APA Task Force Convened on Test User Qualifications Jan 97

APA convened a task force to address the issue of test user qualifications. Exactly who is qualified to administer, score and/or interpret which tests and to what purpose is not delineated by APA but is a burning issue in many areas of testing. The task force, a joint Science and Practice effort, was established to address the issue on behalf of the association, and could lead to the adoption of a policy that could assist APA members and others.

The task force met for the first time in October, 1996 and adopted the following charges:

Task Force On Test User Qualifications

Acting in the public interest to advance test user competencies

Charges:

1. To review and summarize the results of previous efforts to develop guidelines on test user qualifications (e.g. TUQWoG, BPS, CPA);

2. To extend this prior work to address the issues of assessment context, purpose and specific application as critical variables in the definition/description of test user qualifications;

3. To describe the set of knowledges and skills necessary for psychologists to administer, score and interpret assessment instruments in a competent and responsible manner that best serves the interests of the public;

4. To develop a set of guidelines to be adopted by APA in order to:

a. inform psychologists of the knowledge and skills required in the responsible conduct of assessment;

b. influence the curriculum of graduate training programs;

c. assist test publishers in determining appropriate qualifications of test users;

d. inform the public about appropriate test user qualifications;

e. inform regulatory, disciplinary, accrediting, and credentialing bodies (e.g. ethics committees, accreditation committees, licensing boards) about test user qualifications to assist in their development of standards, regulations or guidelines.

The task force is comprised of APA members who fulfilled specific areas of expertise, identified by APA's Board and Council as relevant to the project: clinical psychology, industrial/organizational psychology, school psychology, counseling psychology, educational psychology, forensic psychology, and neuropsychology. Leaetta Hough-Dunnette was appointed to the task force to cover the industrial/organizational area. The task force's next meeting is scheduled for January, 1997.