SYLLABUS
Educational and Psychological Assessment
Instructor: Edward Neukrug, Ed.D.
Course Number: COUN 645
Course Title: Educational and Psychological Assessment
Course Description: The focus of this class is on major concepts and principles of educational
and psychological assessment and the use of standardized instruments with differing populations.
Purpose of Course: To have students obtain a basic understanding of the nature of
psychological and educational assessment, to examine how assessment has influenced our lives
and how clinical assessment can significantly affect the clients with whom we work.
Course Objectives/Competencies:
1) To consider the "purpose" of assessment in educational and agency settings.
2) To examine the historical roots of testing and assessment.
3) To examine social, professional, ethical, and legal concerns related to testing and
assessment and to become particularly sensitive to issues of confidentiality, informed
consent, and invasion of privacy issues.
4) To understand proper test administration and test interpretation.
5) To understand the concepts of norm-referenced and standardized testing.
6) To understand the concepts of test worthiness, including reliability, validity, practicality,
and cross-cultural fairness.
7) To become proficient at basic methodological and statistical principles related to testing,
including frequency distributions, measures of central tendency, measures of variability,
correlation coefficients, factor analysis, standard error of measure, and standard error of
the estimate.
8) To examine the use of assessment instruments in the following domains: educational
assessment, assessment cognitive functioning including intelligence and
neuropsychological problems, career and occupational assessment, clinical assessment,
and informal assessment.
9) To apply knowledge of assessment in the following ways: as consultant to other
professionals, in assisting clients in their learning process and their psychological
growth, as supervisor to others who are administering tests, as a developer of needs
assessment techniques, and as an evaluator of treatment approaches and training
programs.
10) To learn clinical interviewing techniques and mental status assessments.
11) To learn the basics to DSM-5 and how it can be helpful in the assessment of clients.
12) To learn the purposes and content of written test reports.
Course Requirements:
1) To read, from the textbook, about the nature of assessment
2) To conduct a clinical assessment and mental status exam.
3) To finish all homework assignments relative to test statistics.
4) To take three tests to evaluate learning.
5) To complete a test report using several of the tests discussed during the semester.
Accommodating Students with Special Learning Needs:
In accordance with university policy, a student who wishes to receive some instructional
accommodation, because of a documented sensory and/or learning disability, should meet with
the instructor to discuss this accommodation.
Attendance:
Although attendance and participation is not mandatory, as a graduate course it is expected that
students will embrace the learning process through their attendance and participation.
Grading:
Point Spread for Grade Determination
92.1....to....100 = A
90.......to.....92 = A85.......to.....89.9 = B+
80.......to.....84.9 = B
78.......to.....79.9 = B75.......to.....77.9 = C+
70.......to.....74.9 = C
68.......to.....69.9 = CFinal Grade:
25% for 1st test
25% for 2nd test
25% for 3rd test
25% for test report
Honors Pledge:
“I pledge to support the honor system of Old Dominion University. I will refrain from any form
of academic dishonesty or deception, such as cheating or plagiarism. I am aware that as a
member of the academic community, it is my responsibility to turn in all suspected violators of
the honor system. I will report to Honor Council hearings if summoned.” By attending Old
Dominion University you have accepted the responsibility to abide by this code. This is an
institutional policy approved by the Board of Visitors.
Instructor Contact:
Office Hours: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., or by appointment
E-mail: bthegreatestteacher@greatteacher.com
Office: Education 249-2
Phone: 555-3434
Course Sequencing and Prerequisites: Students must have taken or be currently enrolled in the
introductory counseling courses on professional issues and the basic counseling skills course. All
others must obtain permission from the instructor.
Class References:
Text: Neukrug, E., & Fawcett, R (2015). Essentials of Testing and Assessment: A Practical
Guide for Counselors, Social Workers, and Psychologists (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA: Cengage.
Optional Text: American Psychiatric Association (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
Possible Tests to Complete for Class and Test Report:
1) 16PF
2) Wide Range Achievement Test
3) Strong Interest Inventory
4) Beck Depression Inventory
5) Kinetic Family Drawing
6) Sentence Completion
7) Myers-Briggs
Course Readings:
Class 1: History of Testing and Assessment (Chapter 1)
Class 2: Ethical, Legal, and Professional Issues in Assessment (Chapter 2).
Class 3: Diagnosis in the Assessment Process (Chapter 3)
Class 4: The Assessment Report Process (Chapter 4)
Class 5: Test Worthiness: Validity, Reliability, Practicality, and Cross-Cultural Fairness
(Chapter 5)
Class 5: Statistical Concepts: Making Meaning Out of Raw Scores (Chapter 6)
Class 6: Statistical Concepts: Creating New Scores to Interpret Test Data (Chapter 6)
Class 7: Statistical Concepts: Creating New Scores to Interpret Test Data (Chapter 6)
Class 8: First Test (On Chapters 1, 2, 5, 6, and 7)
Class 9: Assessment of Educational Ability: Survey Battery, Diagnostic, Readiness, and
Cognitive Ability Tests (Chapter 8)
Class 10: Intellectual and Cognitive Functioning: Intelligence Testing and Neuropsychological
Assessment (Chapters 9)
Class 12: Career and Occupational Assessment: Interest Inventories, Multiple Aptitude, and
Special Aptitude Tests (Chapter 10)
Class 13: Clinical Assessment: Objective and Projective Personality Tests (Chapter 11)
Class 14: Informal Assessment: Observation, Rating Sales, Classification Methods,
Environmental Assessment, Records and Personal Documents, and Performance-Based
Assessment (Chapter 12)
Class 15: Final and Test Reports Due
Test Report:
You are asked to hand in a four-page, single-spaced, case report that incorporates a clinical
interview of an individual.
If testing a late adolescent or adult, the report must include the BDI, the 16PF, the WRAT4, and
a KFD and/or sentence completion. If testing a child, the report must include the Conner, the
WRAT4, the KFD, a sentence completion, recent grades and test scores, and an interview with a
parent or guardian.
Other tests can be used at your convenience (e.g., the Myers-Briggs, the Strong).
In writing your report you should include the following categories (see Chapter 4):
1) Demographic information
2) Presenting problem or reason for the report
3) Family background
4) Significant medical/counseling history
5) Substance use and abuse
6) Vocational and educational history
7) Other pertinent background information
8) Mental status,
9) Assessment or test results
10) Diagnosis
11) Summary and conclusions
12) Recommendations