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, Mental Measurements Yearbook (MMY) reviews, reviews, and publisher Web sites.

Assignment:Standardized Test -Relevancy

Assignment:Standardized Test -Relevancy

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.

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):

Title Page (required).
Abstract (optional).
Introduction: Identify the standardized test you selected in Unit 2, and its stated purpose.
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.
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.
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.

Assignment:Standardized Test -Relevancy

Assignment:Standardized Test -Relevancy
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.
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.
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).

You must proofread your paper. But do not strictly rely on your computer’s spell-checker and grammar-checker; failure to do so indicates a lack of effort on your part and you can expect your grade to suffer accordingly. Papers with numerous misspelled words and grammatical mistakes will be penalized. Read over your paper – in silence and then aloud – before handing it in and make corrections as necessary. Often it is advantageous to have a friend proofread your paper for obvious errors. Handwritten corrections are preferable to uncorrected mistakes.

Use a standard 10 to 12 point (10 to 12 characters per inch) typeface. Smaller or compressed type and papers with small margins or single-spacing are hard to read. It is better to let your essay run over the recommended number of pages than to try to compress it into fewer pages.

Likewise, large type, large margins, large indentations, triple-spacing, increased leading (space between lines), increased kerning (space between letters), and any other such attempts at “padding” to increase the length of a paper are unacceptable, wasteful of trees, and will not fool your professor.

The paper must be neatly formatted, double-spaced with a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, and sides of each page. When submitting hard copy, be sure to use white paper and print out using dark ink. If it is hard to read your essay, it will also be hard to follow your argument.

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS

Discussion Questions (DQ)

Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, include a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words.
Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source.
One or two sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words.
I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses.
Weekly Participation

Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately.
In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies.
Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work).
Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week.
APA Format and Writing Quality

Familiarize yourself with APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required).
Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation.
I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition.
Use of Direct Quotes

I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’ level and deduct points accordingly.
As Masters’ level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content.
It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source.
LopesWrite Policy

For assignments that need to be submitted to LopesWrite, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me.
Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes.
Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own?
Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score.
Late Policy

The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies.
Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances.
If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect.
I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension.
As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading.
Communication

Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me:
Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class.
Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.