A SURVEY OF ASSESSMENT PROFESSIONALS IN THE US - TESTING CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

A national survey of assessment professionals in the US was conducted to ascertain who was testing special education students, who were bein g tested and which tests were being used. Based on 1059 returned surve ys, the following statements can be made. Four groups (teachers, speci alists, psychologists and speech therapists) generally administer the tests. As an average, three-quarters of these individuals have at leas t a master's degree; two-thirds are over 35 years of age; they have ta ken five assessment courses; and assess about 67 children each year. T wo out of three children tested are male, regardless of the handicappi ng category, and almost two out of three are between the ages of 6 and 14 years although there is a trend to test more preschool children. P sychologists and speech therapists use more different tests than teach ers and specialists. Some widely used tests are utilized primarily by one of the four groups while others are shared by two or three groups. The most widely used tests are discussed in terms of their technical adequacy and other relevant characteristics.