Salkind, N. J. (2013). Tests & measurement for people who (think they) hate tests & measurement (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

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1 Houston Graduate School of Theology COU 540 Appraisal and Assessment in Counseling Fall, 2015 Hybrid Class (On-campus and Online) Thursdays 1:30 4:00PM & Online Postings/Activities Aug 27, Sept 10, 24, Oct 8, 22, Nov 5, 19, Dec 3 Dr. William July, PhD, Adjunct Professor & Licensed Clinical Psychologist wjuly@hgst.edu; drjulyclass@gmail.com; Houston Graduate School of Theology equips women and men to be ministers and messengers of God s mission of reconciliation through academic excellence, personal transformation, and leadership development I. Course Description An overview of individual and group approaches to assessment used by professional counselors. Course participants evaluate instruments, interpret results, and demonstrate knowledge of psychometric properties. Multicultural awareness, sensitivity, and competence within the assessment process are also highlighted. II. Student Learning Outcomes Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to: A. Explain how psychological tests and measurements are constructed. B. Understand and apply basic psychometric and statistical concepts used in psychological testing and assessment. C. Identify the conceptual basis of various types of tests and their uses. D. Explain the legal, social, ethical, and political implications related to testing and assessment. E. Identify the appropriate use of testing and understand the limitations. F. Build a base of knowledge for use in practice. III. Texts Required Textbook: Miller, L., McIntire, S., & Loveler, A. (2012). Foundations of psychological testing: A practical approach, 4 th edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. ISBN-10: ISBN-13: Supplementary Texts: American Psychiatric Association (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders ( 4th ed.). Washington D.C.: Author. ISBN-10: ISBN-13: Salkind, N. J. (2013). Tests & measurement for people who (think they) hate tests & measurement (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. IV. Course Requirements A. Class Format Class format subject to change as necessary to meet goals and objectives of the course. Lecture

2 2 Testing and Assessment Demonstration B. Online Discussion and Activities A significant part of this course takes place online. You will be required to participate by responding to discussion questions or activities such as watching videos and posting responses. 1. Go to the online course site For security purposes, the access key will be ed directly to each class member. Do not allow anyone to use this site if they are not in this class. The discussions are posted in the CONFERENCING section on the left side of page. Activities will be posted in the LINKS section. 2. At the website, you will find a questions or activities for the week. These questions/activities will be based on the studies for that week. Post a 2-paragraph answer to each question or activity with a minimum of two references in APA format. Please do not create a new topic. Instead, respond to my topic to keep the conversation together and flowing. 3. Post at least one response to another class member each week. Your response post to a class member should be at least one paragraph. 4. Answers and responses must be posted by 11:59PM CST on the day before our inclass session. C. Written Assignment Requirements All written assignments must be in APA format. Refer to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th edition) for more information. All references must be graduate level resources cited in correct APA style. Appropriate references include: journal articles, scholarly texts, or expert websites. No Wikipedia, dictionary, or encyclopedia references are allowed. D. Focus Topic Assignments The Focus Topics are assigned by the professor to each student. This exercise is part written and part oral. This helps students prepare for creating the brief and accurate professional case presentations used in clinical settings. Students must complete the assignment as outlined below: 1. Define and explain the concept or issue in clinical language and then create a simplified definition of the topic in non-clinical language. (one paragraph maximum). 2. Give a practical example or application of the assigned concept/issue. (three paragraphs maximum).

3 3 3. Bring the paper to class and present a brief oral discussion (appx 10 minutes). Be prepared to answer questions. This is an excellent way to learn to do the types of brief presentations and summaries you will do in a clinical situation. E. Testing & Assessment Demonstrations During this course, the professor will be leading live demonstrations of actual testing and assessment techniques. These simplified demonstrations are not, in any way, to be considered actual testing or measurement of anyone who voluntarily participates in these demonstrations. No conclusions, diagnoses, or data will be interpreted or reported as the result of these demonstrations. The purpose is only to demonstrate testing and assessment procedures. F. Final Course Project This is a comprehensive project you will complete during the course and it is due on the last meeting (in-person) of the class. I am giving you the information at the beginning of the class so you can apply these skills to the project as you learn them. You will create a written report summary for a fictional evaluation. 1. First, create a fictional client or patient who needs psychological testing and assessment. If the testing is related to a diagnosis or treatment, include the symptoms. If the testing is for employment or personal growth, include the issues that are being explored. When creating your client or patient include cultural, legal, social, ethical, and political factors that are relevant. (1.5 pages maximum) Course Objectives: C, D, E, F 2. Identify the tests and assessments you select for the evaluation and your rationale for the use of each. (1 page maximum) Course Objectives: A,B,E 3. Create a summary explaining the results from the fictional evaluation. Since you will not be working with results from an actual evaluation you have the creative latitude to construct a summary that best approximates the symptoms or issues you identified in the fictional person. Keep in mind, it is entirely possible for your results to reveal information not previously reported or observed. (1 page maximum) Course Objectives: B, E, F V. Grading Criteria (A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, F, I) Focus Topics (3) - 45% Online Discussions (4) 35% Course Project - 20% VI. Reading, Lecture, & Assignment Schedule Topics may be revised as the course progresses MODULE 1 Aug 27 Introduction and Overview READ: Chapters 2, 3, & Appendix B

4 4 In-Class: Lecture: Overview of Testing & Assessment Lecture: Procedures, Ethics, and Reporting in Testing & Assessment Introduction to currently used Tests & Assessments in mental health diagnostics Demonstration of 2 Basic Symptom Measures (Depression & Anxiety) MODULE 2 Sept 10 Personality Evaluation READ: Chapters 6, 7, & 14 In-Class: Lecture: Introduction to Personality Evaluation Demonstration of Personality Testing & Sample Reports MODULE 3 Sept 24 Psychoeducational and Learning Disability Evaluation READ: Chapter 13 In-Class: Lecture: Introduction to Psycho-educational & Learning Disability Evaluation Demonstration of Intellectual and Achievement Tests MODULE 4 Oct 8 ADD/ADHD Evaluation READ: Chapters 9 & 12 In-Class: Lecture: Introduction to ADHD Testing Demonstration of ADD/ADHD Testing MODULE 5 Oct 22 Assessment Lab: Demonstrations and hands-on experience with psychological testing instruments (ADHD Testing). Discussion and summary of mock testing sessions. MODULE 6 Nov 5 Assessment Lab: Demonstrations and hands-on experience with psychological testing instruments (Psychoeducational Testing). Discussion and summary of mock testing sessions. MODULE 7 Nov 19 Assessment Lab: Demonstrations and hands-on experience with psychological testing instruments (Personality Assessment). Discussion and summary of mock testing sessions

5 5 Presentation of Final Projects FINAL SESSION Dec 3 Student Workload Expectations Live Class time 20 hours Online Activities - 25 hours Readings - Miller, L., McIntire, S., & Loveler, A. (2012). 60 hours Focus Topic Papers 15 hours Final Assignment 10 hours Total = 130 hours VII. Classroom-related Academic Policies A. Regular attendance and regular submission of assignments on due dates in the syllabus is expected. Each student must talk to the instructor about circumstances affecting his or her ability to attend class and complete assignments. A T will be noted in the attendance roster for students who develop a pattern (3 times) of missing up to half of a class session by either tardiness or early departure. Three tardies, as described above, will equal one absence. More than three absences (excused or unexcused) will result in a letter-grade reduction of the final grade and may result in failure of the course. B. Work is expected on the due date. Late papers will receive no less than a one-letter grade reduction. C. Turnitin.com 1. All written assignments are subject to required submission to to check for originality and style. The assignments that are required for submission will be described in the syllabus. 2. Students will create an account at After doing so, the student will join the course page with the code and password supplied by the instructor. A list of assignments and due dates will be available on the course page. 3. Students will submit assignments by the due date and time and will be required to submit the assignments in a hard copy format as well. D. Electronic Equipment Usage in Classrooms It is expected that students will use technology (cell phones, laptop computers, ipads, etc.) during classes only for the purposes of class work. Therefore, students should turn off cell phones and refrain from texting and using laptop computers during classes except for the purposes of taking notes or doing research specifically authorized by the course instructor. Students who have emergency needs not covered by this policy must ask for an exception from the course instructor. E. Please review the Academic Catalog for requirements regarding Incompletes and Plagiarism issues. For more information on Library Services, please download the Library Handbook from the HGST website.

6 6 VIII. Bibliography American Psychiatric Association (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders ( 4th ed.). Washington D.C.: Author. American Educational Research Association (1999). Handbook for educational and psychological testing (2 nd ed.). Washington D.C.: Author. Cohen, R. (2009). Exercises in Psychological testing and measurement. Columbus, OH: McGraw-Hill. Graham, J. (2011). MMPI-2 assessing personality and psychopathology (5 th edition). New York: Oxford University Press USA. Flanagan, D., Ortiz, S., & Alfonso, V. (2013). Essentials of cross-battery assessment. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.