2. Understand important measurement and assessment concepts such as reliability and validity;

3. Identify and locate published instruments for specific decision making;

4. Evaluate existing instruments with respect to reliability and validity evidence;

5. Apply general principles and detailed techniques of developing an instrument suitable for decision making;

6. Be comfortable with statistical procedures and software for implementing measurement and assessment techniques.Class Schedule ChapterApproximate DaysTopicHomework & Due Date16/22Fundamental Issues in Measurement26/23-24Measurement and NumbersMemo 1 (on Chapter 1 or other topics), due 6/2436/25-26Giving Meaning to Scores46/29-30ReliabilityForming a study group for test evaluation, due 6/2957/1-2Validity67/6Practical Issues Related to TestingMemo 2(on Chapters 4 & 5 or other topics), due 7/677/7Assessment and Educational Decision MakingObtaining a standardized test for evaluation, due 7/787/8Assessing Special Populations97/9-10Principles of Test DevelopmentMemo 3 (on Chapter 8 or other topics), due 7/107/13Time to Write-up Test EvaluationTest evaluation, due 7/137/14Prepare for Final Exam7/15Final Exam Online (8:00 p.m. – 11:59 p.m.) Learning Evaluation Grades: Grades will be based on points accumulated on online communication activities, three memos, a test evaluation, and an online open-book final exam. There will be 100 total possible points, distributed as follows: Online Communication10% Memos 30% Test Evaluation 30% Final Exam30% The letter grading scale is as follows: GradePercentageDescription A95-100 A-90-94 B+85-89 B80-84 B-75-79 C+70-74 C65-69 F 0-64Failure P65-100Pass. Students who wish to be graded on a pass/fail basis must obtain a written consent of the instructor and then submit a Pass/Fail form to their College offices by the seventh calendar day of the quarter. TAudit. Students who wish to audit this class instead of receiving academic credit need to register for this class and mark it for audit by the seventh calendar day of the quarter and then must inform the instructor in writing prior to the end of the quarter. IIncomplete. It is given only with a written consent of the instructor when arrangements have been made prior to the end of the quarter. WWithdrawal (Official). Students who have to withdraw from this class must obtain a written consent of the instructor and then submit an Add/Drop form to their College offices by the fifty-eighth calendar day of the quarter. WXWithdrawal (Official). No Participation. XUnofficial Withdrawal. No Participation. (Blank)No Grade Reported. It is used on rare occasions when the student has completed all requirements for the course, but the instructor is unable to assign a grade. Note. If there is any inconsistency between this table and the university polices, go for the university ones. Online Communication: This is an online class that will be delivered via the electronic Blackboard. Therefore, as the first and essential step of taking the online class, it is important to make sure that everybody can communicate with each other via the Blackboard. I have sent an email note entitled “Hello from the Instructor!” through the Blackboard. Now it is for you to go to the Blackboard as soon as possible and send an email from there to ALL the Blackboard users in this class with your answers to the following three questions: (a) Your name, (b) your major, and (c) reasons of taking this class. Remember, it will be counted towards your final grade! During the entire class period, your online activities, such as the Blackboard use, office hour use, email communications, etc., will also be noted. Please send your ALL course-related emails through the Blackboard. I may share my responses to your course-related email messages with the entire class if the messages seem benefit to other students. Please let me know in your email if you do not want to share your email messages with others. Memos: In each memo, you can respond to a posted question on the Blackboard, but you are strongly encouraged to write your own thoughts, questions, ideas, or insights about the assigned readings, about the test you are evaluating, or about anything you do with the class. Writing memos is individual work, and the length of each memo is about one double-spaced page or 300 words. Submit your memos in a format of Word or PDF through the Digital Dropbox on the Blackboard before the deadlines (6/24, 7/6, 7/10 midnight). NO EMAIL SUBMISSION IS ALLOWED. Each memo is worth 10 points. Late memos will not be counted towards your final grade although you may receive feedback on them. Test Evaluation: To be able to evaluate a standardized test of your choice is one of the important objectives of this course. You are encouraged to do it in a group of no more than three people. It is a good idea to communicate each other and form a study group for the test evaluation as soon as possible. Please have one of your group members email me the names of your group members by the deadline (6/29 midnight). The next step is to identify and locate a published test or instrument for evaluation. In order to assess the instrument, you will need to obtain a copy of the test manual, and ideally of the test itself. You may be able to obtain these from professors in your department or schools or agencies with whom you are working. They are also available from testing companies, but this will require that you plan ahead as it will take time to order and receive them. You can get test information from the resources of Tests & Measurements in the UC Libraries. If you have any trouble finding a test, please let me know. Before starting your test evaluation, please send me an email and let me know the information about the test you are going to evaluate by the deadline (7/7 midnight). Again, the test evaluation is a group project, and it should be about 8-10 double-spaced pages in Word or PDF. The textbook (pp. 207-209) provides a detailed guideline for evaluating a standardized test. You should write it using the APA Writing Style or another standard style, and submit it through the Digital Dropbox by the deadline (7/13 midnight). NO EMAIL SUBMISSION IS ALLOWED. The test evaluation is worth 30 points. Late submission will not be counted towards your final grade although you may receive feedback on it. Final Exam: There will be an online open-book multiple-choice final exam on the Blackboard, covering the entire content of this course. You will have 4 hours (8:00 p.m. – 11:59 p.m., 7/15) to work on the exam from any computer at any location. Before taking the final exam, you will have a chance to take a practice exam online. When taking the final exam, make sure to read all the instructions on the exam. You can attempt any number of items, save your responses without submitting them, log in some time later to edit your previous responses, complete the rest of the exam, and submit it before the due time. Once the responses are submitted, however, they are scored automatically by the computer and cannot be changed. No late submission is accepted because the exam will be unavailable after the due time. Note that YOU MUST COMPLETE THE EXAM INDEPENDENTLY without seeking assistance from or collaborating with anyone else. You may use any resources you have (e.g., textbook, calculator, Internet), except a human aide. Obtaining answers from people who took the class before or discussing/sharing answers with anyone else in any form is considered a serious academic misconduct. Special Services Individuals with disabilities: If you are visually impaired, deaf, hard of hearing, physical impaired, learning disabled, and/or have a communication disorder which may affect your performance in this class, you should schedule an appointment with the instructor as soon as possible, so that reasonable adjustment or provisions may be discussed to better insure that you will have an equal opportunity to meet all the requirements of the course. The office of Disability Services is located in 200 Level, University Pavilion, ML# 0213, 556-6823. This syllabus is subject to modification. Copyright © June 2009 by Wei Pan, Ph.D.