Measuring Achievement, Abilities, and Interests

Objectives:– Identify the most widely used aptitude tests,

achievement tests, and interest inventories.– Explain the application of aptitude tests,

achievement tests and interest inventories.

Vocabulary:– Aptitude Test– Achievement Test– Interest Inventory

APTITUDE TESTS

The goal is to – discover a person’s talents– Predict how well he or she will be able to learn a new skill

Assessed in terms of Predictive Validity Examples

– Differential Aptitude Test– General Aptitude Test Battery– Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)– American College Test (ACT– ASVAB

ACHIEVEMENT TESTS

The goal is to– Measure how much a person has already learned

in a particular area.– Allows teachers to assess student learning– Allows students to assess their progress

Assessed in terms of Content Validity– How well they measure student mastery of a set

of knowledge

Distinction Between the Two Blurred

Aptitude Tests also test experience (learned knowledge)

Achievement Test can be good predictors of many occupational abilities.

Overlap causes confusion and disagreement about what tests are considered.

Distinction Based on Purpose and Validation

Aptitude Test- if used to predict future ability

Achievement Test- if used to assess what a person already knows.

Administration of Achievement Tests

Computers– Adaptive Testing: The computer changes the

question difficulty as it adapts the test to your performance. i.e. MAP Test

Miss a lot, the questions get easier Do well, the questions get harder

– Adaptive Instruction: The computer adapts test to include questions in areas that you struggle to help with the instruction of material.

Pencil and Paper

INTEREST INVENTORIES

Goal or purpose is to– Determine a person’s preferences, attitudes, and

interests

Compare individual’s responses to the responses given by people in certain occupations or professions

Examples:– Campbell Interest and Skill Survey– Kuder Preference Record

Career Cluster Web Sites

http://mycareercalculator.com/?SSAID=7 http://www.careerclusters.org/index.php http://www.careerclusters.org/resources/ccint

erestsurvey/InterestSurvey.pdf http://vcc.asu.edu/ccis/ccishome.php?box_id

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