Benchmark – Using Normed, Valid, and Reliable Tests to Guide Decision-Making

In today’s educational environment, it is paramount that school counselors use high quality assessments such as ACT, SAT, and other standardized tests to guide decision-making. Assessment data is necessary to provide data to assist with decisions related to each student’s educational journey.

Reflecting on your previous courses, practicums, and internships, as well as your readings and research, write a 1,000-1250-word analysis that addresses the following:

• Briefly describe the historical influences concerning the use of assessment and testing in school counseling.
• Explain how data obtained from these assessments can be used to advocate for student needs and various programs.
• Explain the role of school counselors in administering high-quality assessment tools and how you would interpret and explain the results to your students. 
• Explain how the school counselor would access valid and reliable research to identify high-quality tests that are appropriate for their assessment needs.
• Compare normed and criterion-referenced assessments in both structure and implementation.
• Explain the importance of normative groups to test the creation process and why normed tests are important in the field of school counseling.
• Discuss how quality pre- and post-tests and assessments (including curriculum design, skills-based lessons, or interventions) can guide the decision-making process for school counselors by justifying the validity and reliability of the research.
• Explain social and cultural considerations that can arise in standardized testing.

Support your analysis with three to five scholarly resources.