Psychological Testing free essay sample

A paper which studies the issue of psychological assessment of schoolchildren. Psychological and psycho-educational tests are used in schools to help to identify types and bases and the extent of a students learning difficulty or school adjustment problem. The assessment is used to make decisions about students. After defining the term test, the paper stresses the importance of the teacher to understand the test itself, the testing procedure and how to accurately assess the results. The paper also challenges the idea of assessing childrens capabilities purely on the basis of these tests and seeks other alternatives. Teaching to the tests has become a major concern for parents and teachers. Domenech (2000) says that teachers believe that they spend an inordinate amount of time on drills leading to memorization of facts rather than spending time on problem solving and the development of critical and analytical thinking skills. He also mentions the renewal of school phobia in students as a result of the stress of testing on students. We will write a custom essay sample on Psychological Testing or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In addition to the problem of teaching to tests, Gardner (www.ericae.net/edo/ED315429.htm) identifies other common misuses of tests, including ignoring the error of measurement on test scores. He suggests estimating the standard error of measurement and setting up a band within which the true score will fall. He also warns against using a single test score for decision- making.