Special Considerations in Testing
Our psychologist, Keith, has been asked to conduct a psychoeducational evaluation on 8-year old Melanie. Melanie's teacher and parents are concerned because she is having significant difficulty reading and comprehending information. She also has a hard time paying attention and is always talking out in class. She is a sweet girl and gets along well with others, but her challenges are negatively impacting her grades and interrupting the learning of those around her.
As Keith plans his assessment of Melanie's difficulties, what issues does he need to consider in order to increase the validity of the assessment?
- Remember to consider Melanie's age and testing with students who might have special needs.
- Explain what testing accommodations Keith might need to make given Melanie's challenges and why.
- What impact could making accommodations have on standardization and, as a result, interpretation of the results?
- What test format would best meet Melanie's needs (e.g., type of test, group vs. individual, etc.)? Why?
- Reflect on what you have learned about the history of assessment. How might Keith's decisions differ today compared to the beginnings of psychological assessment?
- Describe how the impact of assessment results has changed over time.