About Us

The Chicago School University Library maintains an extensive range of psychological assessment materials in support of The Chicago School of Professional Psychology’s (TCSPP) academic programs.  Professional guidelines set forth by APA and assessment publishers limit the use of and access to materials to qualified individuals.  To ensure compliance with these provisions, all borrowers must familiarize themselves with the Test Kit Collection Policy.

Defining Professional and Ethical Standards for Test Kit Use

The Committee on Psychological Tests and Assessment (CPTA) of the American Psychological Association (APA). Statement on the Use of Secure Psychological Tests in the Education of Graduate and Undergraduate Psychology Students. Last revised: 1994. https://www.apa.org/science/programs/testing/test-security.aspx

Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct. Amended 2017: https://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index

Students who use testing materials in the course of their research or training must be directly supervised by a licensed psychologist. For example, when testing materials are stored in a library, access must be limited to appropriate personnel and to students in training.

It is advisable that the students be supervised in practice and initial administrations, as well as in scoring of responses and deriving interpretations. It is inappropriate for students to administer tests in an environment that does not allow for a controlled, private and standardized presentation. Communicating the results of a test to a test-taker is a serious matter in any circumstance. Results or interpretations should be reported by students only under the supervision of a qualified faculty member or supervisor. Students should be thoroughly trained in appropriate language and procedures to report all types and levels of scores.

A concise directory of available assessment materials is located in at each library.

For more information about psychological assessments, Mental Measurements Yearbook with Tests in Print or PsychTests can be used.  Additional guidelines on locating tests are available through the American Psychological Association.

Borrowing Privileges are limited to faculty, staff, and graduate students.  Alumni are granted limited access to materials on campus only.

General Policies for All Borrowers

The following guidelines apply to all faculty, staff, and graduate students.

• Testing materials including: Manuals and reusable item booklets (identified by the library barcode attached to the cover) are not to be written in, highlighted, or otherwise marked.
• Each borrower must check to ensure completeness of the Kit upon checking-out and checking-in.
• Borrowers assume full responsibility for all materials checked-out, and are liable to remit payment for damaged or missing items.  Damage includes but is not limited to: excessive marking, water damage, torn page or missing pages.  For more on this policy please refer to the Due Date, Fine and Fee Schedule.
• To ensure material safety and security, overdue items can only be renewed in person, and require the presence of the physical kit.
• Fines are not assessed on days the library is not open (specifically TCSPP recognized holidays or special circumstances). (1) 
• The University Library does not provide Consumables without a valid Test-Kit Checkout unless negotiated with the University Library in advance.

Student Policies

These policies apply to all actively enrolled students

• Students can borrow test kits for use for their coursework, reference
• Loan periods are 7 days.
• There is a three (3) item borrowing limit.
• Only a single set of consumables will be given per test kit checkout. Exceptions will be made on faculty request.

Faculty & Staff

 These policies apply to current faculty and staff of TCSPP

• Faculty and staff can borrow test kits for their reference, creating coursework, grading assignments, and review.
• Faculty CANNOT borrow test kits for private practice use or practice at any agency or institution other than TCSPP. Anyone caught violating this policy by using a test kit for unauthorized purposes will lose test kit borrowing privileges
• Loan period is up to 7 days by default, and can be renewed an unlimited number of times unless the item is high demand.
• Only a single set of consumables will be given per test kit at check out. There are no exceptions.
• There is a three (3) item borrowing limit that is strictly enforced.

Alumni

These policies apply to matriculated students of TCSPP

• Alumni can borrow test kits for their reference and review for in-library use only
• Alumni CANNOT borrow test kits for administration
• Loan periods are three (3) hours with up to three renewals. No overnight usage allowed.
• Alumni can only check-out one (1) item at a time.
• Alumni are not eligible to receive their own copy of assessment protocols from the library’s supply.

(1) Please see page 7 regarding practicum usage for practicum-specific policies

The library has various test kits available to faculty for use in assessment courses.  The University Library works with academic departments to get an idea of the assessments that are expected to be used during different terms.  In order to meet the needs of these courses and students, there are several policies that must be followed. 

All Departments should provide the University Library with their anticipated test kit needs (including consumables/forms needed for assessment courses) in February during the Budget planning process for the next fiscal year. Providing this information in a timely manner will help the library ensure sufficient stock on hand to meet the needs of the curriculum.

Faculty Policies

• Faculty are expected to provide their local University Library branch with the number of kits and students expected for each class.  This should be done during the February budget cycle for the following academic year in which they will be used.
• The University Library provides students with a default maximum of two sets of forms for assessment courses, which are provided at the time of pickup, or to the faculty member/TA to disseminate, unless agreed to in writing during the February budget cycle for the following academic year in which they will be used. Failure to provide the request to the library during the budgeting cycle may result in a lack of sufficient scoring forms for student use.
• Faculty teaching assessment courses can request materials on behalf of their entire class for either a long-term or short-term period.[1]
• Test Kit pick-ups are expected to be done on their scheduled date, any changes should be communicated to the University Library before that time.
• Test-Kit Pick-Ups for assessment courses should be arranged with the library in advance.[2]
• Expected Q-Global Usage must be communicated to the library well in advance of the course start date (preferably 1 month in advance).
• Where possible the University Library works to provide students with their own kit, but due to course sizes or limited kits, that is not always possible. Where there are a limited number of kits, the University Library will work with the curriculum lead to develop a schedule to best meet the needs of the various course schedules.

Practicum Site Usage

Test Kits cannot be used at practicum sites.  

Internship Usage

Test Kits cannot be used at practicum sites.

Dissertation Usage

Students seeking to use any assessments for dissertations must be enrolled in a PsyD or EdS, in a Clinical, Applied Clinical, Forensic or School Psychology program.  It falls on Dissertation Chairs to ensure the ethical use of psychological assessments and proper IRB authorization.  Online students are not authorized to use testing materials for dissertations from the University Library.

Additionally, the Library does not purchase Test Kits or Psychological Assessments for Dissertation research.

Ethical Guidelines for Test Usage

1. Borrowers are required to adhere to ethical guidelines set forth by the APA in Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct while handling psychological assessment materials.
2. Borrowers must ensure that assessment procedures are followed appropriately and battery results are interpreted accurately.
3. Borrowers must not compromise the effective use of assessment methods and techniques nor render them open to misuse by publishing or disclosing results to unauthorized and/or unqualified parties.
4. Failure to comply with these guidelines may result in a recommendation for the student to be placed on an ADP.

Copyright Restrictions

1. Borrowers are expected to observe copyright laws when administering psychological assessment batteries and handling all materials maintained by the test kit collection.
2. Test publishers prohibit protocol photocopying and administration outside of the domain in which a TCSPP qualified professional oversees the administration.
3. Violation of copyright may result in a recommendation for the student to be placed on an ADP.

Disclaimer

Any failure to adhere to the policies in this document may result in the loss of Test Kit borrowing privileges at the University Library, and student violators may be placed on an ADP.