Psychological Assessment in School Settings

Abstract

Psychological assessment in school settings is distinguished from psychological assessment in other settings according to populations (e.g., students, teachers), problems (e.g., academic, social), procedures (e.g., consultation, instruction), and the setting in which assessment and intervention occurs. This chapter reviews the purposes driving psychological assessment in schools (i.e., screening, diagnosis, intervention, evaluation, selection, and certification). Following this review, the chapter describes current status and practice of psychological assessment in schools (i.e., interviews and records reviews, observational systems, checklists and self-report techniques, projective techniques, standardized tests, and response-to-intervention approaches). The chapter gives special attention to assessment of academic achievement in relation to psychoeducational diagnosis and in relation to the increasing use of academic achievement assessments in educational accountability movements. The chapter concludes with a prognostication about the future of psychological assessment in schools related to four key themes: (a) aligning assessment to scientific and technical advances, (b) accountability and value-added assessment, (c) accommodating diverse learners in assessment, and (d) the utility of assessment for intervening with students.