Application of Measurement and Clinical Appraisal Techniques

Student Learning Outcomes, Goals, Objectives:

Students successfully completing this course will understand [CACREP 2024 standards]:

• 3.G.1. historical perspectives concerning the nature and meaning of assessment and testing in counseling

• 3.G.2. basic concepts of standardized and non-standardized testing, norm-referenced and criterion-referenced assessments, and group and individual assessments

• 3.G.3. statistical concepts, including scales of measurement, measures of central tendency, indices of variability, shapes and types of distributions, and correlations

• 3.G.4. reliability and validity in the use of assessments

• 3.G.5. culturally sustaining and developmental considerations for selecting, administering, and interpreting assessments, including individual accommodations and environmental modifications.

• 3.G.6. ethical and legal considerations for selecting, administering, and interpreting assessments

• 3.G.7. use of culturally sustaining and developmentally appropriate assessments for diagnostic and intervention planning purposes

• 3.G.8. use of assessments in academic/educational, career, personal, and social development

• 3.G.9. use of environmental assessments and systematic behavior observations

• 3.G.10. use of structured interviewing, symptom checklists, and personality and psychological testing

• 3.G.11. diagnostic processes, including differential diagnosis and the use of current diagnostic classification systems

• 3.G.12. procedures to identify substance use, addictions, and co-occurring conditions

• 3.G.13. procedures for assessing and responding to risk of aggression or danger to others, self inflicted harm, and suicide

• 3.G.14. procedures for assessing clients’ experience of trauma

• 3.G.15. procedures for identifying and reporting signs of abuse and neglect

• 3.G.16. procedures to identify client characteristics, protective factors, risk factors, and warning signs of mental health and behavioral disorders

• 3.G.17. procedures for using assessment results for referral and consultation

Course Grading Information:

Activity/Performance Measure	Percentage/Points
Assessment Critique Group Project Part 1	5 points
Assessment Critique Group Project Part 2	15 points
Assessment Critique Group Project Part 3	30 points
Assessment Critique Group Project Part 4	50 points
Midterm Exam	50 points
Final Exam	100 points
Total	250 points

Grading Scale

Percentage	Letter Grade
93% - 100%	A
90% - 92.99%	A-
87% - 89.99%	B+
83% - 86.99%	B
80% - 82.99%	B-
77% - 79.99%	C+
73% - 76.99%	C
70% - 72.99%	C-
Below 70%	F

Attendance/Participation:

Attendance is required for this course. If you are absent for more than one class during this semester, your grade may be negatively impacted.

Course Materials Purchased by the Students:

Hays, D. G. (2024). Assessment in counseling: Procedures and practices (7th ed.). American Counseling Association.