Evaluation of Test Materials and Procedures

In Unit 2, you selected one standardized test that has relevancy to your academic and professional goal and focused on the first four elements of the Code for selecting a test. In Unit 5, you focused on the fifth element of the Code, which involved analyzing the evidence for technical quality of your selected test.

In Chapters 7 and 8 of your Psychological Testing and Assessment text, you have been learning about test utility, test development, item analysis, and using tests in a variety of settings and with a variety of test takers. In this assignment, you will apply those concepts to your selected test for the Code’s sixth, seventh, and eighth elements. The Code (2004) states that test users, “(6) evaluate representative samples of test questions or practice tests, directions, answer sheets, manuals, and score reports before selecting a test; (7) evaluate procedures and materials used by the test developers, as well as the resulting test, to ensure that potentially offensive content or language is avoided; and (8) select tests with appropriately modified forms or administration procedures for test takes with disabilities who need special accommodations.”

For this assignment, locate a minimum of five resources (a minimum three peer-reviewed journal articles) pertaining to your test’s construction, item development, procedures utilized in construction to minimize offensive content, and provisions of modifications and accommodations for test takers. You will not be required or need to have a copy of your test to complete this assignment. You may use many different types of references and sources to obtain this information about your test. These references may include journal articles, literature reviews, MMY reviews, and publisher websites.

Information gathering and evaluation of these elements may require a keyword search within each relevant review and research article. It may be helpful to do keyword searches within those documents with the following words: format, fair, fairness, bias, appropriate, accommodations, modifications, and computer or computer assisted. Subsequently, this particular assignment requires a deeper search and provides a broader range of sources to fulfill the minimum references. In almost all cases, you will be able to locate some level of information on these elements.

For some newer test editions, literature may be scarce. Refer back to the Lists of Tests by Type document to see which tests are approved for supplementation with articles that address earlier editions of the tests. If the “Combined Review Allowed” column is marked “Yes,” you can supplement your review with articles addressing the designated prior version of the test.

Note: In future courses, you may use the Capella library’s Interlibrary Loan service to obtain articles outside of the collection, but you should not have to use the service for this course. In the event that you cannot find articles covering a newer test edition, please refer to the List of Tests by Type document in the resources. Note which tests have been designated as acceptable for searching prior test editions.

If you are struggling with locating sufficient information about a particular test in regard to an element in this assignment, then you will need to cite the references or reviews involved in your search and identify this element as problematic for your selected test as it lacks sufficient documentation in the literature for this code or standard.

Compose your findings into a paper using the following outline (please use these headings):

1. Title page (required).
2. Abstract (optional).
3. Introduction: Identify the standardized test you selected in Unit 2, and its stated purpose.
4. Test items and format.
   • Identify type or format of test items.
   • Identify formats of the test that are available (including alternate forms, audio, computer, et cetera).
   • Identify the types of scores obtained from the test. (Include information about norms.)
   • Evaluate and identify or cite positive aspects of test items and formats, directions, answer sheets, and score reports.
   • Evaluate and identify or cite negative aspects of test items and formats, directions, answer sheets, and score reports.
   • Summarize the quality and appropriateness of the test items and formats, directions, answer sheets, and score reports.
5. Fair and appropriate materials.
   • Identify or cite positive and negative aspects of test materials that minimize potentially offensive content or language. Explain.
   • Identify or cite if the test allows appropriate modifications or accommodations. Explain how or why it does not allow such modifications or accommodations.
   • Cite at least one AERA standard for Supporting Documentation for Tests (see Chapter 7 of your Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing text) that are implicated in either the positive or negative aspects of your selected test.
6. Use of technology.
   • Discuss and evaluate how advances in technology have been utilized or incorporated with your selected test to address test items and format.
   • Discuss and evaluate how advances in technology have been utilized or incorporate with your selected test to address fair and appropriate materials.
7. Synthesis of findings.
   • Identify any major strengths you identified for your test in terms of test items and materials.
   • Identify any weaknesses, even if they are relative, regarding your test in terms of test items and materials.
8. Conclusions and recommendations.
   • Evaluate your selected test based on the strengths and weaknesses, and advantages and disadvantages of the test items, materials, and their appropriateness.
   • Make at least three recommendations about improvements that could be considered to improve the test, if applicable. Cite standards (AERA) to support each recommendation.
9. References (required, use current APA format and style).

Additional Requirements

Your paper should meet the following requirements:

• References: A minimum of five references (a minimum of three peer-reviewed journal articles among the five).
• Length of paper: At least five pages (not including title page, abstract, or references).

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

Resources

• Evaluation of Test Materials and Procedures Scoring Guide.
• APA Style and Format.
• Code of Fair Testing Practices in Education [PDF].
• List of Tests by Type [PDF].Running head: STANDARDIZED TESTS 1

   

  STANDARDIZED TESTS 8

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  Selection of Standardized Tests

  Student’s Name: Samantha Bonds

  Date: 04/15/2019

   

  Review and Selection of a Standardized Test

  Each person has a certain level of competence to do a given type of work. The level of competence can be referred to as aptitude and can either be physical or mental. Aptitude in education refers to qualities that characterize one behavior which indicates how well one can learn to solve and meet given specific types of problems. A particular area of specialization will be on studying people’s aptitudes more so students. Students differ in terms performance and human activity, for example, leadership, art, and music among others. This report will research and review tests on Anger Regulation and Expression Scale (ARES), TestDaF on educational and social context, and insight test of cognitive abilities. The three tests deal will several individual differences related to learning, for example, cognitive abilities, personality traits, values, and interests among others.

  Element One

  Anger Regulation and Expression Scale is a broad, self-report assessment of the regulation and expression of anger. ARES is intended for youth or adolescents aged between 10 and 17 years. The test was derived from the Anger Disorder Scale (ADS). The drive of the test is to assess the tendencies that lead to inward and outward expressions of anger. The test also assesses the duration and range of anger experiences in people. The test offers intervention and treatment suggestions based on the test takers ARES scores (Buros Center for Testing, 2017). The test is based on expressions and features of anger than any other measure. The test offers excellent reliability and validity in the test of measure centered on anger and expression regulation. Anger Regulation and Expression Scale is easy to administer, score, and report interpretation.

  TestDaF is a standardized language for non-native German speakers. The test is used to assess the German proficiency for people who would like to work or study in Germany. Intended users of the tests are academicians and scientists who would love to work and study in German universities (Buros, 2017). The test is open in 95 countries globally and run by the TestDaF Institute. The test is inspired by the numerous changes in German universities over the past several decades. The number of international students enrolling in Germany universities increases each year because of the global development. International students are from different countries of origin and diverse educational backgrounds which leads to distinct learning needs.

  Cognitive abilities are part of aptitude characteristics in human beings. Insight test developed by The Canadian Test Center assesses the cognitive abilities of a person. The test is dived into three levels with a specific grade span. Level one is for grades two and three, level two is for grades four and five, and level three is for grades six and seven students (Buros Center for Testing, 2017). The tests, however, are normed by student age instead of grades but the scores from the three levels statistically linked.

  Element Two

  The appropriateness of ARES content is based on the overview purpose of a test. ARES assesses anger as an independent problem by measuring clinically dysfunctional anger. The test content does not assess anger as a secondary symptom of another issue but as the primary and independent problem. ARES examined affective aggression to assess the cognitions associated with anger using the Anger-In/Anger-Out model (MHS-Assessment, 2017). The treatment plans and needed intervention are developedby results provided by the ARES test. The scores of the test are on anger-in, expression or reactivity, and vengeance.

  One can register for TestDaF when they have sufficient knowledge of German language. The content of TestDaF involves academic, study relevant topics and related scientific tasks. The sections of TestDaF are listening and reading comprehension, writing an expression, and oral expression. The reading comprehension has reading tasks of shorts texts in everyday life in University (TestDaF, 2017). One is also required to read journalistic text on social-political and scientific topics with multiple choice answers. The listening comprehension has short dialogues of everyday university life that one needs to listen and make notes about. An interview and presentation are also used to assess the listening comprehension. The written expression requires one to draft a logical text on a given topic. One is also requested to give their personal views on a given topic. The oral expression is computer-aided with seven tasks that put the test user in different situations one is likely to face in German universities.

  The content coverage by Insight test on cognitive abilities is in seven subjects. Each subject has a different number of items tested (Canadian Test Centre, 2017). The subjects are crystallized knowledge, visual processing, fluid reasoning, short-term memory, long-term memory retrieval, auditory processing, and processing speed. The seven subjects are based on Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory.

  Element Three

  There is ARES full-length and ARES short version depending on the assessor’s needs. ARES full-length is in a multidimensional structure of 75 items that give 25 scores of assessing different aspects of anger. ARES short has 17 items of internalizing anger, externalizing anger and checking the anger extent. ARES is provided as a software kit or on an online web platform kit. The software kit costs US$ 309, and the online kit costs US$ 251 which is cheaper than the software kit (Cavlazoglu, Erdogan, & Paine, 2012). The tests provide materials for both versions, for example, hand scored ARES manual and completed ARES scoring program with a USB key.

  TestDaF is a language exam that is recognized by all institutions of higher education and universities in Germany. The test helps one provide evidence of their knowledge of German to research institutions and employers. The test has four sections that one needs to complete to get a certificate successfully. The test covers skills and knowledge required to certify one for college admission in any subject and degree in Germany (Drackert & Norris, 2017). The content tested and provided in the test is appropriate for people who would want to conduct scientific projects or enter academic professions in Germany. The test requires no specialist knowledge as a prerequisite. The test is clear, accurate and with the complete information required to test the knowledge of German language in a person.

  Tests takers of Insight Test of Cognitive Abilities require a student book, and test users require a DVD and examiner’s manual. The requirements are unique to each level of the test expect the examiner’s manual. Audio-visual equipment is required because of the use of a DVD in administering the insight test. The items in each subject sometimes overlap between the different levels of the test. The overlap allows a vertical linkage of the tests results. The test assures appropriate measurement across the ability range between the different levels.

  Element Four

  Anger Regulation and Expression Scale was developed by Raymond DiGiuseppe and Raymond Chip Tafrate and published by Multi-Health Systems Inc. The test was developed based on research by DiGiuseppe and Tafrate on anger construction as a clinical problem. The authors had developed Anger Disorders Scale (ADS) test before developing ARES. Test takers can only take the test in a licensed center. ADS was an anger inventory for adults and provided a foundation ARES. This test can be used for research purposes because it was developed to be clinically relevant.

  TestDaF institute is part of the Society for Academic Study Preparation and Test Development. Different organizations support the test, for example, German Rectors’ Conference, Goethe Institute, and the German Exchange Service. The test requires separate examinees because the question papers are the same for all candidates. TestDaF results are given as TestDaF level three, four and five. The levels are designedby the Common European Framework of Reference Languages (CEFR). The test also uses Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE) standards to develop the different levels. TestDaF offers many preparation courses in Germany and in foreign countries where the test takers are mainly based. Official centers and credible language schools can be used by test takers to access the test. Well trained makers assess the student’s performances and mark the exam centrally.

  Insight Test of Cognitive Abilities was developed and published by The Canadian Test Center in Conjunction with Dr. Lynne Beal. Dr. Beal is the former coordinator of psychology in the Toronto District School Board. The test is on bases of the theory of cognitive abilities by Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) (Colp & Nordstokke, 2014 ). The seven different items tested in the Insight Test were written by Dr. Beal and Dr. Rhia Roberts after a careful selection based on statistical properties.

  Test Choice

  Tests should meet the intended purpose and be appropriate for the intended test takers. Anger Regulation and Expression Scale (ARES), TestDaF, and Insight Test of Cognitive Abilities are important tests under the aptitude testing category. ARES, however, is better placed in the aptitude category because of its precise and broad content on issues about expression and anger regulation. The test is limited to youths between the age of 10 and 17 years which is a very complicated stage of life to study. The test offers different kits, forms, and other materials which make it clear, accurate, and comprehensive. The full and short test offer a variety of choice for test users and takers and is under qualification level B. ARES test is ideal for future research because it offers a wider scope of focus.

   

  References Buros. (2017). TestDaF. Retrieved from marketplace.unl.edu: https://marketplace.unl.edu/buros/ Buros Center for Testing. (2017). Canadian Test of Cognitive Skills. Retrieved from marketplace.unl.edu: https://marketplace.unl.edu/buros/canadian-test-of-cognitive-skills.html Buros Center for Testing. (2017). Tests Reviewed Nineteenth Mental Measurements Yearbook. Retrieved from buros.org: http://buros.org/tests-reviewed-nineteenth-mental-measurements-yearbook Canadian Test Centre. (2017). Insight. Retrieved from www.canadiantestcentre.com: https://www.canadiantestcentre.com/insight/insight-About.php Cavlazoglu, B., Erdogan, N., & Paine, T. (2012). Anger Regulation and Expression Scale. Psychoeducational Assessment, 84-88. Retrieved from http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0734282912447762?journalCode=jpaa Colp, S. M., & Nordstokke, D. W. (2014 ). Insight Test of Cognitive Abilities. School Psychology, 71-78. Drackert, A., & Norris, J. (2017). TestDaF. Language Testing, n.p. MHS-Assessment. (2017). MHS Assessment. Retrieved from www.mhs.com: https://www.mhs.com/MHS-Assessment?prodname=ares TestDaF. (2017). Testdaf. Retrieved from www.testdaf.de: https://www.testdaf.de/