WISC-III accommodations: the need for practitioner guidelines

According to professional standards and federal legislation, practitioners should provide reasonable test accommodations to eliminate discriminatory practices and to allow for an "even playing field." However, a contrasting view is concerned with the possible effects of deviating from standard administration procedures--meaningless scores and an unfair edge for individuals with disabilities. Particularly regarding the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition, practitioners are lacking guidelines in the following areas: (a) initial selection of tests to administer; (b) modifications in administration, if any; and (c) interpretation and reporting of results. Greater efforts are needed to formulate guidelines based on a synthesis of student needs, professional standards, federal legislation, psychometric theory, and empirical research.