COUN 5305:

Assessment in Counseling

Fall 2006

Instructor:   Sample                                                   Meets:

Email:   ___________                                               Office hours:  

W 12-3; by appointment

Course Description:

Problems and principles of administration, scoring, and interpreting group and individually administered tests; utilization of test data for diagnostic, placement, predictive, and evaluative purposes; elementary statistical procedures; laboratory activities in test administration, scoring, and interpretation.                

The purpose of this course is to develop an understanding of the problems involved in the measurement and assessment of abilities, achievement, attitudes, interests, behavior, and personality. This class is an introductory survey class in basic assessment principles and procedures. It does not prepare you to administer, score or interpret standardized psychological instruments.

Course Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, student should be able to:

• Demonstrate understanding of the historical, legal, and ethical issues of psychological assessment. (CACREP IIK: 7a; 7i)
• Demonstrate understanding of the characteristics, theoretical structure, and practical application of standardized measurement techniques (intelligence, achievement, aptitude, personality, behavioral, and vocational), as well as qualitative and quantitative approaches to assessment and clinical assessment. (CACREP IIK: 7b)
• Demonstrate an understanding of the problems and principles of administration, scoring, and interpreting group and individually administered tests. (CACREP IIK: 7b; 7g)
• Demonstrate an understanding of the utilization of test data for diagnostic, placement, predictive, and evaluative purposes. (CACREP IIK: 7h)
• Demonstrate an understanding of the link between elementary statistical and/or psychometric procedures, standardized administration procedures and test construction and utilization. (CACREP IIK: 7c; 7d; 7e)
• Recognize and evaluate the wide variety of issues related to potential bias or unfairness in testing. (CACREP IIK: 7f)
• Demonstrate the ability to read and understand externally generated assessments, e.g., reports generated by psychiatrists, psychologists, and other mental health professionals. (CACREP IIK: 7h)

Methods of Instruction:

Students may expect lectures, class discussions, guest speakers, small group work and video presentations.

Required Texts:

Cohen, R.J., Swerdlik, M. E., Phillips, S. M. (2002). Psychological Testing and Assessment: An introduction to tests and measurements.   London: Mayfield Publishing Company.

Lichtenberg, J. W., Goodyear, R. K. (1999).   Scientist-Practitioner Perspectives on Test Interpretation.   Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Recommended Text :

Standards for educational and psychological testing.   Washington, D.C.: American Educational Research Association.  

Course Requirements:

Reading Assignments:

Students are expected to read the text chapters prior to each class as class discussion is a useful addition to lectures. Chapters to be read for each class are included on the tentative course schedule. The instructor may provide additional reading assignments and materials.

Exams:

Exams build upon class material and thus may cover all material covered in class prior to the exam.   The final exam is comprehensive.   Since exams will generally not take the entire class session, you are expected to use this time to complete assignments due the following week.

Grading:

You will be evaluated on all requirements stated above based on a 4.0 scale with the following weights:

Selected Subject Tests List---------------10%                                                                                                     Test Evaluation-----------------------------20%

Exam I, II, III ------------------------------30%

Final------------------------------------------40%

Total----------------------------------------100%

90-100=A        80-89=B         70-79=C           60-69=D         Below 60=F

Please note:

• Academic dishonesty, including plagiarism and/or the use of other students’ work, will not be tolerated and will result in a failure for the class grade.
• Late papers will lose 10 points each day they are late.
• Attendance is considered beneficial and essential.   Please notify me if you will be absent. More than three absences may necessitate your re-taking the class.

Tentative Class Schedule:

Topics and Readings*

*(additional readings may be assigned throughout the semester)

The chapters assigned are from your text, Psychological Testing and Assessment: An introduction to tests and measurements; the other readings are from Scientist-Practitioner Perspectives on Test Interpretation, referred to as SPP.

8/29                          Introductions

                                Overview of class

                                Assessment—History & Uses                                                           chapter 1                

9/05                  Labor Day—no class

9/12                          Ethical & Legal Issues                                                                         chapter 2

Gender and Ethnicity Issues                                                               SPP, pp. 31-54

        **Using the Mental Measurements Yearbook**

9/19                          Testing & Assessment                                                                        chapter 3                

                                Statistics refresher                                                                                chapter 4--pp. 98-127

                                Norms, correlation, regression                                                            SPP, pp. 7-12

9/26                         Exam I  

10/03                        Reliability                                                                                               chapter 5

SPP , pp. 19-21

                                                Selected Subject Tests Lists Due

10/10                        Validity                                                                                                   chapter 6

                                                                                                                                                SPP, pp. 21-23

10/17                      Exam II

10/24                        Test Development                                                                                chapter 7                                                                 Instrument Selection & Evaluation                                                        SPP, pp. 15-17

10/31                        Intelligence & Assessment                                                                                 chapters 8, 9

                                Individualizing Assessments                                                              SPP, pp. 132-150

Test Evaluation Due

11/07                        Educational Assessment                                                                     chapters 10, 16

Career & Vocational                                                                                                                                                            

11/14                      Exam III               

11/21                        Personality & Assessment                                                                                 chapters 11, 12, 13

                                Clinical & Counseling                                                                          SPP, pp. 151-162

11/28                        Neuropsych Assessment                                                                    chapters 14, 15      

                                Testing with Special Populations                                                       SPP, pp. 1-7

12/05                       FINAL EXAM

Texas State University-San Marcos seeks to provide reasonable accommodations for all qualified individuals with disabilities. The University will adhere to all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations and guidelines with respect to providing reasonable accommodations as required to afford equal educational opportunity. It is the student’s responsibility to register with Disability Support Services and to contact the faculty member in a timely manner to arrange for appropriate accommodations