TESTING AND ASSESSMENT: AN EMPLOYER ... - …

1 TESTING AND assessment : AN EMPLOYER 'S GUIDE. TO GOOD PRACTICES. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration 1999. Foreword PURPOSE of the GUIDE. In today's competitive marketplace and complex legal environment, employers face the challenge of attracting, developing, and retaining the best employees. Michael Eisner, CEO of the Disney Corporation, recognized the impact of personnel decisions on a business' bottom-line when he remarked, My inventory goes home every night.. This guide is to help managers and human resource (HR) professionals use assessment practices that are the right choices for reaching their organizations' HR goals.

2 It conveys the essential concepts of employment TESTING in easy-to-understand terms so that managers and HR professionals can Evaluate and select assessment tools/procedures that maximize chances for getting the right fit between jobs and employees Administer and score assessment tools that are the most efficient and effective for their particular needs Interpret assessment results in an accurate manner Understand the professional and legal standards to be followed when conducting personnel assessment . FORMAT of the GUIDE.

3 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.

4 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 accurate and important information regarding TESTING as part of a personnel assessment program. It gives general guidelines and must not be viewed as legal advice. ii Acknowledgments TESTING and assessment : An EMPLOYER 's Guide to Good Practices (Guide) was produced and funded by the Skills assessment and Analysis Program in the Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Office of Policy and Research (OPR) under the direction of Gerard F.

5 Fiala, Administrator. The Skills assessment and Analysis Program is directed by Donna Dye, Personnel Research Psychologist, who provided technical direction and support for this Guide. The 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.

6 Mr. Rivkin also served as editor of the Guide. Authors of this Guide were Syed Saad, Gary W. Carter, Mark Rothenberg, and Enid Israelson. Grateful acknowledgment is made to Phil Lewis, Patrice Gilliam-Johnson, Jonathan Levine, and Brenda Dunn for their contribution. 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.

7 Weinerand and Cynthia Misicka of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for consultant review and insights into the final preparation of this Guide. Special Notice Material in this publication is in the public domain and may be reproduced, fully or partially, without permission of the federal government. Source credit is requested but not required. Permission is required only to reproduce any copyrighted material contained herein. This material will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request.

8 Voice phone: (202) 219-7664. TDD* phone: (800) 326-2577. *Telecommunications Device for the Deaf iii Table of Contents Chapter Page 1 Personnel assessment .. 1-1. 2 Understanding the Legal Context of assessment Employment Laws and Regulations with Implications for assessment .. 2-1. 3 Understanding Test Quality Concepts of Reliability and Validity .. 3-1. 4 assessment Tools and Their Uses .. 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.

9 7-1. 8 Issues and Concerns with assessment .. 8-1. 9 A Review Principles of assessment .. 9-1. Appendix A Sources of Additional Information on Personnel assessment .. A-1. B Glossary of assessment Terms .. B-1. iv CHAPTER 1 Personnel assessment Personnel assessment is a systematic approach to gathering information about individuals. This information is used to make employment or career-related decisions about applicants and employees. assessment is conducted for some specific purpose. For example, you, as an EMPLOYER , may conduct personnel assessment to select employees for a job.

10 Career counselors may conduct personnel assessment to provide career guidance to clients. Chapter Highlights 1. Personnel assessment tools: tests and procedures 2. Relationship between the personnel assessment process and tests and procedures 3. What do tests measure? 4. Why do organizations conduct assessment ? 5. Some situations in which an organization may benefit from TESTING 6. Importance of using tests in a purposeful manner 7. Limitations of personnel tests and procedures fallibility of test scores. Principles of assessment Discussed Use assessment tools in a purposeful manner Use the whole-person approach to assessment .