JCTP Seeks Comments on Test Taker Rights and Responsibilities
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| Patti Harrison, PhD, Professor and Assistant Dean, University of Alabama, discusses the use of the Statement with school-age children. |
On October 11-12, the Joint Committee on Testing Practices (JCTP) was greeted with support and constructive recommendations at its first conference to review the draft statement on Test Taker Rights and Responsibilities. The conference was held at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's national office in Rockville, MD, and included invited speakers and participants from a wide range of testing backgrounds. JCTP will incorporate comments from testing professionals and other members of the public and should have a final version of the statement in late 1997.
The October conference was the first in a series of forums held to solicit comments on how the statement might be used in a range of testing situations. The purpose of the statement is to inform and educate test takers and others involved in testing so that tests are used appropriately and validly.
Psychologists Kurt Geisinger, PhD, and William Schafer, PhD, are cochairs of a JCTP working group that has been developing the statement on test taker rights and responsibilities since 1993. In addition to APA, current members of the JCTP are the American Counseling Association, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the National Association of School Psychologists, and the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME).
At the conference, speakers and members of the audience addressed issues ranging from the use of the statement in educational, organizational, and clinical settings to legal and civil rights considerations. Highlights included the following:
- Bert Green, Jr., PhD, Professor of Psychology at Johns Hopkins University and a member of the AERA/APA/NCME Joint Committee that is revising the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing, discussed test taker rights in employment settings. Although many organizations require that job candidates take a preemployment test, most organizations do not provide test takers with information about the purpose of the test. Dr. Green noted that certain situations will require varying degrees of pre-knowledge of the test, and he encouraged the working group to elaborate on this in the final statement.
- Howard Kallem (U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights) discussed civil rights issues related to the statement, including the testing of individuals with disabilities.
- Lloyd Bond, PhD (University of North Carolina, Greensboro), also a member of the Joint Committee that is revising the Standards, addressed fairness issues surrounding the draft statement.
- A four-member panel appointed by the Association of Test Publishers discussed the statement's potential use by the test publishing community. The panel expressed support for the group's effort to demystify the testing process and foster a more interactive relationship between test taker and test user.
- Psychologist and attorney Donald Bersoff, PhD, JD, wrapped up the conference with an analysis of the legal issues relevant to the statement. He reemphasized that the statement is meant to inspire improvements in the testing process and does not have the force of law. He also noted that state and national laws will always supersede any rights and responsibilities contained in this document.
For a copy of the complete statement, contact Heather Roberts, PhD, in the Science Directorate.
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