Ethical, Legal, and Professional Foundations

Ethical Principles and Standards for Practice

100

To save the expense of purchasing a new test form, a chief school administrator asks a certified school psychologist to administer a six-year-old form of an achievement test that was purchased because it agreed with the curriculum of the school district at that time. Considering the situation and the National Association of School Psychologists’ (NASP’s) Principals for Professional Ethics, the school psychologist should a)administer the outdated form but use new norms b)ask that at least a few copies of the new form be administered for comparison c)Insist on administering only the most recent form of the test d)Recommend that the assessment be cancelled e)Administer the outdated form

The best answer is C. NASP's Principles for Professional Ethics IVb2 requires that " [s]chool psychologists insist on collecting relevant data for an evaluation that includes the use of valid and reliable instruments and techniques that are applicable and appropriate for the student." Choice A is inappropriate because the agreement between the old form and the current curriculum is unknown. Choice B would be inappropriate for all students who took the old form if it turned out that the forms measured different constructs. Choice D would not address the school district's assessment needs, and choice E violates the NASP principle.

200

When conflicts between ethics and law occur, school psychologists take steps to resolve the conflict through positive, respected and legal channels. If not able to resolve the conflict in this manner, they may abide by the law, as long as the resulting actions do not violate A) confidentiality B) basic human rights C) your own personal beliefs D) your right to have a positive work environment

B.

300

A few months after Carey Johnson was hired as the school psychologist in a rural school district, the district superintendent of schools asked to meet with her. During this meeting, he said, "you'll be working closely with the principal at Pine Lake. Rumor has it he drinks a lot on the job. He's been caught twice and fined for driving while intoxicated. I think he's nuts, and we've got to get rid of him. Keep notes on what he says and does. I want a report later." How should Carey handle this situation?

Both APA and NASP required members to monitor the ethical conduct of their professional colleagues. Both associations support attempts to resolve concerns informally before filing a complaint. The NASP's code states that practitioners should "attempt to resolve suspected detrimental or unethical practice on an informal level." They "make every effort to discuss the ethical principles with other professionals who may be in violation." Psychologists document specific instances of suspected violations as well as attempts to resolve such violations."

400

Do schools have to provide copies of test protocols to parents?

Rarely, in most states. One of the more controversial issues regarding the release of school psychologists' records concerns the actual copying of test protocols for parents, other professionals or attorneys. The act of photocopying would seem contrary to copyright laws; the release of test questions and responses would seem to compromise test security. Further, professionals are ethically bound to prevent "misuse" of data by unqualified individuals. While there may be pressure to comply with such requests, federal laws require release of copies of test protocols only under specific and unusual circumstances.

500

Tamera Jones, a high school English teacher, referred a 15-year-old student, Brenda, to the school psychologist for a precounseling screening. Mrs. Jones is concerned because Brenda's grades have declined markedly, and although she has discussed this with Brenda's parents, she sees no improvement. Michelle Morrison, the school psychologist, meets with Brenda and explains both confidentiality and its limits at the onset of their meeting. She also explains to Brenda that if they decided to work together, she will need the consent of Brenda's parents for their counseling sessions. Brenda, visibly quite shaken, explains that she has been sexually active and thinks she might be pregnant. She is afraid to tell her parents. If Brenda's pregnancy is confirmed, must the school inform her parents that she is pregnant?

Arnold v. Board of Education of Escambia (1990) indicates there is no federal law requiring school personnel to notify parents of a pregnancy. However, practitioners must be familiar with state law and district policy regarding parental notification when an unemancipated minor is pregnant. Except for situations in which disclosure to the parent might mean more harm to the student than nondisclosure, a student should be encouraged to disclose the pregnancy to the parent. In some circumstances, it may be necessary for the school to inform the parent about the pregnancy to ensure the student's health and well-being.

Legal Issues Related to the Practice of School Psychology

100

According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act, which of the following must an educational agency do before it changes the educational placement of a child with a disability? A) Give the child a trial period in the new environment. B) Notify the parents in writing. C) Obtain school board approval. D) Conduct a hearing. E) Obtain parental consent

B. Any change proposed for the child's placement requires written notice to the parents but not necessarily parental consent.

200

The decisions in Tarasoff v. Board of Regents of California (1974, 1976) establishes which of the following principles regarding confidentiality in counseling relationships? A) Duty to warn and protect B) Responsibility to maintain privacy C) Need to obtain informed consent D) Need to maintain accurate records E) Duty to limit access to student records

A. Choices B through E are good ethical practices but were not decided in the Tarasoff case.

300

Today, nonbiased assessment is both an ethical and a ______ mandate?

legal

400

This Bill applies to students who are exhibiting serious behavior problems, defined as: Self-injurious or assaultive behaviors, behaviors causing property damage which could lead to suspension/expulsion, behavior problems that are pervasive and maladaptive and require systemic frequent use of behavior interventions for which instructional behavior interventions outlined in the IEP have not been successful. Or a behavioral emergency, defined as: serious behavior problems not previously observed, when Behavior Intervention Plan has not been effective, or a behavior was previously unidentified.

What is The Hughes Bill (A.B. 2586)

500

Within how many days of receiving the Due Process notice are both parties to a Due Process Hearing obligated by law to meet and discuss the issues and the facts that form the complaint? A) 5 days B)10 days C) 15 days D) 20 days

C) 15 days within receiving the Due Process notice, both parties to a Due Process Hearing are obligated by law to meet and discuss the issues and the facts that form the complaint. The school system is given the opportunity to resolve the complaint through Dispute Resolution unless the parents and the school system agree in writing to waive this meeting or to use mediation. A Due Process hearing will be held within 20 days of the receipt of the notice.

Professional Foundations

100

According to NASP's "Position Statement on Supervision in School Psychology," which of the following is most accurate concerning supervising school psychologists of a school district? A) They need only provide supervision to school psychologists who are not fully certified or licensed, and to school psychology interns (if any). B) They should provide professional, but not administrative, supervision. C) They should be eligible to serve as supervisors after one year of experience as a school psychologist. D) They should hold the NCSP credential or the state school psychologist credential. E) They should provide all supervision on a face to face basis.

D. NASP indicates that it is essential that all school practitioners have access to knowledgeable professional supervision, thus eliminating choice A. The NASP Position Statement states that supervision should include both professional and administrative supervision (thus eliminating choice B) and that supervisors should have at least 3 years experience as a school psychologist (thus eliminating choice C). Finally, the NASP Position Statement calls for multiple avenues and methods of supervision (thus eliminating choice E).

200

Arnold Gesell is significant to the history of school psychology because he A) Identified four major periods of cognitive development B) Established the ethical standards of NASP C) Developed a version of the Thematic Apperception Test appropriate for use with children D) Devised a prototypical normative assessment of infants and young children E) Developed a test of general intelligence that is still in widespread use

D. The other choices are not contributions Gesell made.

300

A seven year old arrived in the US one year ago from a none-English-speaking country, where she achieved high scores in reading. Over the year, she has become fluent in social English. After a few months in a monolingual English second grade, her teacher refers her for evaluation because she has great difficulty with the basal reader in the class. Two English proficiency tests administered to the student show that she performs above the mean for monolingual English grade peers in speaking and listening, but well below their mean in reading and writing. She also performs well above the mean for grade peers on reading tests in her native language. Based on this information alone, which of the following is the most accurate interpretation question? A) Continued use of the student's native language in her home environment is interfering with her development of English. B) The student's reading difficulty is an early indicator that she will have increased academic problems as her course work requires more reading. C) The discrepancy between the student's English social language and reading skills is expected given the richer context in which social skills are acquired. D) The discrepancy between the student's native language, reading skills and English reading skills is related to the greater complexity of English. E) The discrepancy between the student's reading skills in her native language and English indicates she will not be able to transfer native language skills to English.

C. Context-imbued second-language skills are acquired before context-reduced second-language skills. According to bilingual theory, the development of a common underlying proficiency through the development of first-language skills should help the child's English acquisition, eliminating choices A and D. The changing nature of the student's proficiencies eliminates both choice B and choice E.

400

A ten-year-old student who was born in a non-English-speaking country has been referred as a possible candidate for special education services on the basis of low scores achieved on the school district's group achievement test. The student has achieved high scores on the district's English fluency test. Of the following approaches to diagnostic assessment, the most appropriate would be the one that A) uses an interpreter who is fluent in the language of the country in which the student was born B) uses the results of at least two English-language intelligence tests C) accounts for sociocultural and adaptive behavior in the process of identifying skills and abilities D) include parent interviews and classroom observations as well as the results of an intelligence test E) bases the diagnosis on the classroom observations

C. Fluency in English should be no more an issue for this student than for any other student who scores well on the English fluency test, eliminating choices A and B. Without knowing which services the child might be referred for, the intelligence test (choice D) might not be appropriate. Classroom observations (choice E) are also not likely to be sensitive to variables related to achievement deficits. On the other hand, the low scores might reflect motivational factors or other intervening factors related to cultural differences, and the adaptive measures and sociocultural assessment might provide a more balanced perspective of the student.

500

School psychologists participate in continuing education activities at a level consistent with maintenance of the NCSP credential with a minimum of ______ hours of professional development per year.

25