Fall 2007
Appraisal in Counseling
Instructor:
Class Hours: Monday 3:30 – 6:00 pm
Office Hours: Mondays 1:30 – 3:30 walk-in or by appt
and
Tuesdays 11-12 and 2-4 pm walk-in or by appt.
Office: Wham 222M
Phone: (618) 453-6927
E-mail: kasner@siu.edu
Web page: http://mypage.siu.edu/kasner/
Course Purpose:
This course is designed to establish an understanding of principles and procedures which characterize the nature of standardized and non-standardized appraisal, purposes for which such appraisals are used, ways in which results can be interpreted to various audiences (e.g., students, teachers, parents, counseling clients, professional colleagues), and how to use appraisal for treatment planning.
Required
American Psychiatric Association (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual for
mental
disorders – Text revision.
(4th ed.). (DSM-TR).
internship EPSY 591.
Whiston, S. C. (2000).
Principles and applications of assessment in counseling.
Wadsworth/Thomson Learning
Test booklets as assigned, such as the Myers-Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI) and the Strong
Interest Inventory (SII).
Handouts or reserve readings as assigned, such as:
Tinsley, H. E. A., &
Bradley, R. W. (1986). Test
Interpretation. Journal of Counseling and
Development,
64, 462-466.
Students are required to complete at least three standardized instruments outside of class. Results of these instruments will be used in class to practice report writing and test interpretation. Consequently, these results will not be confidential.
1. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) - Specimen Set must be purchased.
2. The 16PF – will be received in class.
3. Strong Interest Inventory (SII) – Prepaid profile consumable test booklet must be purchased.
By the end of the course, it is expected students will be able to:
1. understand basic principles that govern the process of human appraisal inclusive of diversity across age, culture, and ability,
2. understand basic measurement and statistical concepts underlying the construction, selection, use, and interpretation of appraisal instruments,
3. understand characteristics, strengths, weaknesses of intelligence, aptitude, and achievement tests, and noncognitive inventories,
4. evaluate the suitability of a particular appraisal instrument for a particular purpose ethically,
5. utilize appraisal procedures for interpretive understanding, decision making or diagnosis, and treatment planning, and
6. demonstrate skills in communicating assessment results in clear oral and written language.
Basis for Evaluation
Homework..............................…………………………….100 points
Exam….……………………………………………………150 points
Assignments........................................................................550 points
Ib. 16 PF……………………………………………10
Ic. SII……………………………………………….20
II. Videotape critique…………………………......100
III. Instrument critique…………………………….100
IV. DSM IV-TR case analyses………………….......50
V. Videotaped interpretation……………………..100
VI. Case Study and Treatment plan……………….150
Final Exam…………………………………………………200 points
1000 points
Notice: If you
have any type of special need(s) or disability for which you require
accommodations to promote your learning in this class, please contact me as
soon as possible. The office of
Disability Support Services (DDS) offers various support services and can help
you with special accommodations. You may
wish to contact DDS at 453-5738 or go to Rm 150 at Woody Hall to verify your
eligibility and options for accommodations related to your special need(s) or
disability. Your learning is important to me, to this profession, and to your
future clients.
You will be assigned both readings and written homework due the following session. We will use your readings and your homework as a basis for class discussion. The homework is designed to help you practice the concepts, apply them, and point out areas of confusion. This homework is designed to encourage you to take risks and make mistakes in a safe environment. You will receive full credit if you have done the homework completely and thoughtfully (showing your work so I can help you if the answers are not correct), partial credit if you simply attended to the work, and no credit if no effort is evident, you did not show your work and got the answer wrong, or if you do not turn in the homework.
Homework – 100 points total
(There are five (5) homework assignments, each worth 20 points.
Note: Homework is due at the beginning of class,
after which it is late. Late assignments
are docked 10% of the total possible points per 24-hour period. If you know you will not be in class, turn in
your homework early!!
Course Schedule
This class is divided into three sections. Part One covers measurement and appraisal concepts, Part Two addresses the application of appraisal concepts, and Part Three introduces diagnosis and treatment planning.
Aug 20 Introduction, History, and Overview of Course,
Course materials and requirements
- History and Philosophy of Assessment
- Types of Measurement scales
For
next Monday:
Read the Overview (pp 1-3),Chapter 1 – Assessment in Counseling
And Chapter 2 – Basic Assessment Principles
Homework # 1
Aug 27 - Types of Measurement Scales (cont)
- Norm-referenced and criterion referenced instruments
- Measures of Central Tendency and Variability
- Normal Distributions
- Scores
For
next class: Read Chapter 3 and Complete Homework # 2
Assignment
# 1a - completed SII prepaid form
Sept
3 LABOR DAY
Sept 10 Reliability;
SEM
For
Monday: Read Chapter 4 (only pages
68-83) and complete
Homework # 3
Sept 17 Accuracy
in Measurement: Validity
For
Monday: Complete Homework #4
Read
Chapter 5 – Instrument Selection, Administration, Scoring, and Communicating
Results
Read
the overview pp. 109-111, Read Chapters 6 and 12.
Read Tinsley,
H. E. A., & Bradley, R. W. (1986).
Test Interpretation.
Journal
of Counseling and Development, 64, 462-466.
Sep 24 Introduction to administering, scoring, and communicating results
For
Monday: Quiz (half class only)
PART TWO: Application of Appraisal
Concepts
The course will now switch from learning about concepts to doing something with them. Classes will be more experiential where we will, for example, begin interpreting instruments to each other. Outside of class a series of activities (Assignments II, III, IV, and V) will focus around assessing some aspects of a client you and s/he identify.
1. First, I am hoping that the overall quality of instrument interpretation will be higher if counselors-in-training have opportunities to observe others’ assessment interpretation before the actual assignment was due. Therefore, the following videos were collected from former students with their and their clients’ permission, to use for instructional purposes. These videos offer some examples of work that combine counseling with interpretation as opposed to simply enumerating the assessment results to the client. Assignment II is to watch three (or more if you’d like) of these tapes down in the lab. Choose one (or more) and address the following points completely.
a. How do you react to the way the session began?
b. Discuss how well you think the counselor explained the nature and objectives of this interpretation session.
c. Explain how the counselor drew the client out about what his or her performance on the instrument meant to the client.
d. Give examples of how the counselor used information from the instrument to help clients better understand themselves. Offer some suggestions for doing this even better.
e. In what ways was there a balance between providing information and a counseling interaction or not? How did counseling actually take place?
f. Discuss your views on how the session ended. What sort of a summary helped the client integrate information?
g. What will you do similarly and differently than this counselor-in-training when you do your instrument interpretation?
2. Next, locate a willing and interested participant. Simply indicate to persons you are taking an appraisal class in your counseling program and need to locate, evaluate, administer, score, interpret, and write a report on an instrument from which they could learn something about themselves. You’d be surprised how many people would like to be the focus of this activity. To make this a meaningful activity, do not select a family or class member as your client. Too often they participate from obligation rather than preference.
3. After some advanced preparation concerning types of instruments available and the skills necessary to administer, hold a discussion with your client. Discuss the kinds of instruments they might take and how they could be helpful in decision-making, i.e. establish a purpose for the assessment.
4. Select a standardized instrument appropriate for your client and complete an evaluation (ASSIGNMENT #III). To expand your knowledge of instruments, those used for instructional purposes in EPSY 544, like the Myers-Briggs, or in EPSY 100, like the Self Directed Search, may not be used in this assignment.
5. Obtain a written permission (informed consent) from your client to do the following: a) administer the standardized instrument you evaluated which is appropriate for your level of training, b) score the instrument, c) make a videotape of you interpreting the instrument to the individual, d) give a 5 minute description of the instrument and why you selected it before the tape is replayed to EPSY 544 students and the course instructor, e) submit the videotape for instructor evaluation (ASSIGNMENT #IV), and f) erase the tape immediately after you have use it to write a case-study, and it has been returned to you. Remember to include the full name of the course, a way to contact you, and limits to confidentiality (all four legal points in addition to limits inherent in a training tape).
6. Write a case report about your client including a section on diagnosis and treatment planning. (ASSIGNMENT #V).
Assignments
are due at the beginning of each class after which they are docked 10% per 24
hour period.
All written assignments need to be
grammatically correct, in APA format (as in a journal article except where
otherwise noted), and well written. If
you have difficulty writing, I encourage you to go to the
Oct 1 Exam (for half the class only; the rest
of the class will be taught)
Putting Assessment into a framework
- Intelligence Testing
- Achievement, and aptitude testing
- How are these three concepts similar and different?
For next Monday:
Read
Chapter 7 – Intelligence and General Ability Testing and
Chapter
8 – Measuring Achievement and Aptitude:
Applications for Counseling
Take the 16PF and return on Oct 10
Oct 8 Locating and Selecting Tests (visit materials center and the library)
For next Monday: Read Chapter
10 – Appraisal of Personality
Video
Critique Assignment (Assignment II)
Oct 15 Discussion of student tapes
Personality Testing – Projectives
- Hands-on with the CAT and Rorschach
- Interpretation of 16PF
For
next Monday: Read Chapter 9 – Career
Counseling, Chapter 15 – Ethical and Legal Issues in Assessment, and Appendix C
Assignment #1c Complete and
self-score the Meyers-Briggs Type Inventory
Assignment III
Instrument Critique
Oct 22 Discussion of ethical and legal issues
Career Counseling, Theory and assessment
- Hands-on with the MBTI and the SII and Interpretation of Card Sort
For Monday:
Read Chapter 13 – Assessment and
Diagnosis
-
Read the DSM-TR: pages xxiii – xxxvii; 1-12; 27-37 well.
- Read and study the DSM-TR: Mood Disorders (pp 345-428).
Seriously look at
pages 13-26 and Appendix A
Oct 29 The DSM_TR
- Overview
- Axis I
-
Axis II
-
Axis III
- Axis IV
- Axis V
Treatment Planning
For next Monday:
Assignment IV Present your video tape to
the class
Nov 5 and 12 In-class video presentations
For Monday, Nov 29th: Read and study the
DSM-TR: Disorders Usually First Diagnosed in Infancy, Childhood or Adolescence
(pp. 39-134) and Schizophrenia and
Other Psychotic Disorders (pp. 297-344) and Personality Disorders (pp.
685-730).
Homework #6 presentation of Sarah
Nov
19 NO CLASS –
THANKSGIVING
Nov 26 View
tape of Sarah, discuss diagnosis and treatment planning
Case Presentation Discussion in Professional Settings.
View tapes of Rachel and Jack.
For next Monday complete Assignment
VI
Dec 3 Assignment VI - Select one of the two DSM cases (Rachel or Jack) from
the written summaries. Reviewing the video available in the
Teaching Skills Lab. Complete the Multiaxial Evaluation Report following
the format on pages 35 - 36 of the DSM-TR.
In addition to the form, include a written explanation justifying and
explaining your clinical judgment. This
written explanation should not be longer than 5 double-spaced pages and is due
TODAY.
Cases 2 and 4 will be discussed in class. The students will explain their assessments to the class. Be aware not all clinicians come to the same conclusions when evaluating cases. But the skilled ones can justify and explain their clinical judgments. You will be graded on your well thought-out, professional written justifications of your diagnosis, not on whether your diagnosis is in perfect agreement with others’ work.
Course Evaluation
Dec 10 Final Exam…comprehensive multiple choice and short answer.
DUE: Assignment 5
Case Study and Treatment Plan
Summary of Assignments
I. Take the Strong Interest Inventory and submit the prepaid Profile for scoring, take the MPTI and self-score it, AND take the 16PF and submit the answer sheet for scoring.
DUE Ia SII Sep 10 50 points (total)
Ib 16PF Oct 8
Ic MBTI Oct 22
II. Submit a critique of a video taped test interpretation. Video available for viewing at Teaching Skills Lab.
DUE Oct 15 100 points
III. Instrument evaluation
DUE Oct 22 100 points
IV. Interpretation video
DUE Nov 5, 12 100 points
V. Written case study and treatment plan of video
DUE Dec 10 150 points
VI. DSM-IV- TR five axis case analyses.
DUE Dec 3 50 points
7. HOMEWORKS 1-5 100
points
Total Assignments/Homework 650 points
1. The Exam, worth 15% of your grade, has a multiple choice/short answer format. You will be allowed to bring two pages of notes (either one double-sided notebook page or two one-sided notebook page or the equivalent of two 8.5 by 11 sides of paper) as resources while taking this quiz.
2. The Final Exam is cumulative and worth 20% of your grade. It will be multiple choice/short answer and essay. There will be a take home component and an in class component. Essay responses will be graded according to three general criteria. A high quality response is one that: (a) directly addresses the question, (b) contains enough specific details to convince the instructor that you have read and understood the concepts on which the questions are based, and (c) is grammatically correct. In other words, essay responses will be evaluated for completeness, accuracy, relatedness to course readings and discussions, and adherence to the rules of standard English grammar.
What do grades in “Appraisal in Counseling” mean? They are not a reflection of one’s self worth but do provide indications regarding mastery of Appraisal knowledge, comprehension, and application.
If you earn an A, you have the skills necessary to acquire the background to manage a counseling agency or school’s assessment program. Consider some additional training to make psychometry one of your strengths.
If you earn a B, with continued attention to detail, you have the skills necessary to use assessment procedures with clients in counseling. Sharpen these skills through supervised practice to develop appraisal in counseling as one of your strengths.
If you earn a C, be cautious when using appraisal data with clients. At this point in your career development, appraisal is not one of your strengths. Therefore, regularly consult with counseling colleagues about appraisal techniques and practices you are using.
There are an equal number of points available through evaluation (tests) and activities (assignments).
Final grades will be determined as follows:
A=900-1000 90% minimum
B=800-899 80% minimum
D=600-699 60% minimum
F=below 600
All homework is worth 20 points.
1. What are the four scales of measurement, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of each? Give examples of each type of scale that are not in your Whiston textbook.
2. Discuss norm-referenced and criterion-referenced instruments. Make sure you can define what they are and what their relative strengths and weaknesses are.
3. Discuss the three measures of central tendency. Make sure you can define them and explain their relative strengths and weaknesses.
Questions 4-6 pertain to the following data set:
1, 2, 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 3, 3, 4, 10
4. Find the mode
a. It is bimodal: 1 and 4
b. The mode is 4.
c. The mode is 3.
d. The mode is 44.
5. Find the mean
a. The mean is 6.
b. The mean is 4.
c. The mean is 3.
d. The mean is 44.
6. Find the median
a. The median is 6.
b. The median is 4.
c. The median is 3.
d. The median is 44.
7. Use Table 2.1 (attached, keep this table for later homework) to compute the mean, mode, and median of the Anger Control and Calmness scores. (show your work)
8. Compare the central tendencies of the two sets of scores. Remember to mention skewness.
9. Why is variability an important concept in testing? What are the measures of dispersion that are used in testing?
Homework #2
i. Plot the mean, median, and mode.
ii. What percentage of cases fall below the mean?
iii. What percentage of cases fall between –2 standard deviations and the mean?
iv. What percentage of cases fall between +2 and +3 standard deviations?
v. What percentage of cases fall above the mean?
vi. What percentage of cases fall below +3 standard deviations?
vii. What percentage of cases fall below +1 standard deviations?
viii. What percentage of cases fall below -2 standard deviations?
ix. What percentage of cases fall below -1 standard deviations?
1. What are the different methods of estimating the reliability of an instrument’s scores? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each method?
2. What statistical technique is often used to calculate an estimate of reliability?
3. With a reliability coefficient (r) of .90, the estimate of total variance of test scores attributable to unsystematic error is _______.
4. If a school counselor administered an aptitude test to her High School Juniors (randomly assigned to taking Form A or Form B), what could she do with the scores in terms of reliability?
5. If there is no evidence of a relationship between two groups of test scores, the correlation between them will be ______.
6. What would it mean if the correlation between interest in statistics and being a “fun date” was -.70?
7. What is the Standard Error of Measurement (SEM) and what is it designed to do?
8. If the standard deviation (sd) of a particular subtest of the WISC-III-R is 3 and the r = .84, then what is the SEM of that subtest? (show your work)
9. Say a client’s score is 59 on an instrument. The instrument has r = .91 and sd = 10. (show your work)
a. Where will the client’s true score fall 66 % of the time?
b. Where will it fall 95% of the time?
c. 99.5% of the time
10. A community agency is trying to decide which of two depression inventories to use with their clientele. The D1 inventory manual reports norm group (n = 4523) test-retest reliability scores over two days of .95 and over 6 weeks of .45. What could account for such a difference?
1. What are the different types of validity, and when would each type be important to an instrument user?
2. If you were assigned to select an instrument that would predict future suicide attempts, you would be most interested in evaluating what type of validity of the instrument’s scores?
3. What is the difference between concurrent and predictive validity?
4. A validity coefficient is best illustrated by the correlation between:
a. Test and retest scores
b. Two different instruments.
c. Test scores and performance on a criterion
d. An item and the total test score.
5. What can you say about an instrument’s scores that measure consistently but not what they were designed to measure?
6. An instructor announces that an exam will cover the topics of counseling theories and techniques. You spend hours studying both concepts, but the test questions are only on techniques. What type of validity would you say the test scores lacked and why?
7. A high correlation between the scores on a self-report inventory of depression and a depression measure completed by the therapist is an example of what kind of validity evidence?
Homework #5
Design a brief professional case presentation, inclusive of a DSM-IV-TR diagnosis, on Sarah, that you would present to a team of mental health professionals including social workers, psychiatric nurses, psychologists, and psychiatrists. Keep in mind their training when you work to present Sarah in a way that can offer her efficacious help.