Good assessment practices & prevention of misuse of assessments

Question 1

Good practices that assessment practitioners should follow:

1-5

Answer 1

• Informing test-takers about their rights and the use to which the assessment information will be put
• Obtaining the consent of test-takers to assess them, to use the results for selection, placement, or training decisions and, if needs be, to report the results to relevant third parties. Where a minor child is assessed, consent must be obtained from the parent or legal guardian
• Treating test-takers courteously, respectfully, and in an impartial manner, regardless of culture, language, gender, age, disability, and so on
• Being thoroughly prepared for the assessment session
• Maintaining confidentiality to the extent that it is appropriate for fair assessment practices.

Question 2

6-10:

Answer 2

• Establishing what language would be appropriate and fair to use during the assessment, and making use of bilingual assessment where appropriate
• Only using measures that they have been trained to use
• Administrating measures properly
• Scoring the measures correctly and using appropriate norms or cut-points or comparative profiles
• Taking background factors into account when interpreting test performance and when forming an overall picture of the test-takers performance (profile)

Question 3

11-15:

Answer 3

• Communicating the assessment results clearly to appropriate parties
• Acknowledging the subjective nature of the assessment process by realising that the final decision that they reach, while based at times on quantitative test information, reflects their ‘best-guess estimate’
• Using assessment information in a fair, unbiased manner and ensuring that anyone else who has access to this information also does so
• Researching the appropriateness of the measures that they use and refining, adapting, or replacing them where this is necessary
• Securely storing and controlling access to assessment materials so that the integrity of the measures cannot be threatened in any way.

Question 4

What is a contract?

Answer 4

Some of the above good practices can be captured in a contract. Contracts between assessment practitioners and test-takers are often implicit. However, it is important that contracts should be more explicitly stated in writing, and that test-takers should be thoroughly familiarised with the roles and responsibilities of the assessment practitioners, and what is expected of them. By doing so, the possibility if misunderstandings and litigation will be minimised.

Question 5

Prevention of misuse of assessments:

What is it?

Answer 5

The practices of the misuse of assessment measures are comprised of factors that are the same or similar to those involved in everyday assessment practices.

Question 6

Assessment measures need to be controlled:

Answer 6

• Assessment measures and their results can be misused which can have negative consequences for those being assessed.
o Thus, the use of assessment measures needs to be controlled so that the public can be protected

Question 7

Controlling the use of psychological measures by restricting them to appropriately trained professionals should ensure that:

Answer 7

• The measures are administrated by a qualified, competent assessment practitioner, and that assessment results are correctly interpreted and used
• The outcome of the assessment is conveyed in a sensitive, empowering manner rather than in a harmful way
• The purchasing of psychological assessment measures is restricted to those who may use them, and test materials are kept securely. This will prevent unqualified people from gaining access to and using them
• Test developers do not prematurely release assessment materials. It is unethical for assessment practitioners to use measures for which appropriate validity and reliability data have not been established
• The public does not become familiar with the test content, as this would invalidate the measure.
o For example, it would not only give to members of the public insight into the test content but could also give them a distorted view of psychological assessment.