Philippine Psychology Legislation Quiz

Guidelines

• Guidelines are designed to assist professionals in providing informed and developmentally appropriate services
• Guidelines are aspirational in nature

Legislation in the Philippines

• Republic Act 10029: Philippine Psychology Act of 2009, regulates the practice of psychology and psychometrics in the Philippines
• Republic Act 10029: aims to protect the public from inexperienced or untrained individuals who might offer psychological services
• Republic Act 9258: Guidance and Counseling Act of 2004, professionalizes the practice of guidance and counseling in the Philippines

Definition of Psychologist

• A "psychologist" is a person who holds a valid certificate of registration and a valid professional identification card issued by the Professional Regulatory Board of Psychology and the Professional Regulation Commission

Definition of Psychometrician

• A "psychometrician" is a person who holds a valid certificate of registration and a valid professional identification card as a psychometrician issued by the Professional Regulatory Board of Psychology and the Professional Regulation Commission

Psychometrician Authorization

• Authorized to perform psychological tests under the supervision of a licensed professional psychologist

Guidance Counselor Definition

• A "guidance counsellor" is a person who has been registered by the Professional Regulatory Board of Guidance and Counseling and has been issued a valid Certificate of Registration and a valid Professional Identification Card by the Professional Regulation Commission
• Qualified to perform the functions of guidance and counseling as defined in Section 3 of RA 9258

Laws, Ethics, and Standards of Care

• Laws are rules individuals must obey for the good of society
• Ethics are a body of principles of right conduct
• A Code of Professional Ethics defines the standard of care expected of members of a profession
• Standard of care is the level of service a reasonable professional would provide under similar conditions

Public Concerns About Psychological Testing

• Public misunderstanding of the assessment enterprise has led to criticisms, fear, anger, legislation, litigation and administrative regulations

Sources of Public Concern

• Post World War I: professional and non-professional individuals adapted group tests developed by the military for civilian use
• 1969: an article in Harvard Educational Review claimed genetic factors contribute to intelligence differences, raising public concern about testing
• 1970s: numerous states enacted minimum competency testing programs for various aspects of students' education
• 1980s: Truth-in-testing legislation was passed at the state level to give test takers information about the criteria by which they are being judged

Truth-in-testing

• Provides descriptions of the test's purpose, subject matter, knowledge and skills measured, procedures for ensuring accuracy in scoring, procedures for notifying test takers of errors, and procedures for ensuring confidentiality

Legislation Affecting the Assessment Enterprise

• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has published guidelines on standards to be met in constructing and using employment tests.

Litigation

• Litigation serves as a stimulus to the creation of new legislation
• Litigation is sometimes referred to as "judge-made law"

Professional Concerns and APA Involvement

• 1895: The American Psychological Association (APA) formed its first committee on mental measurement
• 1906: APA formed a committee on measurement to study issues and problems
• 1916 and 1921: APA sponsored symposia on the uses of tests
• 1954: APA published Technical Recommendations for Psychological Tests and Diagnostic Tests, setting forth testing standards
• 1955: The National Education Association, in collaboration with the National Council on Measurement, published technical recommendations for achievement tests

Test User Qualifications

• Level A: Tests administered, scored, and interpreted with the aid of the manual and general orientation
• Level B: Tests requiring technical knowledge of test construction and use, knowledge of supporting psychological and educational fields
• Level C: Tests requiring substantial understanding of testing and supporting psychological fields, supervised experience

Code of Fair Testing Practices in Education

• Sets standards in 4 areas: developing/selecting tests, interpreting scores, striving for fairness, and informing test takers

APA Model Psychologist Licensing Law

• Includes no definition of psychological testing

Testing People with Disabilities

• Challenges include: Transforming the test into a form that can be taken, Transforming responses into scorable data, Meaningfully interpreting test data

Computerized Test Administration, Scoring, and Interpretation

• Issues include: access to software, Comparability of pencil-and-paper vs computerized versions, Value of computerized interpretations, Unprofessional, unregulated psychological testing online

Rights of Test Takers

• Right to informed consent: provided with information about the testing and how the data will be used
• Right to be informed of test findings: informed of the nature of the findings in understandable language.
• Right to privacy and confidentiality: protected from disclosure of information except in judicial proceedings
• Right to the least stigmatizing label: reported test results should use the least stigmatizing labels

Resources

• Cohen, R.J.& Swerdlik, M.E.(2018).Psychological Testing & Assessment, 9th edition.McGraw-Hill Education, New York

• Kaplan, R.M.& Saccuzzo, D.P.(2018).Psychological Testing : Principles, Applications, & Issues, 9th edition.Cengage Learning, Boston, MA