Assessment Guide

PSY640 Content for Testing Pamphlets and Information Sheets

For each category of assessment listed in the assignment, students will create two pages of information.

The intent for the layout is that it be consistent with either a two-page information sheet (front and back),

or a two-sided tri-fold pamphlet that might be found in the office of a mental health professional. The

presentation of the information within each pamphlet or brochure must incorporate at least three different

visual representations of the information (e.g., text, graphics, images, original cartoons).

For each pamphlet or information sheet a minimum of three scholarly sources must be used, at least two

of which must be from peer-reviewed journal articles published within the last 10 years and obtained from

the Ashford University Library. Some sources may be relevant for more than one category of assessment;

therefore, it is acceptable to use relevant sources in more than one category. Remember that the language

for each information sheet should be at the sixth- to ninth-grade reading level to allow a broad audience at

various ages and levels of education to better understand each category of assessment.

For each category of assessment.

• Introduce and offer a brief, easy-to-understand definition for the broad assessment category being

measured. (e.g., What is intelligence?, What is achievement?, What is personality?, What does

“neuropsychological” mean? What does “forensic” mean?)

• Provide a brief overview of the types of tests commonly used within the category of assessment

explain what they measure. Compare the commonly used assessment instruments within the

category.

• Describe appropriate and inappropriate uses of tests within the category of assessment. Explain

why some tests are more appropriate for specific populations and purposes and which tests may

be inappropriate. Analyze and describe the challenges related to assessing individuals from

diverse social and cultural backgrounds. Evaluate the ethical interpretation of testing and

assessment data as it relates to the test types within the category. Describe major debates in the

field regarding different assessment approaches within the category. (e.g., Intellectual disabilities,

formerly known as “mental retardation,” cannot be determined by a single test. Thus, an

inappropriate use of an intelligence test would be to use such a test as the sole instrument to

diagnose an intellectual ability.)

• Describe the format in which assessment results may be expected. Evaluate and explain the

professional interpretation of testing and assessment data. Analyze the psychometric

methodologies typically employed in the validation of types of psychological testing within the

category. Include information about the types of scores used to communicate assessment results

consistent with the tests being discussed (e.g., scaled scores, percentile rank, grade equivalent,

age equivalent, standard age score, confidence interval).

• Explain the common terminology used in assessment in a manner that demystifies the

professional jargon (e.g., In the course of discussing intelligence testing, students would define

concepts such as I.Q., categories of intelligence, and the classification labels used to describe

persons with intellectual disabilities.)

• Include a bulleted list of at least three credible professional and/or educational online resources

where the reader can obtain more information about the various types of testing in order to aid

him or her in the evaluation and interpretation of testing and assessment data. No commercial

websites may be used. Include the name of the organization that authored the web page, the title

of the web page and/or document, and the URL. (These websites will not count toward the 12

scholarly resources required for the assignment.)