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Approved
by the American School Counselor Association on September 21,1998,
and by the Association for Assessment in Counseling on September 10, 1998.
The purpose of these
competencies is to provide a description of the knowledge and skills that
school counselors need in the areas of assessment and evaluation. Because
effectiveness in assessment and evaluation is critical to effective counseling,
these competencies are important for school counselor education and practice.
Although consistent with existing Council for Accreditation of Counseling
and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) and National Association of
State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC) standards
for preparing counselors, they focus on competencies of individual counselors
rather than content of counselor education programs.
The competencies
can be used by counselor and assessment educators as a guide in the development
and evaluation of school counselor preparation programs, workshops, in
service, and other continuing education opportunities. They may also be
used by school counselors to evaluate their own professional development
and continuing education needs.
School counselors
should meet each of the nine numbered competencies and have the specific
skills listed under each competency.
Competency 1.
School counselors are skilled in choosing assessment strategies.
a. They can describe
the nature and use of different types of formal and informal assessments,
including questionnaires, checklists, interviews, inventories, tests,
observations, surveys, and performance assessments, and work with individuals
skilled in clinical assessment.
b. They can specify
the types of information most readily obtained from different assessment
approaches.
c. They are familiar
with resources for critically evaluating each type of assessment and
can use them in choosing appropriate assessment strategies.
d. They are able
to advise and assist others (e.g., a school district) in choosing appropriate
assessment strategies.
Competency 2.
School counselors can identify, access, and evaluate the most commonly
used Assessment instruments.
a. They know which
assessment instruments are most commonly used in school settings to
assess intelligence, aptitude, achievement, personality, work values,
and interests, including computer-assisted versions and other alternate
formats.
b. They know the
dimensions along which assessment instruments should be evaluated, including
purpose, validity, utility, norms, reliability and measurement error,
score reporting method, and consequences CT use.
c. They can obtain
and evaluate information about the quality of those assessment instruments.
Competency 3.
School counselors are skilled in the techniques of administration and
methods of scoring assessment instruments.
a. They can implement
appropriate administration procedures, including administration using
computers.
b. They can standardize
administration of assessments when interpretation is in relation to
external norms.
c. They can modify
administration of assessments to accommodate individual differences
consistent with publisher recommendations and current statements of
professional practice.
d. They can provide
consultation, information, and training to others who assist with administration
and scoring.
e. They know when
it is necessary to obtain informed consent from parents or guardians
before administering an assessment
Competency 4.
School counselors are skilled in interpreting and reporting assessment
results.
a. They can explain
scores that are commonly reported, such as percentile ranks, standard
scores, and grade equivalents. They can interpret a confidence interval
for an individual score based on a standard error of measurement.
b. They can evaluate
the appropriateness of a norm group when interpreting the scores of
an individual or a group.
c. They are skilled
in communicating assessment information to others, including teachers,
administrators, students, parents, and the community. They are aware
of the rights students and parents have to know assessment results and
decisions made as a consequence of any assessment.
d. They can evaluate
their own strengths and limitations in the use of assessment instruments
and in assessing students with disabilities or linguistic or cultural
differences. They know how to identify professionals with appropriate
training and experience for consultation.
e. They know the
legal and ethical principles about confidentiality and disclosure of
assessment information and recognize the need to abide by district policy
on retention and use of assessment information.
Competency 5.
School counselors are skilled in using assessment results in decision-making.
a. They recognize
the limitations of using a single score in making an educational decision
and know how to obtain multiple sources of information to improve such
decisions.
b. They can evaluate
their own expertise for making decisions based on assessment results.
They also can evaluate the limitations of conclusions provided by others,
including the reliability and validity of computer-assisted assessment
interpretations.
c. They can evaluate
whether the available evidence is adequate to support the intended use
of an assessment result for decision-making, particularly when that
use has not been recommended by the developer of the assessment instrument.
d. They can evaluate
the rationale underlying the use of qualifying scores for placement
in educational programs or courses of study.
e. They can evaluate
the consequences of assessment-related decisions and avoid actions that
would have unintended negative consequences.
Competency 6
School counselors are skilled in producing, interpreting, and presenting
statistical information about assessment results.
a. They can describe
data (e.g., test scores, grades, demographic information) by forming
frequency distributions, preparing tables, drawing graphs, and calculating
descriptive indices of central tendency, variability, and relationship.
b. They can compare
a score from an assessment instrument with an existing distribution,
describe the placement of a score within a normal distribution, and
draw appropriate inferences.
c. They can interpret
statistics used to describe characteristics of assessment instruments,
including difficulty and discrimination indices, reliability and validity
coefficients, and standard errors of measurement.
d. They can identify
and interpret inferential statistics when comparing groups, making predictions,
and drawing conclusions needed for educational planning and decisions.
e. They can use
computers for data management, statistical analysis, and production
of tables and graphs for reporting and interpreting results.
Competency 7.
School counselors are skilled in conducting and interpreting evaluations
of school counseling programs and counseling-related interventions.
a. They understand
and appreciate the role that evaluation plays in the program development
process throughout the life of a program,
b. They ran describe
the purposes of an evaluation and the types of decisions to be based
on evaluation information.
c. They can evaluate
the degree to which information can justify conclusions and decisions
about a program. –
d. They can evaluate
the extent to which student outcome measures match program goals.
e. They can identify
and evaluate possibilities for unintended outcomes and possible impacts
of one program on other programs.
f. They can recognize
potential conflicts of interest and other factors that may bias the
results of evaluations.
Competency 8.
School counselors are skilled in adapting and using questionnaires, surveys,
and other assessments to meet local needs.
a. They can write
specifications and questions for local assessments.
b. They can assemble
an assessment into a usable format and provide directions for its use.
c. They can design
and implement scoring processes and procedures for information feedback.
Competency 9.
School counselors know how to engage in professionally responsible assessment
and evaluation practices.
a. They understand
how to act in accordance with ACA's Code of Ethics and Standards of
Practice and ASCA's Ethical Standards for School Counselors.
b. b. They can
use professional codes and standards, including the Code of Fair Testing
Practices in Education, Code of Professional Responsibilities in Educational
Measurement, Responsibilities of Users of Standardized Tests, and Standards
for Educational and Psychological Testing, to evaluate counseling practices
using assessments.
c. They understand
test fairness and can avoid the selection of biased assessment instruments
and biased uses of assessment instruments. They can evaluate the potential
for unfairness when tests are used incorrectly and for possible bias
in the interpretation of assessment results.
d. They understand
the legal and ethical principles and practices regarding test security,
copying copyrighted materials, and unsupervised use of assessment instruments
that are not intended for self-administration.
e. They can obtain
and maintain available credentialing that demonstrates their skills
in assessment and evaluation.
f. They know how
to identify and participate in educational and training opportunities
to maintain competence and acquire new skills in assessment and evaluation.
Definitions
of Terms
Competencies
describe skills or understandings that a school counselor should possess
to perform assessment and evaluation activities effectively.
Assessment
is the gathering of information for decision making about individuals,
groups, programs, or processes. Assessment targets include abilities,
achievements, personality variables, aptitudes, attitudes, preferences,
interests, values, demographics, and other characteristics. Assessment
procedures include but are not limited to standardized and unstandardized
tests, questionnaires, inventories, checklists, observations, portfolios,
performance assessments, rating scales, surveys, interviews, and other
clinical measures.
Evaluation
is the collection and interpretation of information to make judgments
about individuals, programs, or processes that lead to decisions and future
actions.
Note: A joint committee
of the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) and the Association
for Assessment in Counseling (AACE) was appointed by the respective presidents
in 1993 with the charge to draft a statement about school counselor preparation
in assessment and evaluation. Committee members were Ruth Ekstrom (AACE),
Patricia Elmore (AACE, Chair, 1997-1998), Daren Hutchinson (ASCA), Marjorie
Mastie (AACE), Kathy O'Rourke (ASCA), William Schafer (AACE, Chair, 1993-1997),
Thomas Trotter (ASCA), and Barbara Webster (ASCA).
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