u03s1 Studies

Readings
Complete the following:

In the Kaplan and Saccuzzo text, read: o Chapter 2, "Norms and Basic Statistics for Testing," pages 2564. o Chapter 19, "Test Bias," pages 511544. In the Standards text, read Chapter 4, "Scales, Norms, and Comparability," pages 4960.

Illustration
Types of Bias
Launch Diagram | Transcript

Test bias exists whenever a test produces statistically significant differences for a group or groups of individuals. Click Launch Illustration to view the Types of Bias diagram, which presents some of the major types of bias leading to differential group performance on a given instrument.

u03a1 Project Topic Selection - DUE: APRIL 26, 11:59 PM

Your Topic Selection must contain the following information in a separate document. 1. Briefly describe the selected topic or instrument. This description should be brief but specific enough to present an overview of what your literature review will cover and allow the instructor to assess the acceptability of the project. Provide supporting information as to why this particular topic or instrument was chosen for the literature review. 2. Provide a thesis statement, problem statement, or research question that will guide the literature review. The thesis statement, problem statement, or research question must be related to tests and measurements and applicable to your current or future employment or your specialization at Capella. 3. Identify and describe a specific psychometric theory or theories, related to the chosen topic, which serves as the foundation for the proposed research. State the theory and explicitly articulate how this theory pertains to the proposed literature review. 4. Present ideas for the concept, point, or thesis to be developed. You must present main ideas that support your topic selection. 5. Include a literature summary that lists the number of articles available on the topic, and explain your search strategy. Submit your Topic Selection in the assignment area.

Resources

Topic Selection Scoring Guide. Critical Literature Review Project Description and Scoring Guide.

u03d1 Norms
Discuss the concept of norms related to psychological testing and address the following: Which standards presented in Chapter 4 of the Standards text address the use of test norms in psychological assessment? Summarize the different types of norms. Describe how norms are developed for a psychological test. Illustrate the relationship between a standardization sample and test norms. Response Guidelines learner's post and your own. Discuss how the learner's post has contributed to or facilitated your knowledge of the discussion topic.

The Standards text presents clear criteria for the use of norms in testing practices and test evaluations (AERA, APA, & NCME, 1999). Standard 4.5 addresses the need to specifically identify the target population for whom the testing instrument is designed. It is both the responsibility the test developer to clearly identify the target population and the test user to apply the standard to ensure appropriate application of the test. Standard 4.6 states that test specifications of norm studies should be clearly reported to enable the test users to make appropriate interpretation of the test scores of local examinees. Standard 4.7 requires that test users describe the differences that may exist between local examinee groups and published norms. Finally, Standard 4.8 states that when group norms are used they must be clearly defined and support the intended use of the testing instrument. Testing norms are obtained through a frequency distribution of scores for a predefined sample population of examinees. Kaplan & Saccuzzo discuss three types of testing norms: means, percentiles and Z scores (Kaplan, R. M., & Saccuzzo, D. P., 2009). The mean is simply an average score in a distribution of scores. Percentiles are scores along a frequency distribution divided into hundredths. Z scores for test scores indicate how far and in what direction the score is from the distribution mean in units of the standard deviation of the distribution. The standard deviation is an approximation of a deviation around the mean of a frequency distribution (Kaplan, R. M., & Saccuzzo, D. P., 2009). Norms are developed for psychological testing by administering a standardized test for a sample group of people and then obtaining the distribution scores for the group with appropriate meanings. These scores and their corresponding meanings represent testing norms. When the standardized test is administered to others for whom the standardized test was designed, the scores are measured in comparison to the testing norms to determine local examinees performance. To illustrate the use of standardization and testing norms, say a particular age group is used as the sample test population. When the test is administered, distribution scores are standardized for this particular age group and the test norms are developed. The testing instrument is now standardized with testing norms for

that specific age group for which the test was designed. A test developers responsibility is to clearly publish test standardizations and the specifications of the norm studies to enable future test users to appropriately interpret and apply the test scores of local examinees.

. (Kaplan, R. M., & Saccuzzo, D. P., 2009) (AERA, APA, & NCME, 1999) References American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, & National Council on Measurement in Education. (1999). Standards for educational and psychological testing. Washington, DC: American Educational Research Association. Kaplan, R. M., & Saccuzzo, D. P. (2009). Psychological testing: Principles, applications, and issues (7th ed.). Belmont, CA: Cengage.