AN INVESTIGATION OF SCHOOL-PSYCHOLOGY TRAINING PERTAINING TO BILINGUAL PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF PRIMARILY HISPANIC STUDENTS - 25 YEARS AFTER DIANA V. CALIFORNIA

This study, a survey of 1,507 school psychologists from eight states, found that school psychologists who conduct bilingual psycho-education al assessment do not believe that they have received adequate training . Nearly 70% of the respondents described their training with respect to knowledge of cross-cultural issues involved in bilingual psycho-edu cational assessment as less than adequate. At least 80% stated their l evel of training was less than adequate on the following three compete ncies: (a) knowledge of second language acquisition Factors and their relationship to assessment; (b) knowledge of methods to conduct biling ual psycho-educational assessment; and (c) ability to interpret the re sults of bilingual psycho-educational assessments. The data indicate t hat school psychologists who do conduct bilingual psycho-educational a ssessment are providing service in an area in which they have not rece ived adequate training. In evaluating the school psychology programs f rom which they received their training, respondents identified only on e program that provided adequate training in all four competencies, tw o that provided adequate training in three competencies, and four prog rams that provided adequate training in two competencies. The regressi on analyses indicated that the amount of training provided by school p sychology programs did not differ greatly across the 24 years examined in any of the four competencies. (C) 1997 Society for the Study of Sc hool Psychology. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.