Testing Ethical and Legal Issues Considering the Essay

Testing

Ethical and Legal Issues

Considering the responsibilities and rights of test takers and test users, discuss why it is important to have ethical and legal standards for testing. What knowledge, skills, and abilities are necessary for competent test use? What are the standards regarding confidentiality and privacy of test taker information, test scores, and test interpretation? What do you feel is the most important responsibility of a test user and why? Please be sure to support your discussion with information from the AERA (2000) book, APA (2010, 2011) websites, and the Turner, DeMers, Fox, & Reed (2001) article.

The American Psychological Association (APA) set up a task force on test users qualifications (TFTUQ) in October 1996 to develop guidelines that inform test users and the general public about the qualifications that this body feels that are important for the competent and responsible use of the psychological tests that they have produced (Turner, DeMers, Fox, & Reed, 2001). It is important to recognize that psychological testing is only one part of a more comprehensive assessment of an individual and thus should be looked at in a broader context and not solely relied upon. The misuse of tests was a growing concern at the time and the body felt that they had to create a task force to address the issues.The task force decided that there were two categories of knowledge and skills that were needed to conduct a test effectively. The first was core knowledge which represents a psychologist's deeper understanding of the different diagnoses and psychological issues. The next category was dedicated to contextual factors that the test administrator must be aware of to consider all relevant factors that could influence the testing. These factors could include everything from selection of the appropriate test to ethnic, racial, cultural, gender, age, and linguistic variables that could skew the results.

Considering these issues is a critical step to maintaining an ethical position towards the use of tests. The test represents a powerful tool but also one that can be abused or misused. Furthermore, it is only one piece of a more comprehensive diagnosis and test users should not rely on a test completely. The test results should be contrasted with other investigations to strengthen its reliability. Cross-validation is, in my opinion, one of the most important aspects to test reliability.

Part 2 - Multicultural Considerations in Testing

Due to the increasing linguistic and cultural diversity in the United States….....