LESSON 6: PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT

LESSON 6: TEST ADMINISTRATION, SCORING, INTERPRETATION, AND USAGE

Assessment Standardization

• establishes uniform procedures for using the assessment so that observation, administration, equipment, materials, and scoring rules will be the same for every student to whom it is administered.

• If an assessment's results are perceived to have been significantly affected by external factors that occur before, during, or after its administration, they can feasibly be considered subject to different interpretations, thereby decreasing their informational value.

Assessment Accommodations

• It can he a change in format. response, setting. timing. or scheduling that does not alter in any significant way what the test measures or the comparability of scores.

• A change to an assessment qualifies as an accommodation when it has been demonstrated as not invalidating a student's results.

Assessment Modifications

• It is a change in administration that alters the constructs assessed or the comparability of scores.

• The student's results may need to be reported separately from those of other students and can be compared only to the results of students who were administered the test.

Professional Responsibilities in Assessment Administration

Anyone administering an educational assessment to students is expected to assume certain responsibilities documented in the codes and standards of professional education organizations. Some general principles of appropriate conduct for persons administering assessments include:

• protecting the safety, health, and welfare of all examinees;

• knowing and complying with relevant state and federal laws;

• maintaining and improving competence in educational assessment; and

• performing all responsibilities with honesty. Integrity. Due care and fairness.

The Code of Professional Responsibilities in Educational Measurement

• It offers guidance for those who administer assessments, including the following responsibilities:

• To understand the procedures needed to administer the assessment prior to administration.

• To administer standardized assessments according to the prescribed procedures and conditions.

• To avoid any conditions in the conduct of the assessment that might invalidate the results.

Instrument Level A

Individuals without advanced training in assessment administration and interpretation of assessment results

Instrument level B

Individuals with more expertise than users qualified for an A-level instrument, as

the administration of the assessment and interpretation of its results are more

complex. Individuals certified by an organisation with relevant training and

experience in administering and interpreting the assessment may qualify.

Instrument level C

Individuals with a doctorate in psychology, education or a related field, or Licensure. Individuals with certification by certain agencies and national organisations may also qualify based on training and expertise.

Maintaining Assessment Security and Integrity

Test administrators are required to safeguard assessment materials from unauthorized use and dissemination in order to preserve their security and value after acquiring and receiving them. Only authorized personnel should be able to access materials that are kept in secured files or storage cabinets.

Preparing Students for Testing

For students to give their maximum performance on an educational assessment, those who are responsible for administering the assessment must provide them with basic information that they require, including when the assessment will be administered. The content and abilities that will be assessed, what the assessment will emphasize, and the standard or level of performance expected. How the assessment performance will be scored. and how the results be used to make decisions.

Preparing Test Administration for Testing

• Administering a standardized assessment should familiarize themselves with the materials and procedures well in advance of the testing periods.

• If permitted by the school district, they should carefully read and examine the directions for administering, student test booklets, answer documents, and any other materials provided for testing.

Scheduling Testing Periods

• Testing periods should be scheduled at a time that encourages maximum student performance.

• It is recommended that no more than two subtests be administered in one sitting and that a brief rest period be given between subtests requiring tasks

Selecting a Testing Environment

• The environment selected for administering assessments should parallel the classroom environment as closely as possible.

• Standardized educational assessments should be administered to classroom-sized groups of about twenty-five students.

Testing Materials

• Administering assessments may be required to supply materials that students need to complete the assessment.

• A "DO NOT DISTURB" sign should be available to hang on the door to the testing room.

The Testing Room Environment

• The physical conditions of the room should be carefully controlled.

• Students should be seated in an arrangement that prevents them from seeing the work of other students, and the testing room should have sufficient light and ventilation and be free from noise.

Reading Directions

• While administering the assessment. the test administrator should read directions exactly as written, using a natural, deliberate tone of voice and manner while enunciating clearly.

• The directions should not be repeated unless a mistake is made in the initial reading or the directions for administering say to do so.

Observing Testing

• The administrator and proctors should move around the room to observe the testing situation and to make certain that the students are following the directions. working on the correct tests, and marking the responses correctly on the answer sheet.

• Students must not help one another.

Random Responses and Changing Answers

• Random marking of answer documents should be discouraged. Instead. students should be discouraged from responding to items for which they think they know the correct response.

• When changing answers. students should be reminded to erase the original mark thoroughly

Attemptedness Rules

• It requires students to respond to a specific number of items to receive a valid score.

• However, certain criteria are used to determine whether a student attempted to complete a subtest.

Collecting Test Materials

• Test administrators should immediately collect all of the test booklets, answer sheets, and other testing materials from the students.

• Doing so is essential to maintaining the security of the testing materials.

Checking Answer Documents

• The test administrator should examine each answer document and make certain that all erasures are complete and that there are no stray marks.

• The identifying information on each student's answer documents should be checked for accuracy and completed with required information where necessary as specified by the directions that they have been given.

Packaging Answer Documents for Machine Scoring

• Answer documents and other machine-scoreable testing materials should be organized and assembled according to the directions for administering with the proper Scoring Service Identification Sheets.

• Documents should be carefully packaged and shipped according to the Instructions for Packaging and Shipping Answer Documents.

Reporting Test Results

• When reporting results from a test, you should focus primarily on your findings and recommendations that are differentiated by levels of severity.

• Keep the sections short. Use a table to display metrics, and use visual examples to demonstrate problem areas, when possible.

Data Analyses

• In quantitative data, enter the data in a spreadsheet to record data or make calculations such as success rates, task time, and error rates. satisfaction questionnaire ratings.

• You may want to add the participant's demographic data so that you can sort to see if any of the data differ by the demographic variables.

• In qualitative data, record related to observations about pathways participants took. problems experienced, comments and recommendations, and answers to open-ended questions.

• Make sure the problem statements are exact and concise.

quantitative data

enter the data in a spreadsheet to record data or make calculations such as success rates, task time, and error rates. satisfaction questionnaire ratings.

qualitative data

record related to observations about pathways participants took. problems experienced, comments and recommendations, and answers to open-ended questions.

Reporting Severity Levels of Problems

• As you analyse the data, determine how severe (or serious) the problem is and how global it is throughout the site.

• For instance, one might discover that participants had trouble finding what they required due to text density on the page.