What is the current evidence about how best to train school (educational) psychologists in dynamic assessment?
We have some discussion regarding training in current texts, but I am not aware of actual research that has generated any data.
I'm a school psychologist doctoral student, and I've never heard of DA. What is it? :)
Dear Carol,
I did the same conclusion as yours. I have some empirical data concerning training courses I created and gave (for psychologists and teachers). But, unfortunately it is not fit for publication.
Dear Courtney, DA = Dynamic Assessment.
Thanks Stephanie. Perhaps this will stimulate some research.
Courtney: there is a ton of information on the internet and I have a number of articles on this website that will inform you. Please take a look at these. (DA: Dynamic Assessment)
Prof. Lidz, we know that the language ability in DA is not static. It is dynamic since it is assessed from a progress perspective. Statistically speaking, can we use the FACETS to measure this ability?
What about its predictive ability in this case. I read Lantolf paper on predictive validity. Still. Still, I think the argument is groundless.
Now we are on turf that is weak for me. I would refer you back to Lantolf and Poehner.
Sorry not to be more helpful. One or both may actually be active on this site.
I have some unpublished work on this, practising school psychologists were able to develop DA skills well, the biggest challenge was to break out of their "training" to be passive, rather than active in assessment, but when given permission they were able to do it well. These were school psychologists who had been teachers prior to a change in career, so they had existing teaching skills and were able to access these spontaneously. The other key factor is how well the psychologist knows the pathway of development of whatever it is they are assessing, so in curriculum-based assessment this depends on the content knowledge of the assessor.
In my experience teaching psychologists in the past few years in NZ I have been teaching DA as part of Assessment, and many students are able to incorporate it, with clear demarcation, after consideration of the purpose of the assessment and what approach, static or dynamic might best access the information needed. Some are ready for it and able to incorporate DA, usually teachers, while others are nowhere near being able to consider it.
Hello Jeanette,
I of course remember your dissertation, with very useful information. I wish you would formulate an article about this. When I was trying to encourage and 'train' the psychologists on my own team, I found the same phenomenon that you mentioned: difficulty breaking out of the neutral examiner mode. Any written information I provided to try to guide them was treated like instructions for the WISC! One type of data collection that might be promising could be to run focus groups for those who are being introduced to DA-following their training and attempts to put it into practice.
It is lovely to have a conversation with you Carol,
I use a lot of your work in my teaching. My students find it very easy to engage with, so thank you. This conversation might just get me going to publish this research and do some more. I do agree about scripts. DA has to come from within the assessor - it can't be scripted, since we have to respond to what we perceive the needs are at any particular moment. Thanks for the inspiration generated by asking this question.
Jeanette
I'll be watching for your publication to add to the DA reference list!
Warm wishes.
Hi Carol,
I did a bit of work training Speech and Language therapists to carry out DA of language using tools that we developed (paper submitted). The therapists were receptive to the idea of breaking away from traditional styles of testing with standardised language tests, and do have good facilitation skills from thir clinical work. They were given only brief training, and there was considerable variation in the group. Predictably they were able to follow the scripted parts more easily than they were able to introduce individualised mediation, and a longer period of training with video examples was definitely indicated.
Thanks Natalie. I'll look forward to reading your article. As I have observed, speech therapists have been a whole lot more receptive to DA than my fellow school psychologists. My next question, I guess, should be how we get these folks on board, to loosen their grip on their IQ tests?! I think the support of use of video training is important.
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