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Who shall interpret individual test results to parents?
ISSUES IN SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY
The purpose of this department is to present controversial viewpoints on professional practice in school psychology. W e expect that the discussion will prompt some reaction on the part of our readers, perhaps leading to rebuttals or alternative points of view. W e invite your letters on this issue. Who Shall Interpret Individual Test Results to Parents? IRVINC ZWEIBELSON
New Rochelle Public Schools New York The interpretation of test results to parents by school personnel is rather common. Members of the teaching staff often are permitted to give numerical values of I.Q.'s and other test scores to parents. Most teachers do not have special training in the interpretation of test results and are likely to approach this task from an educational point of view. Because of the widespread practice of having group tests administered and supervised by non-psychological personnel, there is a tendency for teachers and principals to interpret individual and group test results in the same way. This problem, and it can be a problem for the parent and the youngster, does not usually exist in the guidance clinic setting where a trained professional colleague interprets the results of a report produced by a team effort. The unique training of a teacher and principal does not necessarily equip them to deal with the information contained in a psychological report, nor does it prepare them for developing the counseling relationship necessary with parents about to hear the results of a psychological evaluation. School staff members are generally accustomed to giving information about children to parents in a routine fashion. Therefore, it is rather difficult for them to change the relationship when it comes to a meeting that deals with the interpretation of psychological data. Most school persons, in the writer's opinion, would resist relinquishing this responsibility to the school psychologist or any other allied professional because the parent-principal-teacher relationship has been sacrosanct and considered a carefully guarded prerogative. However, it seems to the writer that the best person to interpret the report of a psychological evaluation to the parent is the person who 82
administered the tests. Psychological interpretation should go substantially beyond a categorical description and may require an intimate knowledge of the actual test performance of the child as well as details not indicated in the report. Frequently, however, the psychologist who saw the student may not be available. In this case the next best person to provide an interpretation for the parent would be a staff psychologist with the experience and training to assemble appropriate information and to develop an exploratory counseling relationship. During an interpretation session the psychologist is more likely to be aware of the effects of test anxiety on the performance of the youngster and able to elicit information from the parent which could shed light on the test results. It is desirable, and in many situations probably necessary, to state in policy form who shall interpret individual test results and what kind of information might best be given to parents by other school staff members. The purposes of such a policy would not be to prevent information from being given to appropriate persons. Its goal would be the protection of the pupil from improper and harmful test interpretation practices. The policy recommendations given below (not verbatim) have been initiated in the New Rochelle Public Schools, and although not yet adopted, are receiving ottlcial attention.
Interpretation of Group Test Results The numerical values of I.Q.'s and other psychometric measures are not to be given to students or parents by any member of the teaching staff. In general, group psychometric tests will be interpreted to pupils or parents by counselors or principals. This is not to imply that test results should be withheld from teachers. When this information is available, it should help to better serve the educational needs of children. For the sake of consistency, however, it is wiser to leave the terpretation of the standard group test results to principals, counselors and psychologists.
Interpretation of Individual Test Results The results of individual psychological tests should be interpreted to the parent by the psychologist who serves the school attended by the pupil. Persons or agencies making requests for individual psychological information should be referred to the psychologist serving the school or to the senior psychologist. Test results must not be given to persons unauthorized to receive this information.
The Use of Psychological Reports The use of psychological reports by school personnel in many ways relates to how information about tests is given to parents. Obviously, if 83
reports are openly available and test data conspicuously displayed, the carefully arranged conference does not necessarily protect against the misuse of information. Therefore, a policy recommendation on the use of psychological reports should be provided in order to insure that information contained in the reports will not be viewed and communicated indiscriminately. Recommendations given b y the Office of Psychological Services to New Rochelle school administrators are as follows: 1. The school should provide proper facilities for safeguarding the security and confidentiality of psychological reports. They should be placed in a locked file in the school offce which is accessible only to proper school personnel. 2. Individual intelligence test scores should not be recorded on a child's permanent record card. A note should be made indicating an individual examination has been given, followed by the words, "see psychological report". 3. The principal and/or counselor bear the responsibility of directing the report to the appropriate teacher who should return the report as soon as possible to the school offce file. 4. Psychological reports, or parts of reports, are not to be read to (or read by) parents or non-staff members under any circumstances. Specifically, the report is for the sole use of the principal, counselor, or teacher. Should a parent, or any other non-staff member demand to see a psychological report, he should be directed to the appropriate psychologist or to the senior psychologist. 5. Persons or agencies making an "oral" request for psychological data should be referred to the psychologist in charge of the case, or the senior psychologist. 6. Psychological reports should not be sent directly from the school to the professional person or agencies even with parental permission. This information must be forwarded by the Office of Psychological Services, which will take appropriate precautions to protect the child's interests. 7. Psychological reports about children transferred to other school systems should be returned to the Offce of Psychological Services. Psychological information may only be forwarded to the new school system by the Office of Psychological Services upon formal request and with the written permission of the parent. 8. The psychologist writing a particular report is responsible for the contents of the report. It is his ethical duty and obligation to provide only that information which can be utilized by the school personnel.
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Summary Confidential information obtained by the school psychologist should be handled "professionally" by the school psychologist since he is the person best able and best qualified to develop an appropriate relationship with the parent and provide a psychological interpretation. There have been many recent attacks upon the indiscriminate use of tests and test data in the public schools. The school psychologist is in a good position to reduce or eliminate careless and inexperienced handling of psychological test data and discourage the indiscriminate reporting of information labeled "psychological test results." Remedial Aid for Researchers
The ]ournal of School Psychology is planning a new departmental feature. It will present case studies, not of successful research, but of research which failed. The purpose will be to analyze flaws in design or methodology and to suggest practical solutions for overcoming some of the problems of conducting research in the school setting. We therefore invite our readers to send us their blunders. Since a certain degree of ego-involvement can be associated with mistakes and oversights, the author, if he wishes, may submit material anonymously rather than under his own name. The purpose, of course, is not to take the author to task personally but to use the material to illustrate common problems faced by the researcher in the schools. The following suggests the kind of material we are looking for: (a) research studies rejected by professional journals because of inadequate methodolgy, (b) anecdotes or descriptions of incidents which spoiled or contaminated research findings, (c) unanticipated problems which developed in the process of data-collection, because of antagonistic attitudes in the school or community, etc. Send all correspondence to: Dr. Charles M. Clark, 217 Sutton Hall, The University of Texas, Austin 12, Texas. If the original research report is available, please include it.
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The purpose of this department is to present controversial viewpoints on professional practice in school psychology. W e expect that the discussion will prompt some reaction on the part of our readers, perhaps leading to rebuttals or alternative points of view. W e invite your letters on this issue. Who Shall Interpret Individual Test Results to Parents? IRVINC ZWEIBELSON
New Rochelle Public Schools New York The interpretation of test results to parents by school personnel is rather common. Members of the teaching staff often are permitted to give numerical values of I.Q.'s and other test scores to parents. Most teachers do not have special training in the interpretation of test results and are likely to approach this task from an educational point of view. Because of the widespread practice of having group tests administered and supervised by non-psychological personnel, there is a tendency for teachers and principals to interpret individual and group test results in the same way. This problem, and it can be a problem for the parent and the youngster, does not usually exist in the guidance clinic setting where a trained professional colleague interprets the results of a report produced by a team effort. The unique training of a teacher and principal does not necessarily equip them to deal with the information contained in a psychological report, nor does it prepare them for developing the counseling relationship necessary with parents about to hear the results of a psychological evaluation. School staff members are generally accustomed to giving information about children to parents in a routine fashion. Therefore, it is rather difficult for them to change the relationship when it comes to a meeting that deals with the interpretation of psychological data. Most school persons, in the writer's opinion, would resist relinquishing this responsibility to the school psychologist or any other allied professional because the parent-principal-teacher relationship has been sacrosanct and considered a carefully guarded prerogative. However, it seems to the writer that the best person to interpret the report of a psychological evaluation to the parent is the person who 82
administered the tests. Psychological interpretation should go substantially beyond a categorical description and may require an intimate knowledge of the actual test performance of the child as well as details not indicated in the report. Frequently, however, the psychologist who saw the student may not be available. In this case the next best person to provide an interpretation for the parent would be a staff psychologist with the experience and training to assemble appropriate information and to develop an exploratory counseling relationship. During an interpretation session the psychologist is more likely to be aware of the effects of test anxiety on the performance of the youngster and able to elicit information from the parent which could shed light on the test results. It is desirable, and in many situations probably necessary, to state in policy form who shall interpret individual test results and what kind of information might best be given to parents by other school staff members. The purposes of such a policy would not be to prevent information from being given to appropriate persons. Its goal would be the protection of the pupil from improper and harmful test interpretation practices. The policy recommendations given below (not verbatim) have been initiated in the New Rochelle Public Schools, and although not yet adopted, are receiving ottlcial attention.
Interpretation of Group Test Results The numerical values of I.Q.'s and other psychometric measures are not to be given to students or parents by any member of the teaching staff. In general, group psychometric tests will be interpreted to pupils or parents by counselors or principals. This is not to imply that test results should be withheld from teachers. When this information is available, it should help to better serve the educational needs of children. For the sake of consistency, however, it is wiser to leave the terpretation of the standard group test results to principals, counselors and psychologists.
Interpretation of Individual Test Results The results of individual psychological tests should be interpreted to the parent by the psychologist who serves the school attended by the pupil. Persons or agencies making requests for individual psychological information should be referred to the psychologist serving the school or to the senior psychologist. Test results must not be given to persons unauthorized to receive this information.
The Use of Psychological Reports The use of psychological reports by school personnel in many ways relates to how information about tests is given to parents. Obviously, if 83
reports are openly available and test data conspicuously displayed, the carefully arranged conference does not necessarily protect against the misuse of information. Therefore, a policy recommendation on the use of psychological reports should be provided in order to insure that information contained in the reports will not be viewed and communicated indiscriminately. Recommendations given b y the Office of Psychological Services to New Rochelle school administrators are as follows: 1. The school should provide proper facilities for safeguarding the security and confidentiality of psychological reports. They should be placed in a locked file in the school offce which is accessible only to proper school personnel. 2. Individual intelligence test scores should not be recorded on a child's permanent record card. A note should be made indicating an individual examination has been given, followed by the words, "see psychological report". 3. The principal and/or counselor bear the responsibility of directing the report to the appropriate teacher who should return the report as soon as possible to the school offce file. 4. Psychological reports, or parts of reports, are not to be read to (or read by) parents or non-staff members under any circumstances. Specifically, the report is for the sole use of the principal, counselor, or teacher. Should a parent, or any other non-staff member demand to see a psychological report, he should be directed to the appropriate psychologist or to the senior psychologist. 5. Persons or agencies making an "oral" request for psychological data should be referred to the psychologist in charge of the case, or the senior psychologist. 6. Psychological reports should not be sent directly from the school to the professional person or agencies even with parental permission. This information must be forwarded by the Office of Psychological Services, which will take appropriate precautions to protect the child's interests. 7. Psychological reports about children transferred to other school systems should be returned to the Offce of Psychological Services. Psychological information may only be forwarded to the new school system by the Office of Psychological Services upon formal request and with the written permission of the parent. 8. The psychologist writing a particular report is responsible for the contents of the report. It is his ethical duty and obligation to provide only that information which can be utilized by the school personnel.
84
Summary Confidential information obtained by the school psychologist should be handled "professionally" by the school psychologist since he is the person best able and best qualified to develop an appropriate relationship with the parent and provide a psychological interpretation. There have been many recent attacks upon the indiscriminate use of tests and test data in the public schools. The school psychologist is in a good position to reduce or eliminate careless and inexperienced handling of psychological test data and discourage the indiscriminate reporting of information labeled "psychological test results." Remedial Aid for Researchers
The ]ournal of School Psychology is planning a new departmental feature. It will present case studies, not of successful research, but of research which failed. The purpose will be to analyze flaws in design or methodology and to suggest practical solutions for overcoming some of the problems of conducting research in the school setting. We therefore invite our readers to send us their blunders. Since a certain degree of ego-involvement can be associated with mistakes and oversights, the author, if he wishes, may submit material anonymously rather than under his own name. The purpose, of course, is not to take the author to task personally but to use the material to illustrate common problems faced by the researcher in the schools. The following suggests the kind of material we are looking for: (a) research studies rejected by professional journals because of inadequate methodolgy, (b) anecdotes or descriptions of incidents which spoiled or contaminated research findings, (c) unanticipated problems which developed in the process of data-collection, because of antagonistic attitudes in the school or community, etc. Send all correspondence to: Dr. Charles M. Clark, 217 Sutton Hall, The University of Texas, Austin 12, Texas. If the original research report is available, please include it.
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