TESTING AND ASSESSMENT: A GUIDE TO GOOD PRACTICES FOR WORKFORCE INVESTMENT PROFESSIONALS U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration 2006 Foreword PURPOSE of the GUIDE Human capital is our most valuable resource in today’s globally competitive, highly technical, and increasingly diverse workplace. Investing in the development of our workforce is critical if we, as a nation, are to protect our economic well-being and maintain our standard of living. We develop our workforce in a number of ways by helping both individuals and organizations to identify and cultivate their abilities and competencies. Tests and assessments are often key tools in achieving this important goal. This Guide serves to help career counselors and training and development professionals use assessment practices in appropriate ways to support the overarching goal of workforce development. It conveys the essential concepts of testing and assessment in easy-to-understand terms so that counselors, trainers, and other workforce development professionals can: evaluate and select assessment tools/procedures that provide career counseling and guidance, and aid in training and career development; administer and score assessment tools that are the most efficient and effective for their particular needs; interpret assessment results in an accurate manner; and understand the professional and legal standards to be followed when using tests and assessments in counseling, training, and other career development programs. FORMAT of the GUIDE This Guide is structured around a set of assessment principles and their applications. The information is organized so that readers from a variety of backgrounds will find the information presented in a clear and useful manner. Each chapter covers a critical aspect of the assessment process. The issues involved in each aspect are outlined at the beginning of each chapter. Thirteen principles of assessment are explained in the Guide. The last chapter (Chapter 9) summarizes the main points of the principles, serving as a review of the material discussed in the Guide. Appendix A offers a list of resource materials for those interested in more information on a particular topic, and Appendix B is a glossary for quick clarification of terms and concepts. The Guide is designed to provide important information regarding testing as part of workforce development programs such as career counseling, training, and development. It gives general guidelines and must not be viewed as legal advice. i Acknowledgments Testing and Assessment: A Guide to Good Practices for Workforce Investment Professionals (hereinafter referred to as the Guide) was produced and funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration. This Guide was prepared under Department of Labor grants with the North Carolina Employment Security Commission, Southern Assessment Research and Development Center, and National O*NET Consortium; the New York Department of Labor; and the Utah Department of Employment Security. The Guide was completed under the direction of David Rivkin and Phil Lewis. This Guide was adapted from Testing and Assessment: An Employer’s Guide to Good Practices, written by Syed Saad, Gary W. Carter, Mark Rothenberg, and Enid Israelson. Dianne Brown Maranto and Elizabeth McKenzie revised the Guide and adapted it for the workforce investment system. Grateful acknowledgment is made to Patrice Gilliam-Johnson, Jonathan Levine, Cindy Bell, and Brenda Dunn for their contributions. Thanks are also given to Ann Kump, Helen Tannenbaum, Don Kreger, Kristin Fiske, and Marilyn Silver whose valuable suggestions were very much appreciated. Grateful acknowledgment is also made to Suzan Chastain, Department of Labor, Office of the Solicitor, Division of Civil Rights, and Hilary R. Weinerand and Cynthia Misicka of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for consultant reviews and insights into the final preparation of this Guide. Special Notice: Intended use of information presented in Testing and Assessment: A Guide to Good Practices for Workforce Investment Professionals. The Guide is designed to provide important information regarding testing and assessment as part of workforce investment program activities such as career counseling, career training, and career development. It summarizes relevant laws and regulations. The information presented is not intended to be exhaustive. Additionally, the user should be aware that relevant new laws and regulations may have been instituted since development of the Guide. The Guide is not to be viewed as legal advice. Copyright Information Unless marked with a copyright notice, the materials contained in this Guide are part of the public domain and, therefore, may be used and reproduced without restriction. Any materials in this Guide that are copyrighted and protected under the federal Copyright Act of 1976 are marked with a copyright notice. Permission is granted to use such copyrighted materials for non-commercial, instructional, personal, or scholarly purposes. Any portion of this Guide reproduced for such a purpose must include a reference citation to the publication, including the title/date of the Guide, page number/s, and the authors. Use of the copyrighted material/s for any other purpose, particularly commercial use, without the prior, express written permission of the authors is prohibited. ii This project was supported by the U.S. Department of Labor-ETA, under a grant to the North Carolina Employment Security Commission: Grant No. M-6403-7-00-96-60. iii iv Table of Contents Chapters Page Foreword......................................................................................................... i Acknowledgments ..........................................................................................ii Special Notice.................................................................................................ii Copyright Information......................................................................................ii 1 Assessment in Workforce Development: Career Counseling, Training, and Development .................................. 1-1 2 Understanding the Professional and Legal Context of Assessment in Workforce Development................................................................... 2-1 3 Understanding Test Quality: Concepts of Reliability and Validity............... 3-1 4 Assessment Tools and Their Uses in Workforce Development ............... 4-1 5 How to Select Tests: Standards for Evaluating Tests ................................ 5-1 6 Administering Assessment Instruments...................................................... 6-1 7 Using, Scoring, and Interpreting Assessment Instruments ......................... 7-1 8 Issues and Concerns with Assessment ...................................................... 8-1 9 A Review: Principles of Assessment.......................................................... 9-1 Appendices A Sources of Additional Information on Assessment in Workforce Development...................................................................A-1 B Glossary of Assessment Terms ...................................................................B-1 v vi CHAPTER 1 Assessment in Workforce Development: Career Counseling, Training, and Development Assessment is a systematic approach to gathering information about individuals. This information can be used in a variety of ways to aid in workforce development. Assessment is always conducted for a specific purpose. Career counselors may conduct assessment to provide career guidance to clients. Tests may provide information that helps individuals choose occupations in which they are likely to be successful and satisfied. In training and career development programs, tests are used to help identify employees or individuals who might benefit from either remedial or advanced training, or who are suitable for particular career development tracks. They also can be used to find out whether employees have mastered training materials. Chapter Highlights 1. Assessment in workforce development 2. Assessment tools: tests and inventories 3. Relationship between workforce development and tests 4. What do tests measure? 5. Importance of using tests in a purposeful manner 6. Limitations of tests: fallibility of test scores Principles of Assessment Discussed Use assessment tools in a purposeful manner. Use the whole-person approach to assessment. 1. Assessment in workforce development Assessment can be used as an aid in workforce development in the following ways: Career counseling. Career counseling is an interactive process by which counselors and clients exchange and explore information concerning clients’ backgrounds, experiences, interests, abilities, self-esteem, and other personal characteristics that help or inhibit their work readiness and career planning. Career counseling is a systematic approach to providing information and advice to clients in such areas as outreach programs, training, internships, apprenticeships, and job placement. Although the career counselor’s primary concern is the client’s career development, counselors also may provide screening and referral services to employers. Counselors use information gathered through assessment to understand and respond to clients’ needs and concerns; clients use this information to 1 understand themselves better, clarify their goals and perspectives, and make plans for the future. Training. Training is often provided by employers to employees,