Sheperis, C. J., Drummond, R. J., & Jones, K. D. (2020). Assessment procedures for counselors and helping professionals (9th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Pearson Education

CEFS/COUC 521      Test Critique Grading Rubric – 150 points total

Criteria Levels of Achievement
Content (70%) Advanced Proficient Developing Not Present
General Information 14-15 points All the components of the general information section of the test are clearly stated. 11-13 points The components of the general information section of the test are reasonably stated. 1-10 points The components of the general information section of the test are minimally stated. 0 points Not present
Test Description 22-25 points The description of the test is clearly stated and addresses the test’s content, purpose, structure, administration, and scoring. 19-21 points The description of the test is reasonably stated and addresses the test’s content, purpose, structure, administration, and scoring. 1-18 points The description of the test is minimally stated or failed to address the test’s content, purpose, structure, administration, or scoring. 0 points Not present
Technical Evaluation 22-25 points The Technical Evaluation section is clearly stated and addresses all of components: standardization/normative sample, the reliability, and validity of the test. 19-21 points The Technical Evaluation section is reasonably stated and addresses standardization/ normative sample, the reliability, and validity of the test. 1-18 points The Technical Evaluation section is minimally stated or failed to address one of the major sections: standardization/normative sample, the reliability and validity of the test. 0 points Not present
Practical Evaluation 22-25 points The practical evaluation section is clearly stated and addresses the quality of test materials and the ease of administration, scoring, and interpretation. 19-21 points The practical evaluation section is reasonably stated and addresses most of the quality of test materials and the ease of administration, scoring, and interpretation 1-18 points The practical evaluation section is not clearly stated or failed to address the quality of test materials and the ease of administration, scoring, or interpretation. 0 points Not present
Summary Evaluation & Critique   14-15 points A summary and critique are clearly stated and include, strengths, weaknesses, and recommendations for improvement. 11-13 points A summary and critique are reasonably stated and include, strengths, weaknesses, and recommendations for improvement. 1-10 points A summary and critique are minimally stated or failed to address strengths, weaknesses, or recommendations for improvement. 0 points Not present
Structure (30%) Advanced Proficient Developing Not Present
Paper: Grammar & Spelling   18-20 points Spelling and grammar are correct. Sentences are complete, clear, and concise. Paragraphs contain appropriately varied sentence structures. 15-17 points Spelling and grammar has some errors. Sentences are presented as well. Paragraphs contain some varied sentence structures. 1-14 points Spelling and grammar errors distract. Sentences are incomplete or unclear. Paragraphs are poorly formed. 0 points Not present
Paper: Length & APA Formatting 23-25 points Paper is written in a narrative form and without direct quotations. Paper is 2100-2400 words in length (not including the title page, abstract, and reference page). Paper is formatted in APA, including font, title page, margins, and section headings. A minimum of 5 professional references are cited in current APA format. 20-22 points Paper is written in a narrative form and without direct quotations. Paper is 1800-2099 words in length. Paper is mostly formatted in APA, including font, title page, margins, and section headings. A minimum of 5 professional references are cited in current APA format. 1-19 points Paper is not written in narrative form and contains direct quotations. Paper 1799 words or less in length. Paper is not accurately formatted in APA, including font, title page, margins, and section headings. A minimum of 5 professional references are not cited in current APA format. 0 points Not present
Totals: Advanced (92-100%) Proficient (84-91 %) Developing (1-83%) Not Present
Professor Comments  

Test Critique Assignment Instructions

When selecting which assessment instruments and strategies to use, counselors must evaluate instruments on the basis of several factors. For most published formal assessment instruments, the test manual is the primary source of evaluative information. Therefore, counselors must be able to evaluate the appropriateness of using an assessment in a comprehensive manner. The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate your ability to apply the established guidelines used by professionals to evaluate the appropriateness of using an assessment. 

Directions

You must choose a test that you would use in a counseling setting, such as the Millon, the Wechsler scales, the Personality Assessment Inventory, etc. Therefore, do not choose tests such as the SAT, GRE, ASVAB, etc. The test must be clinical in nature that deals with the various forms of pathology and or dysfunctional behavior/affect. Note that you may not choose the MMPI-2 or the TAT as these tests are highly researched and plagiarism issues can arise.

You can use tests that can be administered online through the test publisher. However, you cannot use internet-based, free tests, such as the IPIP-NEO or the Jung Personality Test; these are representations of reputable tests such as the NEO-PI-3 or the MBTI. These free, internet-based tests are not assessments you can ethically administer to a client.

Your paper will be structured according to the headings provided below. You can also review the questions provided by the authors in the textbook (pp. 176-179) to guide professionals in evaluating assessment instruments. The Test Critique contains six sections, including references. Information to be presented in each section is presented below. Please note that the information is organized in an outline format only to help you identify the information for you to include in the report. Do not use an outline format to report the results of your critique

This project must be 2100-2400 words (excluding title page, abstract, and references), double-spaced, and APA formatted (i.e., headings, citations, references, title page, abstract, etc.). Your paper will be written in a narrative format using APA headings and not in an outline format. Please note the following additional guidelines for the paper:

  • Do not use Roman numerals or outline format. Use APA headings.
  • The use of quotations is not allowed.
  • At least 5 scholarly, professional references
  • You cannot use internet-based assessments (IPIP-NEO, Jung Personality Test, etc.)

After you have selected a particular test to review/critique, identify the resources you will use to complete the assignment. You will submit your paper using the SafeAssign link. Note on SafeAssign: Make sure you use your own words when using information from your sources. Although matches from the references will appear, they will not be considered as this is expected to be matched. However, other than the references section you should not have a high match rate.

Structure and Content of Test Critique

I. GENERAL INFORMATION (15 pts.)

  1. Title of the test (including edition and form, if applicable)
  2. Author(s)
  3. Publisher and date(s) of publication
  4. Cost (booklets, answer sheets, other test materials, available scoring services)
  5. Availability of online version
  1. The full name of your test, when it was first developed the population for which the test is appropriate, and its primary uses. Is it an objective or projective measure? Is it more of an intelligence or achievement test or is it a personality test? Does the test have alternate forms? When were these created and under what circumstances are they used?
  2. A brief history of your test. When and why was it developed? How does the history of your test fit into the overall scheme as presented in your text (or other text of your choice)?
  3. The assumptions of testing and assessment as they relate to your test.

II. TEST DESCRIPTION (25 pts.)

  1. A basic description of the test. This should relate primarily to test content. What are the different sections / subsections of the test? What does each section measure? What are some example items used to assess this construct? How is this test used in the assessment setting?
  2. Test Content
    1. construct(s), domain(s) or variable(s) the test measures
    1. unidimensionality or multidimensionality of construct
    1. theoretical and/or empirical foundations of the test
  3. Purpose of Test
    1. purpose and potential uses of test
    1. whom the test is designed for
  4. Test Structure
    1. length of test/number of items
    1. subscales (if applicable)
    1. item format
  5. Test Administration
    1. administration procedures
    1. necessary administrator qualifications and/or training
    1. special testing conditions that must be considered
    1. online administration (if applicable)
  6. Test Scoring
    1. type of scoring or scaling
    1. scoring procedures (including availability of scoring keys and scoring services, if any)
    1. subscale, factor or dimension scores (if applicable)
    1. online scoring (if applicable)

III. TECHNICAL EVALUATION (25 pts.)

  1. Standardization/Normative Sample
    1. size and demographics of standardization sample
    2. procedures followed in obtaining sample
    3. adequacy of standardization sample
    4. adequacy of norms provided (e.g., availability of subgroup norms, if applicable)
  2. Reliability
    1. evidence of reliability (e.g., test-retest, internal consistency)
    2. adequacy of reliability evidence to support potential uses of the test
  3. Validity
    1. evidence of validity (e.g., content-, criterion-, construct-related)
    2. adequacy of validity evidence to support potential uses of the test

IV. PRACTICAL EVALUATION (25 pts.)

A.  Quality of Test Materials

  1. quality of writing in test materials (including appropriateness of reading level)
    1. quality of graphic design and presentation in test materials
    1. other aspects of materials quality (e.g., durability, attractiveness, etc.)

B.     Ease of Administration, Scoring and Interpretation

  • clarity and comprehensiveness of instructions, directions or guidance provided
    • amount of time and resources needed to administer, score and interpret test
    • other practical aspects of administration, scoring and interpretation

V. SUMMARY EVALUATION & CRITIQUE (15 pts.)

  1. Strengths and Weaknesses of the Test
  2. Recommendations
    1. for uses of the test
    2. for revisions or updates
    3. for further study of the test

VI. REFERENCES / Overall APA Style (45 pts.)

Use at least five (5) professional, scholarly sources. These sources must come from the EBSCO, PsychINFO, ERIC, psychARTICLES and other scholarly databases. You may use general test description information from the test publisher web site, and this can count for one (1) of your sources; the remaining sources must come from professional sources.

Note: These guidelines serve only to inform you as to what you need to cover. You will need to format the information correctly. Do not submit a paper with bullet points or using Roman numerals as an outline. Put your information in proper, current APA format.

This assignment is due by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Sunday of Module/Week 7.

Finding Test material

In order to find test material for your project, potential resources include, but are not limited to:

  • Test Materials (test manual, test booklets, etc.)
  • Online databases, such as the ETS Test Collection database (http://www.ets.org/test_link/find_tests/)
  • Mental Measurements Yearbook
  • Test Critiques
  • Tests in Print
  • Findings of reliability and validity studies published in scholarly journals, including:
  • Applied Psychological Measurement
  • Educational and Psychological Measurement
  • Journal of Applied Psychology
  • Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology
  • Journal of Educational Psychology
  • Journal of Personality Assessment
  • Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment
  • Journal of School Psychology
  • Personnel Psychology
  • Psychological Assessment
  • Online resources
  • Pearson Assessment
  • Harcourt Assessments Psychology

In addition, Buros' Mental Measurement Yearbook is an index that holds assessments for a wide array of mental and professional evaluations. To access it, you will need to log into Blackboard and then visit the Liberty University Online library. Once you sign in through EZproxy, find the Social Sciences category in a Database Search. When you reach the page that says “Specific Resources – Social Sciences,” find the Mental Measurement Yearbook in the right-hand listing of Secondary Resources. Once you access the Mental Measurement Yearbook, you may use keywords to find the test review of your choice.