Ethical and Multicultural Considerations in Assessment - Essay Example

? ETHICAL AND MULTICULTURAL CONSIDERATIONS IN ASSESSMENT Your School of Engineering, Social Sciences, etc Number and of Course Instructor's Name Date of Paper Abstract The paper shall present the importance of the ACA Code of Ethics in order to enhance the quality of life in society by promoting the development of professional counselors, advancing the counseling profession, and using the profession and practice of counseling to promote respect for human dignity and diversity. The specific provisions of the ACA Code of Ethics shall be used as a guideline to resolve the issues in the given problem and applying the Ethical and Multicultural Considerations in Assessment. Keywords: Ethical Consideration, Multicultural Consideration, Assessment, Counseling, Competencies. Ethical and Multicultural Considerations in Assessment Professional counselors are often exposed to interactions with a culturally diverse population in their line of work. This diversity usually has implications on the counselors’ programs and services, as their approaches vary from one culture to another. “One of the fundamental counseling process tasks is assessment. This task entails that counselors are more likely to find themselves serving clients with different cultures and ethical backgrounds. Two important concerns in multicultural assessment include the validity of universal psychological constructs or concepts, and the results of an incorrect diagnosis due to a lack of awareness of cultural-based factors” (Stewart, 2002). Case Study: Maria, a Kindergarten Student Maria, is a kindergarten student who migrated with her parents to the United States from Costa Rica a month ago. Maria cannot speak the English language. Since the school district is undersized, the kindergarten teachers usually conduct informal kindergarten readiness assessments. However, Maria’s teacher only feels comfortable in conducting these assessments in English. She failed to assess Maria because the teacher did not want to converse in Spanish, the native language of Maria. She is apprehensive on whether Maria is ready for kindergarten because of Maria’s behavior of whimpering during school days and lack of social skills. The teacher seeks the advice of the school counselor on how to assess Maria’s level of academic and emotional development.  Errors Committed by the Teacher I. Teacher not performing assessment in Spanish, the native language of the student who cannot converse in English.  ACA Code of Ethics provides: “E.8. Multicultural Issues Diversity in Assessment Counselors use with caution assessment techniques that were normed on populations other than that of the client. Counselors recognize the effects of age, color, culture, disability, ethnic group, gender, race, language preference, religion, spirituality, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status on test administration and interpretation, and place test results in proper perspective with other relevant factors” (ACA Code of Ethics, 2005). The teacher should be aware that Maria is a non-English speaking student who only knows how to converse in her native language which is Spanish. The teacher should have conducted the assessment in a language known by Maria. Instead, she still acted according to her whims and caprices by her preference for the English language in conducting assessments. Hence, the result of her assessment is inaccurate for failure to comply with the basic requirement of assessment of the student. She must also bear in mind that Maria came from a foreign land. And such being the case, the teacher must be able to identify and understand the cultural background and experiences of the student and avoid making biases. “Without this knowledge, counselors may be unable to diagnose problems, develop counseling goals, and plan and assess interventions designed to help clients overcome their presenting concerns” (Steven, 2002). II. Lack of training and sensitivity in working with a child from a different culture than the teacher. ACA Code of Ethics asserts: “E.5.b. Cultural Sensitivity Counselors recognize that culture affects the manner in which clients’ problems are defined. Clients’ socioeconomic and cultural experiences are considered when diagnosing mental disorders” (ACA Code of Ethics, 2002). Culturally skilled counselors understand how race, culture, ethnicity, and so forth may affect personality formation, vocational choices, manifestation of psychological disorders, help seeking behavior, and the appropriateness or inappropriateness of counseling approaches” (AMCD Multicultural Counseling Competencies). The teacher must be able to fully understand the cultural history, background, behavior and attitude exhibited by Maria, who was born and raised in a foreign land. She must reach out to Maria and analyze what could have been the factors affecting the child’s attitude and behavior. III. Lack of informed consent. The child’s parents must be consulted regarding the assessment and the concerns that of the readiness regarding Maria for kindergarten.  ACA Code of Ethics states: “E.3. Informed Consent in Assessment E.3.a. Explanation to Clients Prior to assessment, counselors explain the nature and purposes of assessment and the specific use of results by potential recipients. The explanation will be given in the language of the client (or other legally authorized person on behalf of the client), unless an explicit exception has been agreed upon in advance. Counselors consider the client’s personal or cultural context, the level of the client’s understanding of the results, and the impact of the results on the client” (ACA Code of Ethics 2005). Here, there was failure on the part of the teacher to apprise Maria’s parents of her current class standing and her behavior in school and towards the people around her. Maria, who is a minor, at her tender years age, cannot fully comprehend the situation she is into, particularly of the fact that she is in a foreign land and is still undergoing an adjustment stage before she can really fit in her new school. It is the responsibility of the teacher to make the Maria feel comfortable so that she will get accustomed to her new environment. Conclusion According to Steven: “Assessment includes direct counselor observation and evaluation of the client, asking questions, reading client journals and writings, and other methods of gathering background history and assessing current functioning. Assessment, as it is used in this paper, does not include the use of standardized tests, nor does it involve classifying individuals into diagnostic categories. Simply put, from a cultural perspective there are three tasks of assessment: assessing the client's beliefs, assumptions and world-view, understanding the client's ethnic or cultural group, and using a combination of approaches to understand the dimensions of the presenting concern”(Steven, 2002). Furthermore, it is the responsibility of the teacher to inculcate core values of integrity, honesty and respect among their students who have classmates from different cultures and family backgrounds. In order to do this, the teacher must exercise extreme caution to study cultures, history backgrounds, behavior patterns of the students in order to arrive at the correct assessment or prognoses and must not limited herself to what she has been accustomed too. References American Counseling Association (ACA) Code of Ethics. (2005). As approved by the ACA Governing Council 2005 American Counseling Organization. Retrieved on 19 March 2011, from http://www.cacounseling.org/codeofethics.pdf AMCD Multicultural Counseling Competencies. Retrieved on 19 March 2011, from http://www.counseling.org/Resources/Competencies/Multcultural_Competencies.pdf Association For Assessment in Counseling.(2003). Standards for Multicultural Assessment. Sedlacek, William E. (1994). Assessment and Diagnosis: Issues in Advancing Diversity Through Assessment. Journal of Counseling and Development. Volume Number 72, Stewart, J. B. (2002). Using the Culture Grid in Culture-Centred Assessment. Guidance & Counseling, 18(1), 10. Retrieved from EBSCO host. Read More