| Course | COUN 6360 Assessment in Counseling and Education |
|---|---|
| Week | Week 8 |
| Paper type | Test user qualification memo |
| Length | About 570 words, 4 pages |
| Format | Memo, APA 7 citations |
| School | Walden University |
| Program | MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for COUN 6360 Week 8
Memorandum
To: Director of School Counseling
From: School Counselor, Grade 11
Date: March 2, 2026
Re: Qualification to purchase and interpret a personality-based career inventory
The Proposal and the Question
I propose that the counseling office purchase a personality-based career inventory for use with juniors, including Jordan, the composite student whose interest inventory results I interpret in Week 9. The inventory would add a measure of work-related personality traits to the interest profile. The question is whether I am qualified, under the publisher's system and our professional code, to purchase, administer and interpret it.
The Publisher's Qualification Levels
Like many test publishers, this inventory's publisher assigns each product a qualification level, coded by letter, that rises with the training a purchaser must document. In general terms, the lowest level covers instruments that can be used by people without specialized training; a middle level requires a graduate degree in a relevant field with coursework in assessment, or equivalent training; and the highest level requires advanced training, often a doctorate or licensure, with supervised experience in interpreting the specific kinds of measures involved. The personality-based career inventory is assigned the middle level, and its interpretive report includes scales the publisher recommends be interpreted only by users trained in personality assessment.
The ACA Code of Ethics
Section E of the ACA Code of Ethics addresses evaluation, assessment and interpretation (American Counseling Association, 2014). It limits counselors to the assessment services their training and competence cover, and it makes them responsible for how an instrument is applied, scored, interpreted and useds they rely on, whether they score and interpret them themselves or use technology or other services to do so. Turner et al. (2001), summarizing the American Psychological Association's guidelines for test user qualifications, describe the knowledge test users need in two parts: core knowledge of psychometrics and measurement, and specific knowledge of the particular test and the context of its use.
My Training Compared With the Level
My training meets the middle level's general requirement: I hold a master's degree in school counseling, with a graduate course in assessment covering reliability, validity, norms and score interpretation, and a course in career development that included supervised interpretation of interest inventories. I have interpreted interest inventories with students for three years.
My training does not clearly cover the inventory's personality scales. I have had no coursework or supervised experience in interpreting personality measures, and the publisher's own guidance recommends that training for those scales. Naugle (2009) notes that state laws and professional standards differ on which assessments counselors may use, and that counselors should confirm both their training and their state's rules before using instruments outside their usual practice.
Options
1. Purchase the inventory and use only the interest-related scales I am trained to interpret, setting aside the personality scales. This is permissible but wastes much of the instrument and may confuse students who see unreported scales.
2. Complete the publisher's training workshop on the inventory, which includes supervised interpretation of the personality scales, before purchasing. The workshop takes two days and is offered online.
3. Continue with the current interest inventory, which I am qualified to use, and refer students who need personality assessment to the district's school psychologist.
I recommend option 2 if the district can fund the workshop this spring, and option 3 until then.
References
American Counseling Association. (2014). 2014 ACA code of ethics. https://www.counseling.org/resources/ethics
Naugle, K. A. (2009). Counseling and testing: What counselors need to know about state laws on assessment and testing. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 42(1), 31-45. https://doi.org/10.1177/0748175609333561
Turner, S. M., DeMers, S. T., Fox, H. R., & Reed, G. M. (2001). APA's guidelines for test user qualifications: An executive summary. American Psychologist, 56(12), 1099-1113. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.56.12.1099
What the COUN 6360 Week 8 instructions ask for
Week 8 asks for a memo of two or three pages on whether you are qualified to use a specific instrument. Use a header block and short headed sections. State the proposal and the question it raises. Describe the publisher's qualification system in general terms and the level assigned to the instrument. Apply Section E of the ACA Code of Ethics, citing it accurately. Compare your documented training, coursework and supervised experience with what the level and the instrument's components require. Note any state rules that may apply. Close with options, including what you would need to do to become qualified, and a recommendation. Write in a professional tone addressed to a supervisor.
Inside the COUN 6360 Week 8 example
The qualification memo is addressed to the director of school counseling. It states the proposal to add a personality-based inventory and asks whether the counselor is qualified. The publisher section explains rising letter levels and the inventory's middle level, with personality scales the publisher reserves for trained users. The ACA section paraphrases Section E's limits on competence and responsibility for scoring services, and cites Turner and colleagues' two kinds of test user knowledge. The comparison finds the counselor's degree and assessment course sufficient for interest scales but not for personality scales, citing Naugle on state rules. Three options follow, with a recommendation to train before purchasing. The memo stays within two pages and avoids technical detail the director does not need.
COUN 6360 Week 8 rubric: what earns full marks
The comparison between documented training and the requirement carries most of the weight in grading. Graders look to see that it is specific, item by item, rather than a general claim of competence. Accurate description of qualification levels and correct application of the ACA Code earn credit. Recognizing that an instrument may have components requiring different training shows careful reading. Options should be realistic and the recommendation justified. Memos that assert qualification without evidence, misstate the Code, ignore components of the instrument or omit options fall into the middle band, as do memos written informally rather than for a supervisor. Naming the training needed to close the gap, and how long it would take, makes the recommendation easier to approve. Clear headings and a two-page length also matter for a supervisor's reading.
Common COUN 6360 Week 8 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Find the instrument's qualification level in the publisher's catalog and read what it requires. List your degrees, assessment courses and supervised experience with similar instruments. Compare the two honestly, including any part of the instrument you have not been trained to interpret. Read Section E of the ACA Code and check your state's rules. Then list what you could do: use only some scales, get training or refer. Recommend one and explain why. Keep the memo short. Our tutors can review your comparison, and the qualification memo above sets out each section.
Get a COUN 6360 Week 8 example written to your instructions
Forward the memo prompt, the rubric and the scenario, including the instrument and the proposed user if they are named. A sample memo with the qualification comparison, the ACA analysis and weighed options arrives in 24 to 48 hours, the first custom sample free. Publisher levels are described from published policy, never guessed.
More COUN 6360 papers and MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling samples
- COUN 6360 Week 1: Referral Question Analysis
- COUN 6360 Week 2: Derived Score Explanation
- COUN 6360 Week 3: Reliability Evidence Brief
- COUN 6360 Week 4: Validity Evidence Review
- COUN 6360 Week 5: Norm Sample Critique
- COUN 6360 Week 6: Mental Measurements Yearbook Review
- COUN 6360 Week 7: Test Fairness Analysis
- COUN 6360 Week 9: Career Inventory Interpretation
- COUN 6360 Week 10: Psychoeducational Report Draft
- COUN 6360 Week 11: Assessment Battery Proposal
COUN 6360 Week 8 questions, answered
Where can I find a free COUN 6360 Week 8 sample paper?
The test user qualification memo is reproduced above.
What does the COUN 6360 Week 8 sample propose?
Ordering a personality-based career inventory for juniors.
What does Section E of the ACA Code require?
Using only instruments one is trained for and remaining responsible for any scoring or interpretation services used.
Where does the counselor's training fall short?
In interpreting the inventory's personality scales, for which the publisher recommends specific training.
What does the memo recommend?
Completing the publisher's training before purchase, and continuing with the current interest inventory until then.