Session 9 Assessment in Career Counseling Ethics in

Session 9 Assessment in Career Counseling Ethics in Testing

Schedule § § Overview MBTI SII Ethics

Overview § Parsons (1909) encouraged assessment as first step in three-step model of career counseling § “Test and Tell” approach not current § Spokane: purpose of career assessment is to find career possibilities congruent with client’s attributes, assess conflicts and problems, motivate constructive behavior, acquire a cognitive structure for evaluating career alternatives, clarify expectation and plan interventions, and to establish the range of abilities

Career Assessment § Personality § MBTI § Interests § SII, Career Assessment Inventory, SDS, Kuder OIS, Kuder GIS, Jackson VI § Abilities and Skills § ASVAB, DAT, CISS § Values Scale, Salience Inv, Minnesota Importance Qu § Career Decision Process § Career Dec Scale, My Vocational Situation, Assessment of Career Decision Making, CDM-Self efficacy, CDM-Difficulties § Career Maturity § CMI, Career Dev Inventory § Integrated system Kuder Career Planning § § Interest inventory Skills assessment Work values inventory Available online § Computer assisted § Discover § SIGI-Plus

MBTI § § Based on Jungian theory Myers and Briggs began developing the test in the early 1940’s to bring Jung’s Personality Theory to the general public on the belief that it could help people in everyday life Has over 50 years of research and development It is the most widely used instrument for understanding normal personality differences.

Uses § § Help people understand themselves and their behaviors appreciate others so as to make constructive use of individual differences make a start with personal development. see that approaching problems in different ways can be healthy and productive for themselves and the groups they belong to or aspire to belong to (family, organization, collaborative teams).

Four dimensions § § Extraversion (E) OR Introversion (I) Sensing (S) OR Intuition (N) Thinking (T) OR Feeling (F) Judging (J) OR Perceiving (P)

Write about this painting

A one year trip § § § Visit the world Stay together 10 million dollars

Strong Interest Inventory § One of most widely used and most researched inventories § Results in six-page profile § Explores general interests, occupational interests, and lifestyle

Validity Check § At least 30 items answered § Infrequent responsesnegative number means should explore why § Administrative indices § Provide distribution on “like, ” “indifferent to, and “Dislike”; the “Yes, ” “? , ” and the “No”; and the left, middle or right choices § Look for extreme response percentages

Interpretation § Begin by discussing Holland codes § Focus on three areas § General Occupational Scales (GOTs) § Basic Interest Scales (BISs) § Occupational Scale (OSs) § While describing GOTs, relate to BISs under each theme § Explore specific OSs

Interpretation (cont) § Total of 211 OSs, 107 for women and 104 for men § Explore occupations with T score of 40 or higher § Personal Styles Scale (cautious) § § Work Style (people vs. ideas, data, things) Learning Environment (academic to practical) Leadership Style (directing vs. persuading) Risk Taking/Adventure (play it safe or take risks)

Scoring, norms, psychometric information § Mean on all scales is 50 and SD = 10 § Test-retest for GOTs from. 84 to. 92 and. 80 to. 94 in BISs § Items chosen that differentiate interests of those in an occupation from the general sample § Separate gender norms are used

Scoring (cont) § 200 individuals for each occupational group § § Satisfied 3 years work experience Perform typical job duties Between 25 and 60 § Cautious interpretation of OSs because scales vary in predictive and concurrent validity § Personal Style Scales are new and have less validity data

Case Study Your team is working with a family who has come in for counseling. They are Mom, Dad, Maternal Grandmother (MG), a daughter, a son, and a male, 14 year old cousin. The cousin’s parents were killed in a car accident over a year ago. The cousin has been in grief counseling and has resolved many of the difficulties related to his parents’ deaths. The boy had been living with his grandparents, who it was deemed, were so strict with him that he would prefer to live with his aunt and uncle. Mom and Dad asked Cousin if he would like to join their family with Daughter (15) and Son (11). They have come to counseling as a family to learn how to purposefully integrate into a new family. You administer the MBTI and come up with the following: Maternal Grandmother: ESTJ Dad: ISTJ Mom: ENFJ Daughter: ESFJ Son: INFP Cousin: E/INTP How might you work with this family to help them learn about themselves, appreciate one another’s uniqueness, predict possible rougher areas, and brainstorm alternative responses to possible rough areas?

1994 School-to-Work Opportunities Act § Stipulated that students should identify career goals prior to entering high school and begin an actual career plan § American School Counselor Association and U. S. Army developed materials available on ASCA’s web

Gender and Racial Issues in Career Assessment

Gender § Differences between men and woman § Interest inventories should use same sex norms § Opportunity dominance vs. socialization dominance – low interest may be a result of experiences and opportunities so low interest scores should be explored

Ethnic and Cultural Differences § Culturally Appropriate Model § Culturally encompassing information gathering § Culturally appropriate selection of instruments § Culturally appropriate administration § Culturally appropriate interpretation of assessment data

Legal and Ethical Issues in Assessment Ignorance is no defense

Sources for Ethical Decisions § ACA Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice § Code of Fair Testing Practices in Education § Standards for School Counselor Competence in Assessment and Evaluation § Other Resources

Invasion of Privacy § Informed consent § Relevance

Right to Results § Regardless of scoring mechanism, counselors are responsible to provide appropriate explanations § Must interpret in terms that client can understand

Least Stigmatizing Label § If categories are used, must be described precisely § Sometimes diagnosis is related to treatment and even if counselor is trying to be helpful, it is both illegal and unethical to change a diagnosis

Computerized Assessment § Ethical issues in the use of computerized assessment

Legal Issues in Assessment

Civil Rights Act of 1991 § Griggs v. Duke Power Company § If instrument has an adverse or disparate impact, employer must show that hiring procedures are job related § Brought about stronger focus on validity of employment tests

§ Ban on separate norms § U. S. Employment Services used separate norms for African Americans and Hispanics on GATB § Act said this is illegal

Policies and Procedures for Processing Complaints of Ethical Violations § § § ACA Consult with colleagues Clients can charge Must indicate specific ethics violated Due process

Disabilities Acts § American with Disabilities Act of 1990 § Focus on employment and unemployment testing § Fair measures and assessment procedures needed

§ Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997 § PL 94 -142 § Use variety of tools and strategies, no single procedure, technically sound instruments § Attend to multicultural issues

Family Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 § § § Student right to privacy No release of records without permission Counseling records kept in separate locked cabinet and accessible only to the counselor are not considered part of educational record

§ Without parental permission kids cannot be given psychological testing or treatment that may reveal information concerning mental and psychological problems potentially embarrassing to student or student’s family

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPPA) § Very complicated § Concerns security and privacy of health information § State laws take precedence § If involved with third party payment, HIPPA is involved § Must develop, maintain, and account for disclosures of private client information for 6 years

Truth in Testing § § § New York state Nadar and SAT Mandated that if student asked, copy of questions and correct answers must be provided § Only CA passed similar legislation

Litigation

Test Bias and Placement § Issue is use of intelligence tests with African American students because of discrimination § Larry P. v. Riles (1979)- Judge Peckham bans use of intelligence testing in CA because discriminatory § PASE v. Hannon (1980)– judge ruled opposite way § 1992, Judge Peckham lifts ban

Minimum Competency § Minimum competency – kids graduating from high school and can’t balance check book § Controversy centers on discrimination § Debra P. v. Turlington (1981) in FL

§ Ruling set precedent about need for relationship between curriculum and minimum competency testing § If students not taught material covered on test, students’ Constitutional rights (equal protection and due process) are violated

Right to Privacy § Soroka et al. v. Dayton-Hudson Company (1991) § Target used personality inventory for employment screening § Court ruled that constitutional right to privacy and statutory prohibition against improper inquiries and discriminatory conduct was violated by asking about religious beliefs and sexual orientation