Psychology 8520 Foundations of Psychological Assessment UNO, Fall 2015

Transcription

1 Psychology 8520 Foundations of Psychological Assessment UNO, Fall 2015 Instructor: Adam Weaver, Ph.D. Office phone: Office hours: T (9-11) & Th (9-11) adamweaver@unomaha.edu Class: M & W, 1:00-2:15pm, Roskens Hall 010C Course texts and materials: Reynolds, C.R. & Livingston, R.B. (2012). Mastering modern psychological testing: Theory and methods. Pearson. Additional text and media will be assigned throughout the semester. These will generally be provided via Blackboard, but some may be your responsibility to find. Course goal: For students to demonstrate understanding of measurement concepts, types of assessments, and the purposes of various types of assessment tools. Students should be able to critically review assessment measures, be familiar with different types of test scores, and be able to interpret test results. UNO School Psychology Program Training Objectives Based on the UNO School Psychology Program s philosophy, students are trained according to the following objectives throughout their coursework. The specific action steps that correspond to each objective and that directly relate to the teaching, content, and goals of this course are indicated in parentheses. 1. Students will acquire the knowledge and skills represented in the scientist-practitioner model of school psychology (1.1, 1.2). As reflected in course goal: Be able to critically review assessment measures. Students are assigned various readings beyond the textbook. 2. Students will acquire the knowledge and skills to become data-based problem-solvers for individual, group, and system-level issues (2.1, 2.3). As reflected in course goal: Demonstrate understanding of measurement concepts, types of assessments, and purposes of various types of assessment tools. Assigned readings and discussion topics include: functional behavior assessment and curriculum based measurement. 3. Students will practice in a respectful and sensitive manner when addressing the needs of individuals from diverse backgrounds (3.1). Assigned readings and discussion topics cover bias and testing of special populations. 4. Students will become reflective practitioners and productive contributors to the profession (4.1, 4.6, 4.7). Students participate in discussions, reflecting on the history of ethical lapses that have occurred in the profession. Students discover means to access information regarding specific tests online. 1

2 NASP Blueprint Domains of School Psychology Training and Practice (of major emphasis): The following domains are emphasized throughout the School Psychology coursework and field experiences. Competency in each of these domains is established by developing the knowledge and skills in the following areas, which is the focus/purpose of this course. 1. Data-based decision-making and accountability. o As reflected in course goal: Demonstrate understanding of measurement concepts, types of assessments, and purposes of various types of assessment tools. 5. Student diversity in development and learning. o Assigned readings and discussion topics cover testing special populations. 9. Research and program evaluation. o Students learn about the core components of research-based assessment measures and how to evaluate these tests. 10. School Psychology practice and development. o Students reflect on the reliability, validity, and use of various assessment measures. Course Requirements and percentage of grade: Quizzes Norming Project Test review: ability Test review: achievement Test review: other Participation (class discussions, questions, staying awake, etc.) 30 percent 20 percent 5 percent Course Grading: 98% - 100% = A+ 93% - 97% = A 90% - 92% = A- 87% - 89% = B+ 83% - 86% = B 80% - 82% = B- 77% - 79% = C+ 70% - 76% = C 60% - 69% = D Below 60% = F Description of Requirements: Quizzes: The purpose of quizzes is to ensure that students are gaining the knowledge presented in class lectures and readings. Quizzes will be given nearly each week and will be held at the beginning of the class period. Quizzes will cover the preceding lecture(s) and readings that have not yet been covered on a quiz, and will consist of multiple-choice and/or short answer/essay responses. All quizzes missed must be made up prior to the next scheduled class after which time 5 points will be deducted from the quiz per day. Quizzes will be taken electronically on Blackboard during class, so all students must bring a tablet or laptop to class. 2

3 Test reviews: The purpose of the test reviews is to have students review a variety of assessment tools to demonstrate understanding of measurement principles, to determine acceptable uses for the tool, and to assess the merit of the measure. The first test to be reviewed will be an intelligence/ability test. The second test to be reviewed will be an achievement test. The final test to be reviewed will be on a domain of the student s choosing (e.g., behavior, adaptive, personality). Potential tests for review will be referenced in class although students may review a test not on our list, if cleared by the instructor. It is the student s responsibility to decide upon a test and find all materials and sources for the test review. In preparing the test review, students should rely heavily on the Standards for evaluating the assessment measure. Information regarding the test can be found in the test s manual, The Buros Mental Measurement Yearbooks, and/or through literature reviews. Literature reviews only need to be conducted if a test manual and The MMY do not present sufficient reliability or validity support. If using additional literature, please cite the references in APA style. However, if a literature search is conducted but additional evidence is not found, please attach your literature search. Reviews should include the following information: 1. Description and purpose of the test. 2. Populations the test was developed with/for, and those appropriate for the test. 3. Test results information (e.g., does the test give scaled scores, percentile ranks, z-scores, t- scores, etc.). 4. Reliability evidence collected. 5. Validity evidence collected. 6. What kind of interpretations can the test giver make given the results? 7. Under what circumstances would you give this test? How would it be helpful to a school psychologist, parent, teacher, and student? The following should be handed in on the date it is due: review paper, The MMY review (if applicable), and literature search (if necessary). Also, provide copies of your review for others in the class. (These may be exchanged electronically.) Papers turned in late will be penalized 10 percent for each day. Norming Project: Each student will create their own assessment instrument to be normed on a sample of their choosing. The assessment instrument should contain at least 20 items, and should be normed on a group of at least 15 participants. Students will submit a copy of the assessment tool as well as a paper detailing the following: 1. A description of the assessment tool, what it intends to measure, and why you created it. 2. The population the assessment is intended for. 3. Description of the sample the assessment was normed on. 4. Report mean & standard deviation for both administrations of test. 5. Report the reliability of the assessment. a. What type(s) of reliability are you reporting on? b. Discuss what the reliability coefficient tells you about this measure. Higher or lower than you expected? 6. Discuss why you think this is or is not a valid measure. In addition to the paper, students will present their assessment instrument and norming data to the class. Presentations should be about minutes. Visual aids (e.g., PowerPoint) are encouraged. 3

4 Tentative Course Schedule Date Topic / Assessment 8/24 Introduction & syllabus review Course overview 8/26 Psychological Testing & Assessment: Tools & Techniques 8/31 History of testing, Test Uses, & Ethical Considerations 9/2 Basic Statistics & The Normal Curve (bring paper to class!!) Lecture Introductions Tour of Lab (to be completed prior to class) Syllabus Lecture Ch. 1 Witt et al. (1998) Lecture Chs. 1 & 17 Quiz 1 Lecture; Practice with variability Ch. 2 (p ) Ch. 3 9/9 Norms & the Meaning of Test Scores Lecture; Ch. 3 Practical applications 9/14 Reliability Quiz 2 Ch. 2 (p ) Ch. 4 9/16 Practical applications of principles of reliability Quiz 3 9/21 Validity Lecture Ch. 5 9/23 Practical applications with validity Quiz 4 9/28 Test Development & Construction Lecture Chs. 6, 7, & 18 9/30 Practical applications in test development Quiz 5 10/5 Intelligence & Ability Testing Lecture Ch. 9, Additional 10/7 Practical applications in intelligence testing Quiz 6 10/12 Educational Assessment Student Discussion Ch. 8, Additional 10/14 Educational Assessment Lecture 10/19 No class (Fall Break) 10/21 Practical applications in educational testing Test Review 1 (Ability Test) Due Quiz 7 10/26 Bias in Testing Lecture Ch. 15, Additional 10/28 Curriculum Based Measurement Lecture Additional 11/2 Practical Applications in CBM Quiz 8 11/4 Accommodations, Special Populations & Adaptive Behavior Lecture Ch. 16, Additional 4

5 11/9 Accommodations, Special Populations & Adaptive Behavior Student Discussion 11/11 Practical Applications in Adaptive Behavior Quiz 9 Test Review 2 (Achievement Test) due 11/16 Personality Assessment Lecture Ch /18 Practical Applications in Personality Testing Quiz 10 11/23 No Class (Work on Norming Project!) 25 11/30 Behavior Assessment Ch. 11, Additional 12/2 Practical Applications in Behavior Assessment Test Review 3 due Quiz 11 12/7 Assessment Interpretation, Social Validity 12/9 Norming Project due Presentations 12/16 Presentations (cont.) Lecture & Additional 5