SETTING CUTOFF SCORES: LEGAL, PSYCHOMETRIC, AND PROFESSIONAL ISSUES AND GUIDELINES

Cutoff scores are used in a variety of settings to help managers make personnel decisions. Although cutoff scores are used widely, information about their derivation and appropriate use is scattered in the legal, psychometric, and professional literatures. The purpose of this paper is to analyze critically and to integrate these diverse literatures, to summarize what is known and what is unknown about the use and misuse of cutoff scores. Alternative methods are examined in relation to legal precedents set by the courts, to psychometric principles, and to the various sets of professional guidelines. Directions for future research are suggested, and we conclude with a set of recommendations regarding acceptable professional practice in this area.     

One Counselor's Intervention in the Aftermath of a Middle School Student's Suicide: A Case Study

The authors discuss the application of Gestalt theory as a means of dealing with the surviving classmates of a student who committed suicide.     

A Lawyer in the Counseling Center

Today's college students are finding an increasing need for legal information. At California State College, Los Angeles, a lawyer from the community was retained by the college counseling center to consult with students who had legal questions. During the academic year 1968-69, 302 students took advantage of this service. Although most of their questions dealt with selective service, other areas of concern included landlord-tenant matters, domestic relations, and criminal and civil law. Student reactions were sampled by means of a questionnaire. The general response was highly favorable, thus supporting the need for a legal counseling service on the college campus.