The training and skills expected of emerging counselors are of a type and variety which would seem to demand unique assessment. In the area of interpersonal relationships alone, the skills, understandings and attitudes are of such nature that the more traditional evaluative techniques appear inadequate. One technique which seems to merit consideration in gaining greater insight into counselor progress and achievement is the method of rating by classmates. This paper is a report of a peer rating technique used with a group of counselor trainees enrolled in a one semester N.D.E.A. Counseling and Guidance Training Institute.The group was made up of twenty-five counselor trainees who were selected for the institute program on the basis of high academic records, common goals, and similar course backgrounds. All were relatively untrained secondary school counselors or secondary teachers aspiring to engage in counseling. Their background training included at least one and not more than five graduate courses in guidance. The program for all institute participants included guidance seminars, supervised counseling practice, and courses in measurement, counseling theory, and education of the gifted student.Since the nature of the program encouraged considerable group interaction, it presented an unusual opportunity to observe the results of a peer rating technique. Description and Administration of ScaleDuring the last week of the institute, enrollees were asked to rate each classmate on four counselor behavior characteristics : contribution to class,

T HE MODELS suggested for elementary school guidance programs have been strikingly devoid of the opinions of elementary school administrators. While we in the profession may feel that our concept of the functions of such programs is valid it is also clear that the actual role that elementary guidance people will be playing is one largely construed !by elementary school administrators. It would appear highly desirable that those concerned with elementary school guidance programs be aware of the opinions of these school leaders.The present survey was conducted in the states of Idaho, Oregon, and Washington to sample the perceptions of elementary school principals in the three states. Two hundred and forty-three questionnaires were mailed and the final number and per cent return are as follows: Idaho, 25 and 67.7 per cent; Oregon, 59 and 67.0 per cent; Washington, 85 and 72.0 per cent. The total usable returns from the three states numbered 169 or 69.5 per cent. Inspection of the returns from the three states revealed no major differences in patterns of responses; therefore, the data are reported and analyzed as a single sample. TRAINING AND BACKGROUND EXPERIENCEThe initial section of the survey was concerned with the training and background of counselors as perceived by principals. The coursework was arbitrarily divided into four training areas: psychology, counseling and guidance, professional education, and selected related discipline areas.Background experience other than formal coursework was arbitrarily classified into work experience in the school and work experience outside of school. The respondents were asked to rate courses and work experiences on a five-point scale ranging from necessary to undesirable.For ease of interpretation, the responses to individual items were converted to percentages and rounded to the nearest per cent. Due to item omissions by some respondents the number of responses for individual items varied from 166 to 169. COURSEWORKThe principals' opinions regarding background needed in psychology appears in TABLE 1. Inspection reveals that over two thirds of the responding principals regarded child psychology and psychology of learning as necessary areas of psychological training. Of lesser importance, but still considered necessary by approximately half of the reporting principals was coursework in individual differences, adolescent psychology, psychology of personality, and psychology of adjustment. Courses in abnormal and clinical psychology were not considered necessary by a large per cent of the respond-

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