Writing Interpretive Reports meaningful useful suggestions Overview l

Writing Interpretive Reports meaningful & useful suggestions

Overview l Personal Growth l Career Counseling l For Other Professionals l Diagnostic Purposes l General Principles

Personal Growth l Create a comprehensive picture of the individual l Relate the test scores to all relevant background information l Lead to practical suggestions, skill development, and compensatory strategies

Career Counseling l Focus on occupational aptitudes and interest l Relate the test scores to the client’s educational and occupational history l Lead the client toward further investigation, goal setting, and decision making

For Other Professionals l Focus on the decision to be made by the other professional l Provide an objective summary of the test results l Relate the test scores to the client’s disposition during testing to establish validity l Limit interpretations and synthesis, report the scores in a more clinical, technical style

Diagnostic Purposes l Typically made by a psychologist, psychiatrist, or multidisciplinary team l Relate the test scores to the client’s disposition during testing to establish validity l Limit interpretations and synthesis to the role of the counselor on the team

General Principles l Ultimately the report format, style, reach, and tone will be determined by: l Who has to make decisions based on the results? l How high are the stakes?

General Principles l Remember that many things influence test scores: l Measurement properties of the test l Cultural factors and client background l The client’s motivation l The client’s experience with other tests l Physical and psychological conditions of the testing l Inherent ability

General Principles l It is always important to comment on and try to establish the degree of validity of the testing situation l However, this section can be very brief if: l The client expressed appropriate behaviors l Took the task seriously l Had no significant distractions or adverse reactions and needed no breaks

General Principles l A valid testing situation is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for strong conclusions l Confine statements to tentative or suggestive language l Do not try to prove or establish fact l Help the client learn and make decisions

SEM and Confidence Intervals l For technically savvy audiences, use the standard error of measurement and confidence interval concepts l For a 95% Confidence Interval l Score + / - (1. 96 * SEM)

SEM and Confidence Intervals l John scored a 97 on an IQ test. l Mean = 100 l SD = 15 l SEM = 3 l What is John’s true IQ?

SEM and Confidence Intervals l We don’t know. l We are 95% confident that John’s true score on this IQ test is between 91 and 103. l If John took this test 100 times, 95 of the intervals we could put around his score would capture his true score.

General Principles l Do not over interpret percentiles l Remember that small changes in T scores near the middle of the distribution can account for relatively large changes in percentiles

General Principles

General Principles l Flat profiles are reasonably likely to occur l It does not necessarily mean something was wrong with the test or examinee motivation l Everything is within the normal range and other indicators are necessary to determine relative strengths and areas for growth

General Principles l Always include a brief description of the purpose for which each test was developed l Briefly describe what each test is intended to measure l Summarize the technical properties of each test

General Principles l Decide on the central message of the report l State it early, and state it again in the summary l Support that message throughout the report with various types of evidence: – Test scores, client background and life experiences, behavioral observations, and client self-disclosures

General Principles l Use carefully chosen adverbs and adjectives to describe behaviors the client might exhibit l Strike a balance between the test scores and other sources of information l Organize and synthesize the information for the reader

General Principles l The test scores themselves may provoke negative reactions for some audiences l Parents may resent or be confused by their child being reduced to “a set of numbers” or “labels” l A simple interpretive summary may be fine

General Principles l It is sometimes helpful to relate the test scores to the client’s: – Past experiences, successes, and failures – Present functioning and life circumstances – Future plans, goals, and life circumstances l Keep a balanced and objective tone l Emphasize both strengths and areas for growth

General Principles l Be aware of how the test scores and the report will be used (or misused) l Be aware of hidden agendas l Sometimes test scores can only hurt someone l Consequential validity of the report

Don’t Ignore Personal Qualities l Personal qualities can be powerful stress buffers and offer compensatory skills – Social connections – Employment history – Life experiences – Common sense – Maturity

Balancing Different Indicators l Playing NCAA Athletics as a freshman

Report Writing Resources l http: //www. msresource. com/format. html l http: //www. msresource. com/theory. html