Assessment
Ethical Use of Assessment Instruments
This section will address the ethical use of assessment instruments
Oregon Administrative Rule 581-021-0030.
ASCA Ethical Standard A.14. Evaluation, Assessment, and Interpretation
American Psychological Association – Rights and Responsibilities of Test Takers
Oregon Administrative Rule 581-021-0030: Limitation on Administration and Utilization of Tests in Public Schools
(1) Tests shall be considered as instruments that are means to assist decision-making on the part of parents, the public, school boards and the professional staff, rather than ends unto themselves. Tests may be used as follows in addition to other uses specified in local policies:
(a) To assist in making decisions about the effectiveness of school programs;
(b) To assist in determining the attainment of specified educational outcomes;
(c) To provide information to the learners about themselves, to parents or caregivers, and to the school staff which may assist them in making programmatic decisions of benefit to the student.
(2) Tests of intelligence, ability, achievement or aptitude shall not be used as sole criterion for placement of learners in educational groups or tracks:
(a) Before administering individual intelligence tests (as opposed to group intelligence tests) and all tests of personality to children in public schools, districts shall inform parents and caregivers as to the purpose of testing; and the parents’ written permission shall be obtained. In homes where the predominant language spoken is not English, the communications on the purpose of testing should be in the language spoken in the home;
(b) When a school district believes it is not feasible to comply with subsection (2)(a) of this rule, it may petition the Department of Education for a waiver in accordance with the procedure contained in the State Standards for Oregon Public Schools.
American School Counselor Association – ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors
A.14. Evaluation, Assessment and Interpretation
School counselors:
Use only valid and reliable research-based tests and assessments that are culturally sensitive, in the learner’s preferred language and free of bias.
Adhere to all professional standards and regulations when selecting, administering and interpreting standardized assessment tools, and only use assessment instruments that are within the scope of practice for school counselors and for which they are licensed, certified, competent and trained to use.
Follow confidentiality guidelines when using paper or electronic assessment instruments and programs.
Consider the learner’s developmental age, language skills, home language and competence level when determining an assessment’s appropriateness.
Use multiple data points, both quantitative and qualitative whenever possible, to provide learners and families with complete and accurate information to promote learners’ well-being.
Provide interpretation, in the learner’s preferred language, of the nature, purpose, results and potential impact of assessment/evaluation measures in terms students and parents/ guardians can understand.
Monitor the use of assessment results and interpretation, and take reasonable steps to prevent others from misusing the information.
Use caution when selecting or using assessment techniques, making evaluations and interpreting the performance of populations not represented in the norm group on which an instrument is standardized.
Conduct and disseminate the results of school counseling program assessments to determine the effectiveness of activities supporting learners’ academic, college/career
and social/ emotional development through accountability measures, especially examining efforts to close opportunity gaps.
American Psychological Association Rights and Responsibilities of Test Takers
The information on this site is too voluminous to copy and paste here; however, it is recommended your team review this information at least once as you are making plans for how your CCL program will utilize assessment.
Do's and Don'ts_ Career Aptitude & Interest Assessments.pdf
Equitable Use of Aptitude & Interest
This document is created as a reference to help guide schools as they use these tools in an equitable manner for all students. Interest and aptitude assessments and surveys can be important tools to help students learn more about themselves and identify career possibilities they might like to explore. They can be used to help broaden student interests and help schools understand which programs, courses, and/or activities to consider adding to their offerings. The data provided may also help students to develop self-knowledge as they relate the identified interests or aptitudes to courses or potential careers. Both interest and aptitude assessments have benefits and pitfalls, and understanding the principles behind them can provide valuable insights into their equitable use.
Do…
Utilize multiple methods (career assessments, career connected learning experiences, coursework, etc.) to support students in making their career pathway decisions.
Review the validity of career aptitude and interest assessments through your institution’s equity lens or the Oregon Equity Lens.
Center your decision making in equity:
Is the assessment available in multiple languages?
Is it accessible for students with varying abilities (hearing, vision, reading, comprehension, attention)?
Is it accurately normed for the population being assessed?
What is the potential positive and negative impact of the assessment results?
Are there limitations to how the reports are received, or how it should be used?
Are accommodations available? (Such as extra time or a quiet place to complete the assessment.)
Have an awareness of your own biases, identity, intersectionality, and privilege when advising students on making career decisions.
Remember there is no one ‘right’ answer. The whole world of work is evolving and career assessments can become outdated. Results students receive are not fixed and can change over time.
Use the information provided to consider systemic improvements to policies, adult practices, student experiences, and desired outcomes.
Promote opportunities that help all students explore their interests and build their aptitudes.
Consider that students’ results may not be what they actually want or may not be culturally valued by families.
Encourage students to pursue careers they are passionate about while expanding curriculum and instruction to help them develop the skills needed for careers in high wage, in demand jobs.
Approach any uses of assessments and results in an equitable and culturally responsive manner.
Support students with multiple opportunities to build their education plan and profile with connections to any assessment results, goals, course-taking, experiences and engagement in activities.
Don’t…
Rely on the results of one assessment, including career aptitude or interest surveys, to advise students towards a class, activity or career pathway.
OAR 581-021-0030 discusses the restrictions for utilization of assessments in public schools.
OAR 581-021-0045 and 46 discusses what is considered discrimination in Oregon
Discount the inherent cultural bias in many career aptitude and interest assessments and their reporting, because they have been normed to the dominant culture.
Discount the importance of equity and access in career aptitude and interest assessments, and the method by which students receive the information.
Allow biases to affect advising practices, including course selection, field trips, activities, and work-based learning opportunities.
Steer students in any direction or away from opportunities, activities and benefits to gain more awareness about themselves and potential careers, such as field trips, classes, internships, etc.
Interpret results about students’ aptitude or interest (or a group of students’ aptitudes or interests) as a deficit.
Use the results of an assessment to make decisions about activities that students are able to participate in.
Discount student voice and cultural assets.
Disregard students’ interests in a career area even if an assessment suggests their aptitudes don’t align.
Discount the needs and requirements for access with student focal groups.
Use assessments and their results without student follow-up to assess and discuss the results, for them to make meaning from it, and to make connections between the results with their current and future goals and aspirations.