
A Brief Commentary on High Stakes Testing in the age of Covid-19
As a clinical psychologist in the age of this pandemic, one thing I’ve realized is, the necessary “shutting down” of many aspects of our society
The airline industry has an outdated and fatalistic model for improving safety of airplanes. Every major aircraft has a “fight data recorder,” known colloquially as “the black box.” When an aircraft has an incident of any significant degree, this data recorder is recovered and analyzed. Contained within this device is crucial information on the plane’s functioning in the hours, minutes, and seconds before it malfunctioned. Yes, the ultimate result is improved safety for future aircraft, yet, could the airplane have been critically analyzed prior to a catastrophe? The answer is an emphatic yes, but this would cost the airline industry millions of dollars and an overhaul to the existing safety system, something airlines have heretofore resisted. Sadly, the field of psychological assessment has some striking parallels.
Much like the archaic “black box” system, traditional psychoeducational assessments are sought when major problems are have already occurred:
The list goes on and on. In most cases, by the time a student enters a psychologist’s office for an assessment they have encountered a detrimental life event. Academic probation or suspension, a major depressive episode, social isolation, or low scores on tests like the GRE, LSAT, MCAT, and GMAT, to name a few… Much like the professionals who go back and analyze a black box and piece together the data that explains a tragedy, psychologists are often left thinking, “Had they only had an assessment when they first began noticing symptoms…”
The psychologists of CheckIt Assessment Solutions seek to replace the archaic model of “black box” psychological assessment with a proactive model that staves off catastrophe. Certainly, we will assess students during and after a crisis, but our hope is to encourage high performing students to seek an assessment prior to a “bombed” semester or lackluster performance on an entrance exam. Our psychologists possess the most up to date assessment tools, an efficient system for conducting evaluations and writing them up, and a sophisticated methodology that uncovers problems before they result in a physical, emotional, or academic crash.
If your studying has become inefficient, if you are losing focus in class, if you are missing classes when you never have before, if you are losing motivation to continue your hard work – don’t wait! At the first sign your performance is slipping then call us, explain your issue, and schedule a psychoeducational assessment.
As a clinical psychologist in the age of this pandemic, one thing I’ve realized is, the necessary “shutting down” of many aspects of our society
Often, young college students appear anxious, depressed, and their grades suffer. Family members are left scratching their heads and asking, “Why is my child, who
Finishing a degree, whether for undergraduate studies or a post graduate program, is among the greatest challenges many of us face in our lifetimes. While
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