Appraisal Procedures for Counselors and Helping Professionals

by DRUMMOND ROBERT J.

• ISBN13: 9780130494160
• ISBN10: 013049416X
• Edition: 5th
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-01-01
• Publisher: PRENTICE HALL

Summary

For courses in tests and measurements in counseling and psychology. The leading guide to appraisal procedures for counselors, this readable, up-to-date volume offers future counselors, social workers, and other helping professionals a thorough overview of basic measurement theory and all relevant tests, carefully aligned to a broad array of assessment vehicles. Through clear, straightforward prose, students receive practical guidance on such topics as test selection, administration, interpretation, and reporting; along with thoughtful advice on how and when to use testing in diverse environments with diverse populations. Current topics in counseling receive appropriate attention; there is solid coverage of national standards; and the trend toward high-stakes testing is thoroughly explored.

Table of Contents

Historical and Philosophical Foundations of Appraisal	p. 1
Legal and Ethical Concerns and Issues in Testing	p. 15
Statistical Concepts	p. 32
Measurement Concepts	p. 55
Process and Procedures of Testing	p. 80
Ability and Intelligence Testing	p. 123
Aptitude Testing	p. 153
Achievement Testing and Alternate Forms of Assessment	p. 169
Career and Employment Testing	p. 208
Personality Testing	p. 238
Clinical Assessment	p. 262
Assessment of Development	p. 283
Environmental Assessment	p. 297
The Computer in Assessment	p. 323
Working With Diverse Populations	p. 338
Assessment Issues in Education	p. 364
Communicating Test Results	p. 389
Tests	p. 415
Test Publishers and Distributors	p. 429
Glossary	p. 431
References	p. 439
Name Index	p. 453
Subject Index	p. 457
Test Index	p. 465
Table of Contents provided by Rittenhouse. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

The purpose of this text is to help current and future workers in the helping professions become better consumers of psychological and educational tests and assessment procedures. First, users need to know the philosophical and ethical principles that relate to the field of testing. Second, they need to know when tests should be used and why. Third, they need to know how to locate and select the most valid and reliable instruments to aid in their decision making. Fourth, they need to know how to interpret and report test and assessment results. They need to be alert to the standards developed by various professional organizations and designed as guidelines for test authors and test users. A systems approach was used to organize the knowledge base and the basic skills and competencies needed by test users. The book focuses on six components: Models for test use and selection.The first chapter presents a framework for conceptualizing when to use tests and why. It includes some dimensions of the historical, philosophical, and social backgrounds of the testing movement. It also introduces accountability and the competency-based movement as well as the basic skills and competencies that test administrators and examiners must master. Basic competencies needed.Chapters 2 through 5 identify the basic measurement, statistical, and research skills needed to select, administer, and interpret tests and assessment information. Types of tests and assessment procedures.Chapters 6 through 13 introduce the different types of tests and assessment techniques that are commonly used in the helping professions. This portion of the text covers the assessment of learning and cognitive styles and the testing of intelligence, aptitude, interest, and personality. Assessment of the environment and development of the test taker are also discussed. The traditional pencil-and-paper tests and inventories are discussed, as are projective tests, situational tests, and the use of behavioral observation. Alternate measurement and appraisal techniques.Chapter 14 focuses on the use of the computer in assessment. Testing special populations.Chapters 15 and 16 focus on appraisal procedures and techniques, as well as issues for working with different special populations, such as clients with disabilities, multicultural groups, test clients with anxiety, and school systems. Communicating test results.Chapter 17 presents strategies for communicating test results to clients, parents, and other professionals, and guidelines for writing test reports. CHANGES IN THE FIFTH EDITION For the fifth edition, content has been reorganized and chapters have been realigned, resulting in fewer chapters and a better fit for how many courses are taught. Key changes and content expansions include the following: Discussions of validity (including construct validity) and reliability were expanded considerably in Chapter 4, Measurement Concepts. The development of personality testing and additional content about the CPI and other personality tests was added to Chapter 10, Personality Testing. Computer-adaptive and computer-assisted testing coverage was expanded and updated in the new Chapter 14,The Computer in Assessment. New Chapter 16, Assessment Issues in Education, includes a new and current discussion of high-stakes testing, as well as content on test-taking skills and test anxiety. The selection, administration, scoring, and interpreting of tests have been combined into Chapter 5, Process and Procedures of Testing. The history of psychological and educational assessment has been moved up to Chapter 1 to provide the reader with more foundational knowledge early in the course. Legal and ethical issues content was moved up to Chapter 2. Gender, ethnicity, and special needs clients and specialized test