CESP Assessment Tools 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which assessment instrument is specifically designed to evaluate a person's functional vocational skills through a series of work samples across multiple occupational areas?
- VALPAR Component Work Sample System (Correct answer)
- Beck Depression Inventory
- Occupational Information Network (O*NET)
- General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB)
Correct answer: VALPAR Component Work Sample System
The VALPAR Component Work Sample System uses standardized work samples to assess functional vocational skills across various job clusters.
Question 2: An employment specialist notices a job seeker consistently avoids tasks involving written instructions. The most appropriate next step is to:
- Remove all jobs with reading requirements from consideration
- Conduct a functional literacy assessment to clarify the nature of the difficulty (Correct answer)
- Refer the person to adult education before any job placement
- Document the limitation without further investigation
Correct answer: Conduct a functional literacy assessment to clarify the nature of the difficulty
A functional literacy assessment clarifies the specific nature and degree of reading challenges to inform appropriate accommodations and job matching.
Question 3: The Social Security Administration's 'Ticket to Work' program intersects with employment assessment primarily because:
- It funds standardized psychological testing for all SSI/SSDI beneficiaries
- Employment Networks must assess participants' work goals and plan services accordingly (Correct answer)
- It replaces the need for vocational evaluation by setting fixed job goals
- Assessment results determine the dollar amount of benefits a person receives
Correct answer: Employment Networks must assess participants' work goals and plan services accordingly
Employment Networks under Ticket to Work use individualized assessments to develop Individual Work Plans aligned with participants' employment goals.
Question 4: A 'task analysis' is most useful in supported employment assessment because it:
- Ranks jobs by salary to prioritize placement efforts
- Breaks a job into small teachable steps to identify training targets (Correct answer)
- Evaluates the employer's ADA compliance record
- Measures a person's work speed against industry averages
Correct answer: Breaks a job into small teachable steps to identify training targets
Task analysis breaks complex job duties into discrete steps, making it easier to identify where training support is needed.
Question 5: Which factor is MOST important when selecting an assessment tool for a job seeker who is Deaf and uses American Sign Language (ASL)?
- Whether the tool has a large normative sample from the general population
- Whether the tool is available in ASL or can be administered by a qualified interpreter (Correct answer)
- Whether the tool measures fine motor skills accurately
- Whether the tool was developed specifically for rural populations
Correct answer: Whether the tool is available in ASL or can be administered by a qualified interpreter
For Deaf ASL users, the tool must be accessible in their language to ensure results are valid and not confounded by communication barriers.
Question 6: In the context of employment assessment, 'ecological validity' refers to:
- The environmental sustainability of an employer's workplace
- The degree to which assessment results reflect real-world performance (Correct answer)
- The statistical reliability of a standardized test instrument
- The eco-friendly materials used in paper-based assessments
Correct answer: The degree to which assessment results reflect real-world performance
Ecological validity means assessment results accurately predict or reflect a person's functioning in natural, real-world settings.
Question 7: A CESP reviewing assessment data notices high scores on mechanical aptitude but low scores on clerical tasks. The employment specialist should use this to:
- Disqualify the person from any office-based positions permanently
- Inform job matching by targeting occupations that leverage mechanical strengths (Correct answer)
- Retake all clerical assessments until scores improve
- Share the data only with the funding agency, not the job seeker
Correct answer: Inform job matching by targeting occupations that leverage mechanical strengths
Assessment data should directly inform job matching by identifying occupational areas where the person's strengths align with job demands.
CESP Assessment Tools 3
Which assessment instrument is specifically designed to evaluate a person's functional vocational skills through a series of work samples across multiple occupational areas?