Assess Flashcards
It is understood that one of the key benefits of a data-driven counseling program is its:
a.
quantifiable accountability.
b.
complete data reporting.
c.
flexibility and loose definitions.
d.
atomistic assessment.
a.
quantifiable accountability.
It is understood that the benefits of a data-driven counseling program include quantifiable accountability and assessment of professional review organizations. The ASCA describes these programs as clearly defined and sequential. They can also offer a holistic, comprehensive assessment of individual students. Counselors can combine the systemic overview and the needs of individual students by creating a data collection system that promotes holistic development in students. This includes nurturing individual qualities and cultivating the particular goals and skills identified in the data. Using the data-driven system for the implementation of the program, counselors can partner with school members to develop a comprehensive program that identifies the needs of individual students and the student body as a whole. This type of program will help the students by giving them the confidence and leadership to pursue their dreams.
Which of the following quantifies how a counselor spends his or her school time?
a.
Value-added assessment
b.
Needs assessment
c.
Original outcome assessment
d.
Service assessment
d.
Service assessment
Counselors may be required to provide service assessment reports to guidance supervisors, superintendents, and school boards. Although guidance supervisors may request general service assessments, school boards and superintendents may ask for more specific event-topic counts. These counts refer to how a counselor spends his or her school time. Counselors are asked to document each time a student is contacted, receives any type of counseling service, or interacts with the counselor in any capacity. The reporting of these counts may be in the form of a log or a simple count, and requires the counselor to maintain a weekly or monthly recording of how many students receive general counseling or individual sessions to treat depression, behaviors, anxiety, social skills, anger management, family changes, or conflict resolution. Counselors and school boards can appreciate the contributions of the counselor evidenced by quantified event-time counts.
In the context of an Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), which of the following is used to show whether the test scores were statistically significant?
a.
F-test
b.
Re-validated assessments
c.
System analysis
d.
Program evaluation
a.
F-test
Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) is statistical calculation that determines whether the new teaching strategy has enough of an effect on a dependent condition (e.g., children’s math scores) to make using the strategy worthwhile. Researchers compare two groups of test scores, like those from one group that did not experience any new teaching and another that participated in the new math program. The more people in a study, the more one can account for individual differences that might get in the way of seeing if the teaching strategy is what is determining the change in test scores. ANOVA equations look at the difference between the non-taught students’ scores and the taught students’ scores, and evens out the differences that are not accounted for by the teaching method. Finally, the F-test shows whether or not the test scores were statistically significant. If F is more than 1, it is considered significant, and the amount over 1 (e.g., an F could be 17) gives an indication of how strongly the new teaching method is associated with the rise in test scores.
Which of the following is NOT true of the school counseling program advisory committee (SCPAC)?
a.
SCPAC is generally comprised of counselors, parents, educators, and community members.
b.
The SCPAC can serve as a liaison committee with the larger community.
c.
It is customary for the SCPAC group to meet once a month.
d.
The school principal should always be included in the SCPAC.
c.
It is customary for the SCPAC group to meet once a month.
The school counseling program advisory committee (SCPAC) is generally comprised of counselors, parents, educators, and other members of the community, all of whom have a stake and influence in the school’s decision-making. The school principal should always be included, particularly since they will need to be included in the discussion about proposed program improvements or recommendations, and will be instrumental in approving funding for these proposals. The SCPAC can serve as a sounding board during decision making and can assist the counselor in introducing needed program changes or requesting resources. The SCPAC can serve as a liaison committee with the larger community and can include parent-teacher organizations by invitation, or at least by communicating with them regarding relevant impending decisions. By including community input through the liaison SCPAC committee, counselors demonstrate their willingness to consider outside perspectives and additional sources for funding. Assuming that the SCPAC is active, ongoing, and not undergoing significant changes, it is customary for the group to meet once each semester to discuss the needs and available resources of the counseling program, and to provide recommendations and endorsement for proposed improvements.
A proactive approach to school counseling accountability includes all of the following EXCEPT:
a.
clearly articulated parameters for responsibilities and duties.
b.
reporting the results of evaluations to stakeholders.
c.
well-defined evaluation and assessment vehicles.
d.
collaborative interpretation of assessment results.
d.
collaborative interpretation of assessment results.
A proactive approach to school counseling accountability includes clearly articulated parameters for responsibilities and duties, well-defined evaluation and assessment vehicles, and reporting the results of the evaluation to stakeholders. The school counselor must perform needs assessments, program evaluation, test program management, and interpret assessment results in order for the counseling program to be accountable to school boards, parents, or other members of the community who may be concerned about the value of the program.
Which of the following is NOT a disadvantage or cause for misgivings typically associated with accountability studies?
a.
They may take time away from individual or group counseling.
b.
They may hinder public relations by complicating and obscuring data from public view.
c.
They may give the perception that the stakeholders requesting the data are micro-managing.
d.
They may produce results that are counterintuitive to implementation strategies that have proved successful
b.
They may hinder public relations by complicating and obscuring data from public view.
Accountability studies can be a valuable public relations vehicle for informing educators and the larger community about the accomplishments of the school counseling program and the focus of the school system for its students. Although accountability studies can provide valuable information for the school counselor, as well as the school community as a whole, there are inherent disadvantages associated with these studies. An obvious disadvantage is that the studies take time away from individual or group counseling in order for the counselor to implement and assess the accountability model of evaluation. Although this time could be well justified by the overall benefits to the program and to the student body, these benefits can only be realized if the counselor is trained in utilizing the data and spends the time on research and evaluation to achieve any useful results. Counselors may have misgivings about utilizing accountability studies because they may produce results that are counterintuitive to implementation strategies that have proved successful in individual and/or group counseling. Some counselors may also be hesitant to perform accountability studies because of a perception of being micro-managed by the stakeholders requesting the data.
Which of the following is NOT true of an outcome assessment?
a.
It is a professional evaluation of the counselor.
b.
It is a vehicle for garnering information on program-related questions.
c.
It is the responsibility of an accountable counselor.
d.
It is an ongoing and evolving process.
a.
It is a professional evaluation of the counselor.
In contrast to a service assessment that quantifies time spent, a well-defined outcome assessment can provide a profile of the effectiveness of particular aspects of the program. Counselors should recognize that it is intended not as an evaluation of their performance but, rather, as a useful assessment of the program itself. Counselors should focus on the key features of outcome assessment:
It is not a professional evaluation of the counselor, a limit to his or her ability to perform the job, a requirement for standardized tests or curricula, or a prescribed process with no capacity for expansion.
The assessment is a vehicle for garnering information on program-related questions, the responsibility of an accountable counselor, an ongoing and evolving process, a cooperative outreach to other SCPAC members and stakeholders, and a path toward better education for all students.
When developing an original outcome measure, all of the following considerations should be incorporated EXCEPT:
a.
avoiding double negatives.
b.
avoiding open-ended questions.
c.
only questioning the group on familiar events/circumstances.
d.
being sensitive to cultural differences.
b.
avoiding open-ended questions.
There may be a time when a counselor chooses to develop an original outcome measure that directly addresses the application, or is more appropriate for the group. When posing questions to the group for responses to be used in the assessment, the following guidelines should be incorporated:
Use simple language and question the group members only on events or circumstances with which they are familiar.
Each question should be specific, and any unclear terms should be specifically defined in the appropriate context.
Avoid yes-no questions.
Avoid double negatives, since these can confuse the response group.
Questions should be posed individually and not in combination with another question.
Topic-specific wording should be consistent with the wording used in the discipline.
Be sensitive to cultural differences.
Counselors should learn to handle difficult response groups effectively.
Second-hand opinions should only be accepted if first-hand information is unavailable.
Background information can be provided to remind the group members of a specific event or reaction.
Which of the following is used to identify weaknesses in one’s own practice, become informed, and take recursive steps in response?
a.
Action research
b.
Quasi-experimental design
c.
Longitudinal studies
d.
Adequate yearly progress (AYP) reports
a.
Action research
Action research is a trend in research in which educational professionals can bring research principles into their own practice to actively evaluate their own practice and provide information to expand the research base. Action research is used to identify weaknesses in one’s own practice, become informed, and take recursive action in response.
As opposed to assessment methods in a mental health setting, effective assessment in an academic setting is:
a.
more formal.
b.
best served by problem-specific questions.
c.
geared toward collaborative and trusting relationships.
d.
facilitated by a more direct approach.
c.
geared toward collaborative and trusting relationships.
In contrast to the assessment methods used in a mental health institution, assessment in an academic setting is less formal and more geared toward establishing a trusting and collaborative relationship with the student. In a mental health setting, the counseling session might be well served if the counselor asks direct questions to the client in order to assess the problems. However, in an academic setting, an effective counseling relationship depends not only on the student’s cooperation, which is facilitated by a less direct approach to assessment, but also on the incorporation of student needs not readily divulged. A counselor in an academic setting needs to be aware of, for instance, a student’s body language when assessing and treating the student. It is important for a counselor in an academic setting to listen and observe carefully, and to engage in non-intrusive inquiry.
Which of the following is an IQ test that many students will take at some point in their education?
a.
Strong Interest Inventory (SII)
b.
RIASEC/Holland Codes
c.
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)
d.
WAISC-II
d.
WAISC-II
The WAISC-II is an IQ test that many students will take at some point in their education. The results may tell those who interpret it at which level a student should be placed in academic coursework. IQ tests can also help reframe behavioral problems: a student may be acting out because the material is too difficult or out of boredom if the student’s intellect is not being sufficiently challenged.
What type of test, also called a high-stakes test, can have an enormous effect on a student’s career and significantly affect the entire school?
a.
Achievement test
b.
IQ test
c.
Intelligence test
d.
Group test
a.
Achievement test
Achievement tests, also called high-stakes tests, affect more than the individual test taker, although they also have an enormous effect on a student’s career. The Stanford Achievement Test (SAT) and the American College Test (ACT) determine whether a student will graduate high school, go to college, and which college will accept them. But achievement tests are also used to evaluate teacher performance and overall school ratings (hence the high stakes). The aggregate of students’ achievement test scores can affect the funding or teacher allocation—the life or death of the entire school.
Which of the following is a measure of how often a particular score will be derived under the same conditions?
a.
Causation
b.
Correlation
c.
Reliability
d.
Validity
c.
Reliability
Reliability is a measure of how often a particular score will be derived under the same conditions. Another word for reliability is consistency. The importance of conditions can’t be overestimated. If you measure the height of a tree using a digital laser tape measure, assuming you use it correctly, you’ll get the same height every time. If you climb the tree and measure it with a shoelace, chances are you’ll get different numbers each time. If you have three glasses of wine, climb the tree, and measure it with your thumb, chances are you’ll fall off before you get halfway up the tree—and if you do manage the climb, your numbers will be wildly inaccurate. Reliability uses deviations in measurement to ask, “If we gave this test again under the same conditions, would the same test taker get the same score, and if not, how different would that score be?” A highly reliable test will give a very similar score under the same conditions.
