Doctoral Comprehensive Examination Evaluation Policy

 

The purpose of the exam is to evaluate the student's overall understanding and synthesis of concepts related to the advanced knowledge bases of research, assessment, interventions, family-school relations and the neuropsychology of learning disabilities.  Question development and preparation advisement should be done by members of the Comprehensive Exam Committee and be designed to evaluate a broad base of understanding in an area.  The research question may still be more focused on the dissertation needs of the student.

 

Evaluation of responses shall be pass, pass with reservation, or fail.  Any student who fails one of the questions must retake that section of the examination. Any student receiving one or two passes with reservations must contact the appropriate faculty member to arrange for the remediation of the deficiency.  If a student received three or more pass with reservation or two or more fails on questions, the overall evaluation of the written exam must be fail and the full exam must be retaken.  Two failures of the written exam will result in the termination of the student from the program.

 

Students should review the guidelines and standards for responding to comprehensive exam questions provided by the exam committee.

 

Guidelines for Administration of Doctoral Comprehensive Examinations

 

  1. Students are eligible to take the doctoral comprehensive examinations after completing all required coursework, exclusive of the specialty internship and the dissertation.

 

  1. The student will contact their dissertation chair as to when they wish to take the comprehensive examinations.  The dissertation chair will secure questions from the examination committee prior to the test date.  Criteria for each question can be found following these guidelines.

 

  1. The exam consists of five questions, one question on assessment, one on interventions, one on research and statistics, one on family-school relations, and one on the neuropsychology of learning disabilities.  The order of the questions will be determined by the dissertation chair, or (if two or more students are taking the examination simultaneously) by the Doctoral Director. The order of the questions will be announced to the candidates in advance.

 

  1. Two consecutive seven-hour days are allowed for the exams with two questions being given each day.  The research and statistic question is given to the student at the end of the second day as a take-home exam.  The written response to the statistics questions must be returned to the student's dissertation chair no later than one week after the student sits for the other questions.

 

  1. Each exam day is broken into two three and a half hour segments with one question given in the morning and returned to the proctor prior to being given the second question of the day. If a lunch break is desired, it must be taken between questions.  No one should be allowed more than 3 1/2 hours per question or seven hours total writing time.

 

  1. Clean discs are presented to the proctor each day and returned with the hard copies of the student's response after each question is completed.  If a student wishes to handwrite the exam, they may do so.  The student is given the same time frame as a student working on a computer.  The written response needs to be clearly legible.  As soon as the examination is completed, the student hands in the original written response to dissertation chair or designee (usually the Administrative Assistant), who will make a copy of the response.  The student is responsible for having the response word processed and returned electronically to the dissertation chair within one week from the date of the examination. The electronic version of the response can be sent by disc or emailed as an attachment.  Upon receipt of the electronic version of the response, the dissertation chair will ensure that the electronic response matches the hand-written response.  The take-home research examination should be returned in the electronic version only to the dissertation chair.

 

  1. Once the examination is complete, the dissertation chair can elect to either distribute the four responses to the committee for evaluation and then upon receipt of the last question (the take-home research response) forward that one for evaluation or hold all responses until the research response is received to forward to the committee for evaluation.

 

  1. The results of the exam committee's evaluation of the responses should be reported to the dissertation chair within three weeks from receiving the exam materials.  Summer administrations may delay this process in some cases.  The dissertation chair will then notify the doctoral program coordinator and the student of the results. The doctoral program coordinator will send official notice to the student and also inform the graduate school.  

 

  1. Students who reside more than one day's drive from campus may arrange to take the exam at a local university or college under approved supervision (typically a faculty member at an institution of higher education, preferably in a field related to school psychology).  These arrangements should be made through the student's dissertation advisor. 

 

Content Guidelines and Sample Questions

 

Assessment - Dr. Levinson

 

Guidelines: Students can expect that the comprehensive examination question(s) in assessment will be drawn from lectures, readings, and discussions associated with the course EDSP 764, Doctoral Seminar in Assessment, and will target contemporary issues in assessment.  The question(s) will be broad-based, cover several different types of assessment, and may be linked to the student's professional interests, concentration in the program (family or neuropsychology and learning disorders), and/or dissertation topic.  The question may require students to analyze and synthesize assessment research, draw conclusions about current assessment practices, and/or predict future trends in assessment.  Students will be expected to support statements they make by citing relevant professional literature (by name and year).  Though a reference list is NOT required to be attached to the response, students should be able to produce the reference source, if requested to do so.  Students are encouraged to offer their opinions about issues addressed in the question; however, they should be able to cite professional literature to support these opinions.  It is expected that the response will be well written, logically organized, and free of any grammatical, spelling, or typing errors.  To prepare, students should review chapters that deal with assessment in Best Practices in School Psychology - III, and should review recently published articles in school psychology journals that deal with contemporary assessment issues.

 

Sample Question: Identify the advantages and disadvantages of the following types of assessment: Curriculum-based assessment, vocational assessment, and either family assessment or neuropsychological assessment. From a practitioner-oriented perspective, discuss the utility of each of these forms of assessment and the role each may assume in the profession of school psychology in the year 2010.

 

Research – Dr.  Barker

 

Guidelines: This area is covered by the research course sequence (EDSP 616, EDSP 715 & EDSP 716).  Course syllabi (text(s) and bibliographies) should be used as a guide for review reading for this area.  The question will be related to the student's likely dissertation topic area.

 

The response to the Research Question will be evaluated for the ability to:

 

1.      define and explain terms and concepts in the topic area;

2.      discuss the relationship between/among the parts, pieces or components of the topic area;

3.      cite relevant literature by name and year where appropriate (five to ten references are expected);

4.      write well, free of major grammatical, spelling, and other mechanical errors; and

5.      be concise but complete and clearly address each point raised in the question.

 

Sample Question: Discuss the use of analysis of variance in research including the underlying assumptions about the data.  What are the different types of analysis of variance and what are some School Psychology examples of research questions the various types of analysis of variance might be used to help answer?

 

Intervention - Dr. Rafoth &/or Dr. Kovaleski

 

Guidelines: This area is covered in the seminar course in interventions in the schools (EDSP 765).  Rely on the texts for that course and the bibliography for that course as a review reading.  In addition, familiarity with primary journals in the field, (e.g. School Psychology Review, School Psychology Quarterly, Psychology in the Schools, and Journal of School Psychology) will ensure adequate knowledge of current intervention practices.  The question will be broad-based and ask the student to review changes in approaches to intervention, in particular, the role of consultation and other practices which link assessment and intervention.  The student's particular track or topic of dissertation may be highlighted in the question, as well.

 

The student may expect that the following will be evaluated in the response:

 

  1. Ability to synthesize information
  2. Ability to analyze the importance of a variety of research findings and professional viewpoints;
  3. Ability to provide a sense of personal viewpoint within the context of the literature
  4. Ability to cite relevant literature by name and year when appropriate (five to ten references are typical)
  5. Ability to write well, free of major grammatical, spelling, and other mechanical errors.

 

The response should be concise but complete and clearly address each point raised in the question. 

 

Sample Questions:

 

There has been a growing trend toward indirect interventions that deal directly with specific academic and/or behavioral problems through school-based consultation techniques.  Discuss this emphasis on consultation in light of the diagnostic-prescriptive link, a process vs. product orientation in intervention, and the assessment-intervention relationship.

 

Discuss fully current trends in intervention in school psychology, especially consultative approaches which link assessment and intervention.  Explain the particular relevance of such approaches to intervening with students with academic deficits.  In particular, what role can neuropsychology play in the development of school-based academic and behavioral interventions?  Provide specific examples in your discussion.

 

Discuss fully current trends in school psychology regarding intervention services, especially consultative approaches which link assessment and intervention.  How might these trends impact the role of the school psychologist and thereby effect levels of job satisfaction?  Base your response on the research literature as well as your own predictions.

 

Discuss current trends in intervention in school psychology which seem to follow a model that links assessment to intervention in a process orientation which focuses on the student’s eventual achievement as product rather than on initial evaluation results as product.  In particular, what role can the assessment of social and emotional development in the young child and early interventions play in later school success?  Provide specific examples in your response.

 

Neuropsychology of Learning Disabilities - Dr. Rattan &/or Dr. Knickelbein

 

Guidelines: Preparation for this question should be based on the text, references, and materials from the course EDSP 742, Neuropsychology of Learning Disorders.  The student should also be knowledgeable of the current professional literature and research related to the application of neuropsychological theory and assessment to identification and intervention practices with children with learning disorders.  The comprehensive examination question will be related to current issues and practices with an emphasis on the relationship between neuropsychological assessment and the role of school psychologist in identification and intervention practices for specific types of learning disorders.  In addition, a student's area of particular interest in neuropsychology or dissertation topic may be emphasized in the question.

 

The student response to the question should be concise and clearly attend to the main points of the question.  The response should demonstrate the ability to cite relevant research, by author and year when appropriate, analyze research findings and current professional views, and synthesize the professional literature presented in the response.  The student should also demonstrate the ability to present a personal conclusion and/or best practice and use the current professional literature to support the viewpoint.

 

Sample Question for Students in the Family-School Relations Specialty: Discuss the basic assumptions underlying the neuropsychological approach to understanding learning disabilities.  How do these assumptions correspond to the recent NASP recommendations of eligibility and identification under the reauthorization of IDEA?  How do these assumptions influence treatment and educational program planning? 

 

Sample Question for Students in the Neuropsychology of LD Specialty: The question in this area will deal primarily with a clinical case.  The data presented for the case will include some or all of the following information:

 

·          Background Information

·          Wechsler IQ

·          Woodcock-Johnson Achievement

·          WRAT

·          Neuropsychological Symptom Inventory

·          Auditory-visual Integration Test

·          Detroit Test of Learning Aptitude

·          HRNB

·          Motor Functions

·          Sensory-Perceptual Functions

·          Visual-Spatial Skills

·          Alertness and Concentration

·          Immediate Memory & Recapitulation

·          Abstraction, Reasoning, Logical Analysis

·          Right-Left Differences

·          Dysphasia & Related Variables

·          Total Scores for Composite Areas

 

Please note that additional information (tests and background) may also be provided that you will need to incorporate into your response.

 

You can prepare for this question by reviewing texts for this class (Reitan/Wolfson, Reynolds/Fletcher-Janzen) in addition to the bibliography and journals listed for EDSP 753 Child Neuropsychology.

 

You will be asked to consider the information provided and write a neuropsychological report with suitable recommendations for the school, parents, agencies, etc.  Your response will be graded on your ability to:

 

·          analyze and synthesis information presented

·          develop hypotheses regarding cognitive strengths/weaknesses

·          write your findings in a clear and concise manner; and free of spelling and semantical/syntactical errors

·          write recommendations that are meaningful and based on data

·          site references to support your interpretation of test data and recommendations

 

You will be required to hand-in all accompanying forms/information with your response.

 

Family School Relations - Dr. Damiani &/or Dr. Black

 

Guidelines: The goal of the question is to sample at a synthesis level your understanding of the interplay of family variables and school programming which impact the education of children.  Your response should reflect a theoretical knowledge base as well an ability to apply the concepts in a real life setting.

 

Utilizing personal professional experiences may be one way of demonstrating conceptual knowledge, but should not override your ability to show broad based familiarity with the literature.  Citing sources and model programs reflected in the literature is important.  Including broad theoretical constructs of family-systems thinking as well as discussing problem specific issues is also important; e.g. step-families, families with handicapped children or other areas related to the question.

 

Finally, the student's response should be well organized and written in a coherent fashion that responds to the issue reflected in the question.  The sophistication and depth of your discussion of ideas will be an important aspect of the evaluation of your response.

 

Sample Question: Roger and Nancy Puff have two children, Angela 13, who has retardation and multiple disabilities, and Karen, 10.  Mr. & Mrs. Puff were referred for family intervention after Angela’s temper tantrums increased.  She refuses to go to school and shouts and cries in malls and other public places, if she does not get her way.  Mrs. Puff reports that she is at her “wits end.”  She cries frequently.  The couple has had numerous arguments and Karen’s teacher says that she is not completing her assignments at school or at home.  Mr. Puff works long hours and says he would like to help more at home but he simply cannot.  Mrs. Puff says that Karen is really more dependable than Mr. Puff and has more influence over Angela than either of the parents.  She says that Karen is like a sister to her and she does not know what she would do without her, especially in caring for Angela.