiner can assure a reliable administration of the test be adhering to several simple rules: 1. Become thoroughly familiar with the contents of the Examiner s Manual. 2. Practice administering the test to an individual student no fewer than three times. TWS 4 WJ III COG WRMT R NU Written Spelling Woodcock Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Abilities Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests Revised Normative Update The examiner should always adhere to the following guidelines when sharing TWS 4 findings: 1. A thorough understanding of the rationale, purposes, content, and construction of the TWS 4 is necessary prior to any presentation. The TWS 4 Examiner s manual should be made available when results are presented to those persons unfamiliar with the test. In particular, the first two chapters deserve careful review and consideration. Additionally, data concerning the reliability and validity of the test should be reviewed by all who intend to use the test findings. 2. When test scores are reported, they should always be accompanied by a personal interpretation from the examiner regarding their meaning, along with possible alternative interpretations, reports of other evaluative workups and their relation (if any) to the TWS 4, suggestions for instructional changes if necessary, and recommendations for intervention programs that may be appropriate. (Same as WJ III ACH with exception to wording of second paragraph highlighted below.) Competent interpretation of the WJ III COG requires a higher degree of knowledge and experience than is required for administering and scoring the tests. Graduate level training in cognitive ability assessment and a background in diagnostic decision making are requisite. Only trained and knowledgeable professionals who are sensitive to the conditions that may compromise, or even invalidate, standardized test results should make interpretations and decision. The level of formal education recommended to interpret the WJ II ACH is typically documented by successful completion of an applicable graduate level program of study that includes, at a minimum, a practicum types course covering administration and interpretation of tests of cognitive abilities. In addition, many qualified examiners possess state, provincial, or professional certification, registration, or licensure in a field or profession that includes, as part of its formal training and code of ethics, the responsibility for rendering cognitive ability, learning disability, or information processing assessment and interpretation services. Proper administration and scoring of the WRMT R does not require formal training or an extensive background in test administration; the necessary procedures can be learned by a wide range of personnel. As with other diagnostic procedures, in the WRMT R the examiner needs a higher level of skill and greater sensitivity to the dynamics of the testing situation when working with subjects who have special problems, such as immaturity, hyperactivity, lack of motivation, or speech defects. A clear distinction also exists between the skills required to administer and score a test such as the WRMT R and those required to evaluate the test results in order to make placement decisions or program plans. 4

5 TOC Orthographic Competence "Professionals who give the TOC should be knowledgeable about testing, statistics, and general procedures governing test administration, scoring, and interpretation of scores. These individuals must follow policies regarding test administration, as well as standards of confidentiality. Prior to administering the TOC in a real situation, examiners should practice giving the test several times." Any person administering the WJ III ACH needs thorough knowledge of the exact administration and Scoring Procedures and an understanding of the importance of adhering to these standardized procedures. To become proficient in administering the WJ III ACH, examiners will need to study the administration and scoring procedures carefully and follow the procedures precisely. This Examiner s Manual guidelines for examiner training and includes specific instructions for administering and scoring each of the tests. WJ III ACH Woodcock Johnson III Tests of Achievement Competent interpretation of the WJ III ACH requires a higher degree of knowledge and experience than is required for administering and scoring the tests. Graduate level training in educational assessment and a background in diagnostic decision making are recommended. Only trained and knowledgeable professionals who are sensitive to the conditions that may compromise, or even invalidate, standardized test results should make interpretations and decision. The level of formal education recommended to interpret the WJ II ACH is typically documented by successful completion of an applicable graduate level program of study that includes, at a minimum, a practicumtypes course covering administration and interpretation of tests of academic achievement. In addition, many qualified examiners possess state, provincial, or professional certification, registration, or licensure in a field or profession that includes, as part of its formal training and code of ethics, the responsibility for rendering educational assessment and interpretation services. Because professional titles, roles, and responsibilities vary among states, or even from one school district to another, it is impossible to equate competency to professional titles. Consequently, the joint professional standards suggest that it is the responsibility of each school district to be informed by this statement of examiner qualifications and subsequently determine who, under its aegis, is qualified to administer and interpret the WJ III ACH. 5

6 Batería III Batería III Woodcock Munoz Administration and scoring of the Batería III requires proficiency in Spanish, knowledge of each test s exact administration and scoring procedures, and an understanding of the importance of adhering to the procedures that have been standardized for examiner use. Examiners who are not proficient in Spanish should not attempt to administer the Batería III. Interpretation of the Batería III results requires a higher level of knowledge and experience than is required for test administration. Competent interpretation of the Batería III requires graduate level training in cognitive ability, language, and academic achievement assessment; knowledge of Spanish language development (and, if appropriate to the subject, knowledge of the impact of second language acquisition), and a background in diagnostic decision making. Only trained and knowledgeable professionals who are sensitive to the conditions that may compromise, or even invalidate, standardized test results should make interpretations and decisions. The level of formal education recommended to interpret the Batería III is typically documented by successful completion of an applicable graduate level program of study that includes, or is supplemented with, training in Spanish language assessment. 6