Order DescriptionEvaluating the Quality of a Test

Assignment Instructions

You have been asked to administer a standardized psychological test to an individual referred by a managed care company; referrals often state a specific test. In this case, you are unfamiliar with the test. You used an older version of it many years ago, but don’t know its current psychometric properties (i.e. if it is valid and reliable) or the specific administration guidelines. This can create ethical and practical problems that can affect you and your new referral.

You have two goals to successfully complete this assignment:
1.Become familiar with the purpose and administration of the test.
2.Determine if the test is appropriate for your purpose.
3.Receive the education and training to independently adminster the test.

How to Start
•Choose any standardized test, in any category of interest to you.
•Choose a person of any age, gender, and other demographic to test.
•Remember that there are four pieces of information that must all align: ?The reason for the referral (why testing is needed).
?The characteristics of the person being tested.
?The publisher’s stated purpose for the test.
?The test is demonstrably valid and reliable for the person you will test.

Using your textbook and related articles, write a 5–7 page paper (excluding title page, abstract, and references) that addresses the following areas below (use each topic as a heading in your paper):
1.Introduction •Describe a person of any age, gender, and other demographic to test. The person needs to fit the criteria in the introduction to this assignment.
•State the reason you were asked to test (referral question).
•Identify the information you will need to acquire to reach the two goals stated above.

2.Information About the Test •The full name of the test you have chosen to help you meet your goals.
•The publisher’s stated purpose of the test.
•The standardization sample and age range for the test’s use.

3.Psychometric Properties of the Test •Using the Capella Library, locate 3-5 current, peer-reviewed research articles related to the test’s validity and reliability.
•Summarize each article in a separate paragraph, and include the following: ?A brief description of the purpose of the research conducted.
?The participant population.
?A description of the types of validity and reliability evidence discussed in each article.
?The results of the research, including any psychometric and statistical outcomes.
?How the article helps you to become familiar with the purpose and administration of the test.
?How the article helps you to determine if the test is appropriate for your purpose.

4.Conclusion •Synthesize the information on validity and reliability you discussed in the article summaries you wrote.
•Evaluate if the validity and reliability are appropriate for the person you will test. Explain your reasons using cited sources as support.
•How will the information help you reach your goal?
•To be competent to administer the test, is there anything else that is needed? Explain your response.

General Requirements
1.Do not copy or use quotes from your sources unless there is no other way of stating an idea. All writing must be your own; paraphrase your sources.
2.Your statements must be explained so readers know exactly what you mean; assume your readers have not studied the same things as you; your job is to help us understand what you are saying so we do not have to ask for an explanation;
3.Assignments should be in current APA style and format (especially for citations, references, and headings); as long as you make an attempt and show improvement, you will be OK: Progress, not Perfection.
4.Written communication should be free of errors. The paper should be presented in third person, and should not contain universal and subjective statements.
5.The university requires that you submit your work as a Microsoft Word document. •Double-spaced.
•Use 12-point font.
•Times New Roman or Arial are the preferred fonts.
Organizational Requirements

All assignments must have:
•A title page.
•An abstract.
•A reference section.
•Headings (it is best to use wording related to the scoring guide criteria).
•Page numbers.

Literature Requirements

Literature You Should use: current, peer-reviewed, scholarly research articles from the Capella Library databases. This means that your sources (articles) should be:
1.The most current information you can find.
2.No older than six (6–7) years-old.
3.You can use an older source if: •It is a classic study.
•It is used to show chronology.
•You have another good reason.
Literature You Should Not Use:
•Do not use books or Web sites except to support the research articles.
•Do not use Wikipedia or sources like it.
•Do not use any work you wrote in a previous course.