Incorporating simulated job samples into the junior high school curriculum can provide vocational exploration opportunities as well as assessment data on special needs students. Students can participate as active learners and decision makers. (CL)

Types of assessment, five assessment techniques, and issues related to assessing experiential learning in career education are discussed. The following six points should be considered before an assessment program begins: (1) assumptions; (2) goals; (3) outcomes; (4) learning environment; (5) role of assessors; and (6) focus. Two basic types of…

This article addresses performance testing based on criterion-referenced measurement. A brief description of performance objectives is presented, followed by a discussion of the different types of performance tests: pencil and paper, identification, simulation, and work sample. Checklists and other types of rating scales are identified. (CT)

Tailored Response Testing (TRT) is a new type of test that has demonstrated its applicability to the evaluation of human performance in a wide variety of occupations and work settings. The Navy is using TRT to measure the technical proficiency of job incumbents in three of its jobs. The methodology holds great promise for testing aboard ships as…

This manual is designed to help classroom teachers, instructional designers and test developers, construct sound, challenging and sophisticated paper and pencil exercises that simulate the data-gathering and decision process involved in diagnosing and resolving a problem. It is based on the authors' extensive experience in conducting training…

A test development plan is described to evaluate police enrolled in the law enforcement basic training course developed by California's Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST). Some general test methodologies are discussed: performance tests, knowledge tests, and situational tests, including role playing simulations and…

Construction of a work sample test, the Investigator Planning Exercise (IPE), for the job of detective in the Chicago (Illinois) Police Department is described. Simulated crime scenarios, a mock crime scene, and five checklists of necessary skills (i.e., ability to summarize and communicate facts, identify inconsistencies, and determine the next…

A prototype simulation measure of the negotiating skill of interpersonal competence is described, and results of an initial validation study are reported. Of eight negotiating skills identified by the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills of the U.S. Department of Labor, two were the focus of the measure: proposing and examining…

In the domain of performance assessment, the errors-and-omissions (EOT) test falls between a work-sample test and a simulation test. The examinee works with a sample of material from the work environment. The correct answers and the exact criteria for acceptable performance are known in advance. For this study, EOTs were used for assessing entry…

A wide variety of techniques are appropriate for evaluating different types of experiential learning. This monograph includes sections on performance tests, simulations, interviews, ratings, self evaluation, and product assessment. Each section orients the reader to one of these general types of assessment and then provides brief illustrations of…

A variety of assessment methods and instruments can and should be used to evaluate the performance of individuals and groups. Some possible assessments are described, including (1) adaptive testing; (2) anecdotal records; (3) assessment centers; (4) behavioral checklists; (5) behaviorally anchored rating scales; (6) checklists; (7) computerized…