Achievement tests

Using resources such as the Online Library and the Internet, research achievement tests and select any one test to attempt.

After attempting the test, write a 2- to 3-page report in a Microsoft Word document that includes answers to the following:

• Brief description of the test.
• Explanation of the purpose of this test.
• Brief description on the theoretical basis for the test.
• Analysis of the test results.
• Explanation of whether your results surprise you.
• List of the references cited for the construction or development of this test, if any.

In your r eport, also provide answers to the following questions:

• How much faith do you have in this test and its results?
• On the basis of what you learned about achievement tests, what would you change regarding this test and why?
• What are the positive and negative ramifications of this test’s availability?
• What are the implications of taking this test on a computer? Would this test be better as a p aper-and-pencil test?
• Is the test associated with a reputable organization? If yes, give a brief description of the organization.
• Are there different subscale scores, or is it just one aggregate score? What scoring unit is used—z scores, percentile scores, or raw scores? What are the theoretical implications for the scoring of this test?
• What type of achievement test is this—survey battery, single-subject survey, diagnostic, or prognostic?

Support your responses with examples.

Using APA format, appropriately cite your sources throughout the assignment and include references on a separate page.

Performance Testing.html

Performance Testing

Psychological assessments used to measure performance are made to assess different individuals in a variety of ways. On an educational level, performance tests are often used to group children based on intelligence and skill levels. Performance tests are often thought to be predictive of an individual’s performance on future tasks that are of similar nature to those on the test. For this reason, organizations and businesses often endorse performance tests as a tool to help with decision-making when hiring new employees.

Performance tests are often referred to as a larger category of testing which includes ability tests, cognitive ability tests, and self-report tests.

One of the adverse impacts of testing can be the rigid categorization of an individual based on only one score. The specific measurement of one test often has no contingency on many other facets of performance or intelligence, yet it can lead to an unhealthy psychological state for some individuals.

Another result of psychological testing that sometimes impacts individuals adversely is how it is used in legal matters.

An example would be a person who is on trial for a crime, and knows that the results of a psychological test will largely impact, or completely determine, the outcome of his or her trial. In a circumstance in which culpability is being determined on the basis of one test, the impacts of testing can change the trajectory of an individual’s life.

Ability Tests.html

Ability Tests

Psychological assessment tests that attempt to measure cognitive ability are thought of as measures of intelligence. Intelligence is quantified on the basis of different types of reasoning: spatial, numeric, mechanical, abstract, and verbal. Depending on the test administrators’ motives for measuring an individual’s cognitive abilities, the questions may target only one of the types of reasoning, or any combination of the five.

Cognitive ability tests are given for a variety of reasons. A common use for this type of testing is seen in businesses and organizations; employers may use them as a means of determining a prospective employee’s potential fit with an organization, or to predict the type of contributions an individual might make based on which types of reasoning yield the highest scores. They are also used in clinical settings to screen for neurological issues.

The earliest formal uses for ability tests in the U.S. started around the time of World War I. When men were being drafted, individuals were classified, in a sense, based on how well they performed on ability tests. The scores obtained from these tests were often used to determine important factors in the lives of those who were drafted into the war.

The rise of group ability tests allowed large numbers of individuals to be tested at one time, and this shift in testing also precipitated the need for standardized testing in the U.S.

Ability tests are used to discover the strengths and weaknesses of individuals in various settings. The decisions that are made based on the results of these tests can often be life altering, as will be discussed later in the course content.