Samuel O. Ortiz

Cultural Competence in the Use of IQ Tests with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Children

Practitioners routinely use IQ tests to identify exceptionality in children whose cultural and linguistic heritage differs from the U.S. mainstream. Frequently, such activities are devoted to the identification of a disability. Although the issues are quite similar, this article seeks to examine the issues from the perspective of identifying diverse children who may be gifted and talented and outlining the necessary components for cultural competence in this form of assessment. Historical and recent developments in mental testing are discussed as well as research that indicates differences in performance between mainstream individuals and those who are culturally or linguistically different. Additional discussion is provided regarding problems inherent in traditional practices presumed to reflect culturally competent evaluation and methods that have been developed recently that better address the problems that arise in the evaluation of gifted and talented diverse individuals. Following existing professional ethical mandates and guidelines for equitable practice, we outlined a series of competencies that form the basis of fair and equitable assessment of diverse children who may be gifted and talented. These competencies included developing self-awareness, establishing trust and building rapport, learning the family system, rethinking intelligence, modifying referral indicators, evaluating fairly, interpreting equitably, and intervening appropriately. Although not intended to be a complete prescription for engaging in and developing culturally competent assessment, it is believed that the guidelines contained herein can be used effectively to guide practice that represents current best practices in culturally competent gifted and talented assessment.

CHC Theory of Intelligence

This chapter describes the history and development of the Cattell, Horn, Carroll theory currently used to define intelligence and as a foundation for many popular cognitive assessment tools.

Multicultural Issues in School Psychology Practice: A Critical Analysis.

SUMMARY Once thought of largely as a sideline issue, multiculturalism is fast becoming a major topic on the central stage of psychology and practice. That cultural factors permeate the whole of psychological foundations and influence the manner in which the very scope of practice is shaped is undeniable. The rapidly changing face of the U.S. population will only ensure that more and more attention is paid to understanding the dynamic interplay between culture and behavior that forms the core of multiculturalism. Nowhere is this process more evident than in school psychology where another critical component, learning, is brought into the already complicated mix. In the articles contained in this special publication, the various authors attempt to illuminate this process by providing discussions and examples of the profound effect that culture has in the context of school-related psychological endeavors, such as consultation, counseling, and evaluation. They include theoretical considerations regarding evidence-based interventions (Ingraham & Oka, this volume) and assessment (Hitchcock, Sarkar, Nastasi, Burkholder, Varjas & Jayasena, this volume), as well as applied considerations that range from instructional consultation (Lopez, this volume), system/ community interventions (Hatzichristou, Lampropoulou & Lykitsakou, this volume), and bullying intervention (Varjas, Meyers, Henrich, Graybill, Dew, Marshall, Williams, Skoczylas & Avant, this volume), to home-school partnerships (Vazquez-Nuttall, Li & Kaplan, this volume). Clearly, the purpose of this special collection is to advance the somewhat limited research and knowledge-base related to multiculturalism. To that end, these articles are discussed critically with emphasis on both thematic elements that assist in illuminating the dynamics and processes that underlie multicultural school psychology and the various implications for the practice of school psychology with culturally diverse populations.

What Price Prescribing? A Commentary on the Effect of Prescription Authority on Psychological Practice.

The advent of the Department of Defense Psychopharmacology Demonstration Project (PDP) recently brought prescription authority into the realm of psychological practice, thereby creating a new professional role for clinicians. The benefits of prescribing are obvious, but many of the corresponding costs are not. An overview of such costs is presented, including science- and practice-based dilemmas. It is based largely but not exclusively on the experiences of a PDP graduates own attempts to integrate such authority into actual clinical practice.

The Culturally Competent School Psychologist

Whereas advances in modern technology have validated the truism that ours is a small world, there seems little doubt that it has become smaller still as development and access to transportation and communication networks have shrunk the ‘distance’ between human beings all around the globe. And while it may still take a day or so to get half-way around the world physically, news, information, mail, and other types of electronic data now travel with amazing rapidity to all corners of the earth such that it is no exaggeration to describe the connectedness among peoples as representing a true global community. What were once obstacles and limitations in mobility and knowledge have given way to unprecedented opportunities for exploration of and interaction with individuals from countries and cultures quite remote from their own. The natural consequence of bringing people together in one manner or another is an increase in the diversity of populations that heretofore had remained relatively homogenous. Yet with all the positive aspects that diversity brings with it, there are challenges that accompany it as well. Perhaps no other social institution has felt the impact of this change more so than the educational system.

Assessment of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Individuals with the Woodcock–Johnson IV

Abstract Much like its predecessors, the Woodcock–Johnson IV (WJ IV) represents perhaps the most technically sophisticated psychometric batteries available to practitioners and offers a wide range of measurement of cognitive, academic, and linguistic abilities. Fair and equitable assessment of individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse populations with the WJ IV, however, continues to require knowledge and comprehension of the many ways varying levels of English language proficiency and acculturative knowledge acquisition can negatively impact test scores and attenuate overall performance.