by Rochelle Shotwell, M.A., CCC-SLP
DURING THESE ECONOMIC TIMES, it is not surprising that all institutions are cutting budgets and reassessing expenses. Given the economic reality, how can school, clinic and private practice Speech Language Pathologists (SLP) possibly re-place standardized tests every time a new version comes into print? This is a common issue among those who participate on special education teams.
Standardized tests are expensive to purchase.
Typically, a battery of tests is needed to complete an evaluation of students who are not reading, speaking, writing or
comprehending successfully in the classroom. Test forms are copyrighted and costly. When a new edition of a test is published, the SLP is often left with unused protocols.
Test revisions are made for a variety of reasons based on updated research, norma-tive data, changes in population, and other factors. Of course, it is always best to use the most recent version of any assessment, but how soon and when does this become an issue? Using an outdated test may lead to the SLP being seen as less competent, resulting in a team, physician, or parent questioning the validity of the results.
Answers to Questions
The following ideas are those set forth by The American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA) as a guideline for ethical practice. Answering the following questions may assist decision-makers in the determination for new purchases.
What is the purpose of the assessment?
If it is to initially qualify a student for services, using the most recent edition is advised. If intervention goals are being written,
gathering data from a variety of sources may be appropriate and the edition would not be as crucial.
How is the new version different?
If the norms are the same and the reliability remains valid, but the new version has color pictures instead of black and white images, it
may be appropriate to use an older version. Using the most recent version of a different test along with subtests from an older tool may lead to a more complete
picture with results from both explained in the assessment report.
Although ASHA allows the clinician to determine the needs of a student and make the decision regarding this issue, there are some definite suggestions to be considered:
-
Never use an outdated test because it is more convenient.
-
The Evaluation Report MUST state the reason for using an older version of the test and explain how the results are appropriate in the circumstance. This information needs to accompany any report where these results are included.
-
It is better to use a more recent test
in its entirety and report subtests from an older version of an outdated test, than to give only the outdated test results. -
Once the protocols for a test edition are no longer available for purchase, it
is time to discontinue use of that test edition.
Rochelle Shotwell is PSI’s Clinical Coordinator for Therapy Services. Contact her at rochelleshotwell@psi-solutions.org.