Welcome to CAMECD

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In This Issue
News from CAMECD president ... CAMECD legacy of contributions to measurement, assessment, evaluation and research ... News from CAMECD president-elect ... 2003 CACD-ACA convention ...
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Computer-based testing (CBT) has a wide variety of applications, but, to date, has not completely replaced paper-pencil testing (PPT). One of the issues discussed at the conference was that of the delivery method of CBT. Browser-based delivery can be useful because it will allow for individual and immediate assessment. Some of the problems with this method are the difference in availability of the Internet to particular sites and individuals. Some examinees may have very slow Internet access, while others have high-speed access.

In addition to the time allowed the examinee based on browser speed, there are issues of how to make accommodations when the Internet goes down for some examinees and not others. One solution to this application is Internet-based testing in which assessments are downloaded to a specific site or server and are administered in a more controlled setting. This alleviates some of the security concerns of protection of test items as well as confirmation of the identity of the client.

Many CBT tests are administered for credentialing purposes, and there are issues with verification of the examinee. If an examinee has to travel to a particular testing site and carry identification that can be verified by a trained proctor, some of these security issues can be avoided. In the future, it may be possible to verify examinee information through retinal imaging or fingerprints. While these methods have not been perfected, they most likely will be available in the future.

Many of the concerns of CBT are the same as those PPT, for example, security of item banks and verification of examinees. A new wrinkle in the development of CBT is that of comparability studies. Many CBT's are new, and validity studies need to be conducted. There are assumptions that a straight conversion of PPT to CBT is equivalent; certainly, for some types of testing this is true, but in many types of testing situations there will need to be extensive validation to verify equivalency.

Some of the strong points of CBT are the ease of use by the examinee and the speed with which scoring and reporting can be provided. While CBT is not the complete answer for measurement, it is certainly going to have an effect on assessment, and it is the wave of the future.

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The California Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Counseling and Development has a rich legacy of professional contributions to measurement, assessment, evaluation, and research. Here are a few benchmarks from the early years of CAMECD (then CAMEG), as reported in newsletters of the time:

In 1976, Dr. Michael Gass received the CAMECD dissertation award for "Time-Limited Therapy and Time-Unlimited Therapy Related to Self-Concept Change and Adjustment Change, Problem Resolution, and Premature Termination."
In 1976-1977, CAMECD focused on assessment and program evaluation requirements in PL94-142 (the federal Education for All Handicapped Act) and AB1250 (the California Master Plan for Special Education).
Proficiency standards and assessment were the focus of two CAMECD seminars held in 1977-1978. The Hart Bill (AB3408) required school districts to assess, on a prescribed basis, the performance of students in grades 7 through 12 in basic skills, including, but not limited to, reading comprehension, writing, and computation; to hold parent conferences to discuss assessment results and instructional programs; to provide remedial instruction as needed; and to make high school graduation contingent on demonstrated proficiency.
In 1979-1980, the California Department of Education worked on the development of Guidelines for a Model Delivery System for Guidance, Kindergarten Through Adult. Evaluation was an important part of the guidelines. Dr. Anne Upton and dr. Milton Wilson, Personal and Career Development Services, were leaders in the department. CAMECD members on the statewide committee included Dr. Gordon Footman, Dr. Marcelett C. Henry, Dr. Pat Nellor Wickwire, and Dr. Dale Woolley.
Psychological Corporation President Dr. Thomas J. Fitzgibbon spoke at the CAMECD luncheon at the 1980 CACD Convention. His topic was "Living in the Strange World of Testing." The movement toward "truth in testing" was addressed, and its growth was predicted. Counselors were urged to make their professional expertise and contributions known.
In 1980, Dr. Holly Magana received the CAMECD dissertation award for her research on values and locus of control.
Critical issues discussed by the CAMECD Executive Council in 1980 included the California Basic Educational Data System, competency assessment, the use of census data, the values and differences of norm-referenced and criterion-referenced testing, changes in the PSAT/NMSQT and SAT, the position statement of the National Education Association regarding testing, and assessment and evaluation of the affective domain.
CAMECD-sponsored programs at the 1982 CACD Convention included "Comparison of Quality of Family Life of Career and Noncareer Women," "Validation of a Career Education Program," "Practical Ways to Evaluate Staff Development Programs," "Team Building Through Instrumentation," and "Skills and Values."

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News from CAMECD president-elect Dr. Kathryn Green

At the 2002 CACD Convention, the focus of my presentation at the CAMECD breakfast was "Accountability and Assessment Systems."

Assessment in the school system has always been a concern. President George W. Bush recently signed the "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001," which sets standards for achievement in school systems, and requires school systems to create a system of accountability to measure results. As can be imagined, this will have a direct impact on assessment. In a recent article on assessment, Dr. Sylvia Charp, editor-in-chief of the T.H.E. Journal, reported that, if teacher evaluation and compensation and school funding depend on assessment results, teachers will teach to the test. As measurement experts, we are aware that can create problems with instruction.

Charp's statements are supported by William Huitt, who proposed four concepts that influence the teaching/learning process in his model of Teaching and Learning (http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/materials/mditp.html):

Context: all factors outside the classroom that might influence teaching and learning.
Input: qualities or characteristics that teachers and students bring with them to the classroom
Classroom Processes: behaviors of teachers and students and climate in the classroom.
Output: measures of student learning taken apart from the normal instructional process.

Huitt points out that the output is extremely important, and if the desired outcome measure is a score on a standardized test, the instructional method most likely to impact the measure positively is direct instruction.

Standarized Tests and Evaluation

Obviously, standardized tests are one of the easiest methods of evaluation. They can be administered to a large number of students concurrently, and they lend themselves to computerized and online scoring and analysis. However, as test developers and users, we know that there are limitations of standardized testing. It behooves us as testing specialists to keep abreast of the legislation and the impact of testing in the schools, as well as current trends in the testing field.

Online Testing Resources

Some online testing resources are listed below. Some contain information for online testing, and some are actual online test. It is hoped you might find this list useful in your professional lives. If you have any sites that you find useful, please contact me.

An online testing resource company:
http://www.prometric.com
California Department of Education (Assessment & Accountability): http://www.cde.ca.gov/ac/
California Department of Education (Standards & Assessment): http://www.cde.ca.gov/statetests
Customized web-based tests (price per administration):
http://www.testcraft.com
Learning content management system:
http://www.epathlearning.comThere are some online testing sources that have tests online. If you check these resources out, please let us know if they are useful.

http://www.find-a-therapist.com/onlinecouseling/tests.htm
http://www.findingstone.com/services/tests/depressiontest.htm
http://www.findingstone.com/services/tests/stresstest.htm
http://www.findingstone.com/services/tests/familystresstest.htm
http://www.findingstone.com/services/tests/prenuptualstresstests.htm
http://www.advisorteam.com/user/ktsintro1.asp

Please send review comments on computer-based testing, and we will include them in the next newsletter.

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CAMECD Membership Survey

I hope you will have the time to complete this brief survey regarding CAMECD and give some input into how CAMECD can meet the needs of our membership.
Please print this questionnaire, fill it out and mail it to the address below.
Thank you.

Would you be interested in a CAMECD web site? ____ Yes ____ No
Any suggestions for items to be included in a web site?
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Do you have any suggestions for how CAMECD can meet some of your
counseling needs, for example, newsletters more often, web site, et cetera?
Suggestions:
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As was mentioned in the newsletter, some members and associations within
CACD are interested in participating in a counselor licensure coalition.
I would like to know your views on licensure, and ask you to complete several
questions regarding licensure.

If licensure was made available in the state of California, such as a Licensed
Professional Counselor, would you be interested in obtaining this license?
____ Yes ____ No
Reason:
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As a member of CAMECD, do you think our organization should
support licensure? ____ Yes ____ No

As a member of CAMECD, would you be willing to donate $5.00 to a
licensure coalition? ____ Yes ____ No

Do you have any comments on licensure that we can share with
CAMECD members?
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Lisa Lee
P.O. Box 7234
San Diego, CA 92167
800/416-1666 Fax: 619/226-1666
edits@k-online.com

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~~ F.Y.I. ~~ The 2003 CACD-ACA Convention Co-Sponsored by CACD and ACA Anaheim, California March 20-24, 2003

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The 2003 CACD-ACA Convention
Co-Sponsored by CACD and ACA
Anaheim, California
March 20-24, 2003