Administration and Scoring Errors Made by Graduate Students on the DAS-II

Year: 2024

Issue: Vol. 40 Issue. 2

Title: Administration and Scoring Errors Made by Graduate Students on the DAS-II

Citation: Oak, E., Viezel, K., Dumont, R., & Willis, J. O. (2024) Administration and Scoring Errors Made by Graduate Students on the DAS-II. School Psychology Training and Pedagogy, 40 (2), 22-43. 

Abstract: The study of errors on cognitive assessments committed by both students and practitioners continues to be an area of interest to the field today to promote best practices, ensure accurate results, and in inform graduate programs in how to reduce common errors. The literature overwhelmingly supports the notion that students and practitioners make errors on cognitive assessments, regardless of assessment type or experience in the field. No previous studies have examined the errors committed by graduate students on the Differential Ability Scales – Second Edition (DAS-II). 257 protocols completed by graduate students were examined, and it was found that protocols contained between 0 and 15 errors, with 75% of the protocols having between 0 and 5 errors. 89% of protocols examined had at least one error. The subtests Pattern Construction and Recall of Sequential Order appeared especially problematic, with around 50% of the protocols displaying errors. Of the top ten most common errors, six of the errors occurred in subtests of memory span and working memory. Interestingly, when compared to studies of other cognitive assessments, the DAS-II had comparatively fewer issues with students recording responses verbatim. The results of this study strongly suggest that graduate programs training students on cognitive assessment provide substantial feedback and additional training on more complex and potentially problematic subtests. With Pearson’s recent release announcement of the DAS-II NU for May 2023, the study of errors on this assessment continues to be important for students and practitioners. 

Keywords: DAS, differential ability scales, errors, assessment, training

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