Test Resource Guide Vol II.pdf
This resource, originally published in 1994, consists of reviews of tests and other measures that may be used to obtain information about the preschool child who is suspected of having an educational disability. This volume is one in a series of guides for assessment in the New York City Public Schools.
This document was produced by the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) in 1994 as a review of tests commonly in use in preschool assessment and evaluation at the time. Tests intended for use with preschool aged children are reviewed. Each review contains information reported by the test authors themselves with respect to intended use and psychometric measures. There is also a special comments section regarding the test’s use with special populations and appropriateness of scores based on the impressions of experienced New York City professionals who have used and reviewed the test. The guide makes explicit that inclusion in the review does not mean the New York City Public Schools endorses the test. The user is advised to pay specific attention to the special comments section when considering using a test for assessment purposes.
In addition, the guide discusses the function or preschool assessment with emphases on challenges and the dynamic nature of prescool students. Milestones as a measure of development should be considered within the context of the cultural and socio-economic influences which can affect them. Focus is placed on describing the child’s current functioning and not attempting a prognosis of future learning abilities, considering the variability in skills and development inherent in the individual. Dynamic assessment and use of clinical judgment in assessment are also mentioned as a way of making assessment more holistic and appropriate. The Test Resource Guide also reviews the importance of norms, reliability, validity and test bias in the selection and use of testing materials. Evaluators are instructed to use descriptive information of test performance and to consider the child’s background including culture, family, community and school when assessing second language learners. Finally the limitation of test scores are presented and evaluators are advised to use a multi-dimensional approach with information regarding the child’s performance from multiple sources and in multiple contexts.
