Assessments Criteria

What coaches need to know:

Ten Criteria to Assess The Assessment 1.     

Purpose Why are you doing an assessment in the first place? Measure - what does it purport to measure and how flexible is it Scope - how many people will be doing this What message are you communicating and who's agenda is it? How will this data be used?

2. Theory / Model (Does it exist?)  What is the instrument based on?  Has there been any sort of research or writing on it’s origins? 3.    

Psychometric Rigor Reliability – repeatability Validity – accuracy Social Desirability - transparency Normative - what data is available

4.    

Up Front Investment and Training Certification or qualification required Training costs Distributorship fees Start-up costs and initial investment

5.    

On-Going Costs Retail costs of instrument (mark-up issues) Your real costs – will you end up holding inventory? Requirements to sell or use a certain amount each year Other fees such as annual membership or on-line fees

6.      

Administrative Ease and Technical Support Support systems for easy administration Simplicity for you and the client How much follow-up will be required? Support documentation and related materials What if things go wrong? Who do you go to? Is there a 24/7 Help Desk?

© 2007 Roberta Hill, www.AssessmentsNow.com

Your source and resource for assessments.

7.     

Output and Look Simplicity vs. Academic People do judge a book by its cover – how does the instrument look? Can materials and reports be downloaded or only accessed on line? Exercises and worksheets for the client – are they provided and are they useful? Is the output basically just raw data or are their descriptions of what the results mean?

8.     

Format and Accessibility Paper versions and if yes are they self-scorable? Turn around time to get the results to you Software requirements (e.g. PC versus Mac) On-line - accessible by you and the client Customization – can the reports look like they come from you?

9.     

Complexity Language and jargon used Time to complete Length and layout Number of Items Ease of scoring or plotting the results

10. Audience  Level – is if designed specifically for students, managers, etc.)  Language – what translations are there and how important is this to you?  Cultural issues  Legal and ethical considerations – don’t try to use this for situations for which it wasn’t designed (e.g. hiring) and make sure you are properly qualified to use the tool.  Readiness of client or organization (past experiences of using assessments)  Finally and most importantly, does it work for you? (resonates)

The SMART thing to do. There is elegance in simplicity. Here are five reasons why every coach should have The Platinum Rule Behavioral Style Assessment System in his or her toolkit:

S tickiness – Easy to use, Easy to Understand, Easy to Apply M ulti-rater unlimited and team charts automatically created A dds value in a cost effective manner AND people remember it R eports and Workbooks are numerous and straight forward T echnical support accessible on line 24/7

© 2007 Roberta Hill, www.AssessmentsNow.com

Your source and resource for assessments.