Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer:
Paper Instructions:

Complete a template depicting the correlations of reliability and validity of one test against Element 5 of the Code, and write a 3–4-page executive summary, supported by peer-reviewed academic references.

Note: Synthesizing the evaluation of test materials and procedures requires specific steps that must be carried out in a certain order. Therefore, you must complete the assessments in this course in the order in which they are presented.


Professionals in the field must be able to administer and interpret tests to establish a diagnosis and determine a treatment plan.

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:

Competency 1: Apply terminology, principles, statistical concepts, and psychometric features related to the construction and application of psychological tests.
Identify the test and briefly describe the publisher's stated purpose for its use.

Competency 2: Analyze key psychometric properties related to tests and measurement, with an emphasis on reliability and validity.

Analyze the technical review conducted for the selected test's reliability.

Analyze the technical review conducted for the selected test's validity.

Evaluate the current state of the test's technical quality and its status as an appropriate quality tool in the field.

Competency 3: Evaluate the properties, techniques, and applications used in psychological evaluation.

Support conclusions about a test's appropriateness for use in the field and with the population to be served with peer-reviewed research.

Competency 7: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for members of the psychological profession.

Write clearly and logically, with correct use of spelling, grammar, punctuation, mechanics and APA format and style.



Read the Assessment 2 Context [PDF] document. (Attached)


How do specific types of reliability and their measurements impact the selection process of an appropriate test?
How do the two approaches of validity—trinitarian and unitary—impact the selection process for an appropriate test in your field?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of each model?

Resources
APA Style and Format
Because this is a psychology course, you must format this assessment according to current APA guidelines. 

American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author. 

Required Resources
The following resources are required to complete the assessment.

Template
Use the following template to complete your assessment:

Assessment 2 Template: Evaluation of Technical Quality [DOCX]. (Attatched0

Elements of the Code of Fair Testing Practices in Education
The assessment analyzes a selected test against the fifth element of the Code. Review the following selections about this part of the Code.

American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, & National Council on Measurement in Education. (2014). Standards for educational and psychological testing. Washington, DC: AERA. This text will be utilized in all 4 Assessments.
Chapter 1, "Foundations," pages 1–32.
Chapter 1 provides information relevant to validity.
Chapter 2, "Reliability/Precision and Errors of Measurement," pages 33–47.
This chapter provides information relevant to reliability.
Chapter 3, "Fairness in Testing," pages 49–74.
This chapter provides information relevant to ethical testing or measurement.

Suggested Resources
The resources provided here are optional and support the assessment. They provide helpful information about the topics. You may use other resources of your choice to prepare for this assessment; however, you will need to ensure that they are appropriate, credible, and valid.

Use this resource to help support the writing of Assessment 2:

The Annotated Bibliography.
Code of Fair Testing Practices in Education
The following resource provides brief coverage of the elements of the Code that are part of the assessments in this course. These are the elements directed toward test users, which begin on page 6 of the document. Element 5 is covered in this assessment.

Joint Committee on Testing Practices. (2004). Code of fair testing practices in education [PDF]. Available from https://www.apa.org/
Test/Instrument Purpose and Population (Elements 1 and 2)
You may review the following:

Groth-Marnat, G., & Wright, A. J. (2016). Handbook of psychological assessment (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Chapter 1, "Introduction," pages xiv–lii.
This chapter provides information relevant to test populations.
Appendix A, "Test Publishers/Distributers," pages 1–4.
Appendix A provides websites for some publishers. Information from test developers may be found on these websites.
Urbina, S. (2014). Essentials of psychological testing. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Chapter 1, "Introduction to Psychological Tests and Their Uses," pages 1–35.
This resource provides information relevant to test populations.
Appendix B, "Testing Organizations," page 327.
Appendix B provides websites for some publishers. Information from test developers may be found on these websites.
Test/Instrument Reliability (Element 5)
You may review the following:

Cohen, R. J., & Swerdlik, M. E. (2018). Psychological testing and assessment: An introduction to tests and measurement (9th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Available in the courseroom via the VitalSource Bookshelf link.
Chapter 5, "Reliability," pages 141–174.
This chapter includes information relevant to reliability.
Capella University Library Database: Mental Measurements Yearbook.
Reviews from this database provide information about the reliability of your chosen test/instrument. Use the Database Guide: Mental Measurements Yearbook for more information about the MMY.
Nitko, A. J. (n.d.). Using a Mental Measurements Yearbook review to evaluate a test. Retrieved from http://buros.org/using-mental-measurements-yearbook-review-evaluate-test
This resource tells you how to use the MMY.
Buros Center for Testing. (n.d.). How to cite Mental Measurements Yearbooks and test reviews [PDF]. Retrieved from http://buros.org/pdfs/How-to-Cite-Buros-publications.pdf
Use this resource if needed to cite reviews from the MMY.
Groth-Marnat, G., & Wright, A. J. (2016). Handbook of psychological assessment (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
This text may provide reliability information about some specific tests or instruments.
Urbina, S. (2014). Essentials of psychological testing. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Chapter 4, "Essentials of Reliability," pages 127–164.
This chapter includes information relevant to reliability.
Salkind, N. J. (2007). Encyclopedia of measurement and statistics. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
The section "Concepts and Issues in Measurement" includes information relevant to reliability.

You may review the following:

Cohen, R. J., & Swerdlik, M. E. (2018). Psychological testing and assessment: An introduction to tests and measurement (9th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill..
Chapter 6, "Validity," pages 175–199.
This chapter includes information relevant to validity.

Nitko, A. J. (n.d.). Using a Mental Measurements Yearbook review to evaluate a test. Retrieved from http://buros.org/using-mental-measurements-yearbook-review-evaluate-test
This resource also provides information about how to use the MMY.
Buros Center for Testing. (n.d.). How to cite Mental Measurements Yearbooks and test reviews [PDF]. Retrieved from http://buros.org/pdfs/How-to-Cite-Buros-publications.pdf
Use this resource if needed to cite reviews from the MMY.
Groth-Marnat, G., & Wright, A. J. (2016). Handbook of psychological assessment (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
This text may provide validity information about some specific tests or instruments.


Cohen, R. J., & Swerdlik, M. E. (2018). Psychological testing and assessment: An introduction to tests and measurement (9th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Available in the courseroom via the VitalSource Bookshelf link.
Chapter 2, "Historical, Cultural, and Legal/Ethical Considerations," pages 36–74.
This chapter includes information relevant to legal and ethical issues in testing or assessment.
American Psychological Association. (2010). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.aspx
Use Sections 2 and 9 for information on ethical issues and assessment.
National Association of School Psychologists. (2010). Principles for professional ethics [PDF]. Available from http://www.nasponline.org/
Ethical issues in this resource may overlap with issues relating to test user responsibilities.
Urbina, S. (2014). Essentials of psychological testing. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Chapter 7, "Essentials of ethical test use," pages 318–322.
This chapter includes information relevant to ethical assessment.
Salkind, N. J. (2007). Encyclopedia of measurement and statistics. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
The section "Ethical Issues in Testing" includes information that may be helpful.
Additional Resources for Further Exploration
You may use the following optional resources to further explore topics related to competencies.

These optional resources provide background information that can add to your knowledge of tests or instruments in the areas of statistics, terminology, technical information, and measurement scales. Also included are resources that may assist with additional research.

Cohen, R. J., & Swerdlik, M. E. (2018). Psychological testing and assessment: An introduction to tests and measurement (9th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Available in the courseroom via the VitalSource Bookshelf link.
Chapters not mentioned elsewhere, including Chapter 3, "Statistics Refresher," can help with terminology used to evaluate tests or instruments.
Urbina, S. (2014). Essentials of psychological testing. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
This text can provide information about statistics that can help with making decisions about tests or instruments.
Salkind, N. J. (2007). Encyclopedia of measurement and statistics. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
This text can provide technical information about testing that can help you make decisions about tests or instruments.

Assessment Instructions
Preparation
For this assessment, you will conduct a deeper analysis of the technical quality of the selected test against Element 5 of the Code, which states that the test user will "evaluate evidence of the technical quality of the test provided by the test developer and any independent reviews."

Instructions
For Assessment 1, you selected one standardized test that has relevancy to your academic and professional goals. Assessment 1 focused on the first four elements of the code for selecting a test. For Assessment 2, you will complete a deeper analysis of the technical quality of your selected test by focusing on the fifth element of the code, which states that the test user will "evaluate evidence of the technical quality of the test provided by the test developer and any independent reviews." To complete this assignment, you will draw upon the knowledge you have gained so far about psychometrics in general and reliability and validity in particular. For Assessment 2, use the test you selected for Assessment 1. Locate and summarize a minimum of four articles related to the technical qualities of the selected test. 

For each article:

List the APA reference for each journal article (a minimum of seven).
Identify if the article addresses reliability or validity.
Discuss if the article addresses sources of error variance, reliability estimates, evidence of validity, or bias and fairness.
Identify the specific type of reliability or validity (for example, test-retest reliability, predictive validity, et cetera).
Identify the overall results of the research, including any psychometric or statistical outcome.

Guidelines for Selecting the Literature
Use the most current sources you can find. Do not use sources older than 8 years. (You may cite older sources if they are classics, if you want to show the chronology of something, or if you have another good reason. If you choose to use older sources, you will need to explain why.) Use current, peer-reviewed journal articles. Do not use sources without an author or a publication date. Do not use quotes; use only your own words. Evaluate whether the results support the use of your test as appropriate for your field and populations to be served.

Note: . In the event that you cannot find articles covering a newer test edition, please refer to the List of Tests by Type document, linked in the resources for Assessment 1. Note which tests have been designated as acceptable for searching prior test editions.



Note: Use the Assessment 2 Template: Evaluation of Technical Quality provided in the Required Resources to complete this assessment.
Introduction
Use the Introduction section of the template to complete this section.

Identify the test and briefly describe the publisher's stated purpose for its use.
Identify briefly a population or psychological condition that is within the standardization of the test.
Technical Review Article Summaries
Use the Technical Review Article Summaries on the template to complete this part of the executive summary.

Each article is to be directly related to your chosen test and one aspect of its technical quality. Note: Use an annotated bibliography for evaluative information format. (See the Suggested Resources for information available at Capella about annotated bibliographies.)
List the APA reference for each journal article (a minimum of four).
Identify if the article addresses reliability or validity.
Explain how the article addresses sources of error variance, reliability estimates, evidence of validity, or bias and fairness.
Identify the specific type of reliability or validity (for example, test-retest reliability, predictive validity, et cetera).
Identify the overall results of the research, including any psychometric or statistical outcome.
Conclusion
Use the Conclusion section of the template to complete the following:

Evaluate the current state of the test's technical quality and its status as an appropriate quality tool in the field.
Support conclusions about a test's appropriateness for use in the field and with the population to be served with peer-reviewed research.
Synthesize the information from all the articles you reviewed about validity.
Evaluate if your test continues to be deemed as appropriate for your planned use in the field and with the population to be served, as suggested by the director in your setting.
Provide your references that you used for the technical review and summary to your director.
Additional Requirements
Your assessment should meet the following requirements:

Written communication: Write clearly and logically, with correct use of spelling, grammar, punctuation, mechanics, and APA format and style.
References: A minimum of six peer-reviewed journal articles (textbooks, web pages, literature reviews, and the MMY book reviews do not count for these references). Three of the articles must focus on reliability and three must focus on validity.
APA format: Follow current APA format and style throughout the assessment. Be sure to use correct format and style for each respective type of reference, for example, website versus journal).
Length: 3–4 double-spaced pages, including the technical review. Do not count the title page or references.
Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.
Reference
Joint Committee on Testing Practices. (2004). Code of fair testing practices in education. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/science/programs/testing/fair-testing.pdf


Scoring guide:
Identifies the test and briefly describes the publisher's stated purpose for its use, including the population or psychological condition the test purports to address.

Analyzes the technical review conducted for the selected test, with the inclusion of reported values and their interpretation for at least two of the articles.

Analyzes the technical review conducted for a selected test's validity, with the inclusion of reported values and their interpretation for at least two of the articles.

Evaluates the current state of the test's technical quality and its status as an appropriate quality tool in the field; synthesizes information from the articles related to types of reliability and validity by citing their reported values and qualitative interpretation as supporting evidence; and evaluates the test’s technical quality in the context of psychometrics.

Supports conclusions about a test's appropriateness for use in the field, and with the population to be served, with properly cited peer-reviewed research; cites at least three peer-reviewed journal articles in the concluding section to the supervisor in the scenario.

Communicates in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with the expectations for members of an identified field of study, using APA style and formatting.