1. Individual or Organization Registration
2. Qualifications
3. A Word about Demographic Information
4. User Names and Passwords

1. Overview of Account Types
1. Account Administrators
2. Additional Administrators
3. Test Managers
4. Test Subjects
2. Custom Fields and Provider Set Up
3. User Profiles

1. Assessment Tracking
2. Browsing the Assessment Catalog

1. Using the PIN: Test Subjects taking tests directly
2. Manager Completion: Filling out the assessment on behalf of the Test Subject.

1. Individual Results
2. Online Assessment Documentation

1. Creating an Action Plan
1. Goals, Reminders and To Do’s.
2. Linking to an Assessment
3. Care Provider Set Up and Usage
4. Notes
2. Viewing Existing Plans
3. Printing Action Plans

1. Comparing Reports Over Time
2. Determining Provider Effectiveness

1. Demographics
2. Group Reporting

1. Organization Registration

The registration process involves two steps, the first is completing the Qualifications and Profile forms, and the second is work with an Assessments.com account executive to establish your account. Once registration is complete, you will configure your account to match the structure of your organization. For example, you will have:

1. The ability to set up multiple Administrators within an account
2. The ability to define Test Managers under the Administrators who can administer tests to Test Subjects.
3. The ability to set up Test Subjects. A test subject can either directly take an assessment, or have a Test Manager/Administrator take it on behalf of him or her.
4. Advanced reporting and outcome measurement features.


2. Qualifications

Most validated assessments require professional qualifications to buy or administer. The Qualifications portion of the registration page explains the levels, and determines your qualification level.

3. A Word about Demographic Information

When setting up an assessment for a client, three pieces of demographic information are collected- age, date of birth, and optionally, race. This information is valuable as you build a database of assessment data. For example, you can easily display by age and gender the Test Subjects in your account.

4. User Name and Passwords

We recommend you pick an easily remembered user name such as your email address. In the event you forget your password, the hint section will be used to re-establish you to your account. Be sure and select a hint question that only you know the answer to, as guessing the right answer by an intruder will expose all of your account information.

The person who first registers with Assessments.com is automatically the Account Administrator. As Account Administrator all privileges and features are enabled. At this point four things should be considered;

• other accounts to be established and their type,

• whether or not to make stored account data "private" or "public" within your account,

• the creation of custom fields which collect particular information important to your account,

• the creation of a Provider list, used in the Action Plan section of the site.

Each of these is discussed further in the following sections.

A common way to configure Assessments.com for a typical organization is to add several Test Managers underneath the Account Administrator. The Account Administrator purchases assessments, assigns tests to Test Managers, and generates reports and Outcome Measures. The Test Managers set up Test Subjects, complete assessments, build Action Plans, and monitor progress. Examples of this configuration might be:

In larger organizations, multiple administrators might be used. For example, a school district might negotiate an arrangement with a central Director (Account Administrator), but each school may ultimately have someone responsible for overseeing assessments (Administrator), while teachers or counselors (Test Managers) administer the assessments to students (Test Subjects).

1. Overview of Account Hierarchy
 
1. Account Administrator. There is only one Account Administrator. This is the person who created the new account. The Account Administrator is at the top of the account hierarchy, and will determine who else will be using the system and their roles, and is the only account that is allowed access to the account wide configurations found under the Account tab. The Account Administrator has access to all Administrator and Test Manager functionality, and all Test Subject data within the account. The Account Administrator "owns" all other users within the account.
2. Administrator. One or more Administrators can be added to the account. They cannot review or change another Administrator's profile and do not have access to the account wide configurations found under the Account tab. Administrators have access to Test Manager functionality and Test Subject data within their cone of influence within the account. Administrators "own" their Test Managers and Test Subjects.
3. Test Manager. Test Managers administer tests to Test Subjects. That is, they can create Test Subjects, Assign Tests, and Take Tests. They can generate reports and create Action Plans. Test Managers "own" their Test Subjects.
4. Test Subject. The Test Subject is the person who is being assessed. Test Subjects can take an assessment directly from any Internet enabled computer using the PIN (Personal Identification Number) generated when the test is assigned to them. Alternatively, the assessment can be completed by the Test Manager on behalf of the Test Subject.
5. Sharing of Test Subject profiles and data
   • About "private" vs. "public"; In an organization with multiple Test Managers and/or multiple Administrators, a decision about sharing data must be addressed. Should Test Manager #1 be able to view data in Test Manager #2’s account? Sharing or not sharing is determined by the Account Administrator and configured under the Account tab, "Configure Access to Test Subjects". This allows the Account Administrator to configure the account to allow all Administrators and Test Managers access to all Test Subject profiles and data within the account.
   • If the account is configured to share Test Subject profiles and data all Test Subject profiles are shared, however, Administrators and Test Managers are still allowed or disallowed access to Test Subject assessments and data based upon their access to assessment tools as described in Managing Assessments below.


2. Custom Fields and Care Provider Set Up

Once you have registered and set up your account for the first time, two useful customizations should immediately be considered:

Custom Fields. Custom Fields are fields the Account Administrator can add to User Profiles to collect specialized information. For example, you may want to collect the case number or juvenile number for juvenile Test Subjects. Or perhaps you want to collect a branch location and employee ID for Test Managers. It is recommended you establish Custom Fields immediately after opening an Assessments.com account. Setup is accomplished in the Account tab from the Account Administrator's account.

Providers. The Provider feature allows you to build a list of care providers that can be linked to post assessment Action Plans. Once a list of Providers is entered (in the Account section) they will be included in a drop down box in the Action Plan section. Reports will use this information to help measure the effectiveness and involvement of each provider.

3. User Profiles

The User Profile tab appears on the Administrator’s screen only. In the User Profiles section Administrators, Test Managers and Test Subjects can be created or edited. By the way, Test Subjects can be created and edited from within the Assessments tab as well.

The assessments you plan on using within your account are set up during your initial discussions with an Assessments.com account executive. The Account Administrator always has access to all of these assessments.

1. Assessment Tracking

Under the Permissions tab the Account Administrator can review all assessments in the account. From this location, particular assessments can be allocated on a case-by-case basis to Administrators and Test Managers in the account.

The Account Administrator can control which assessments a particular Administrator or Test Manager can use via the table located under the Permissions tab.

An Administrator can control which assessments their Test Managers can use via the table located under the Permissions tab.

• As an Administrator, your inventory of assessments can be changed at any time by contacting the Account Administrator.

• As a Test Manager, your inventory of assessments can be changed at any time by contacting your Administrator or the Account Administrator.

When a user is restricted from a particular assessment they are restricted from it in every way including assigning, administering / taking it, reviewing, reporting and creating Action Plans for that assessment.

2. Browsing the Assessment Catalog

Browsing the Assessment catalog can be done either from the home page, or from any assessment link. Clicking on the assessment title will link to a full data sheet on the assessment.

Before an assessment can be administered, one or more Test Subjects must be established by using the "Create Test Subject" page. Links exist to the page from both the Assessments tab, and for Administrators, the User Profiles tab.

After creating a Test Subject, the next step is to assign an assessment to the Test Subject. Follow the "Assign Tests" link under the Assessments tab. If it appears that there are no tests to assign, this is because the assessment has not been assigned to you as described in Managing Assessments above.

1. Using the PIN: Test Subjects taking tests directly

When a test is assigned to a Test Subject, a personal identification number (PIN) is automatically generated. The PIN can be used by the test taker from any Internet computer simply by going to Assessments.com and entering the PIN from the home page. It is also possible to email the PIN, simply by clicking the email icon from the Test Center (Assessments section).

2. Manager Completion: Filling out the assessment on behalf of a Test Subject.

The second way assessments are completed is when they are filled out on behalf of the Test Subject by a Test Manager or Administrator. Usually this will be done from Test Central (Assessments tab) by clicking on the "GO!" button in the table. It can also be initiated from the Assign Tests page, if you are an Administrator.

Reporting and Scoring of assessments can be viewed from the Reports tab. Each assessment has a series of reports that can be viewed. In addition to this, a composite report (PDF format) is emailed upon test completion to the person who assigned the test to the Test Subject.

1. Assessment Scores and Individual Reports

Reports can be run from Test Central (Assessments tab) by clicking the "GO!" button in the Reports column of the table, or from the Reports tab directly. Simply select the Test Subject and type of report and follow the instructions.

2. Comparative Reports

When a Test Subject takes the same assessment twice over time, and the results are compared, it is called a comparative report. Comparative reports can be found in the reports list.

Action Plans are used along side assessment results to create and track a course of action.

1. Creating an Action Plan
   
1. Goals, Reminders, Case Notes and To Do’s.

There are four kinds of action plans. "Goals" are created and links established to assessment measurement factors. Notes can be added to the goal on a follow up basis.

Case Notes enable you to build a case plan around a Test Subject that can be used to track and monitor progress.

Reminders and To Do’s provide a convenient way to document action steps that may be independent from a specific assessment. An example is a reminder to talk to a supervisor about the status of a client.

2. Care Provider Set Up and Usage

Providers established by the Account Administrator (Account tab) are available via a drop down box to a goal in the Action Plan area. Over time the effectiveness of the Provider can be measured. For example, a report can be run listing the number of completed Action Plans by Provider. In the event that the term "provider" is not relevant for your practice, consider using this field for more general resource tracking.

3. Linking to an Assessment

Goals are designed to be linked with the result of a particular assessment. In the process of setting up a goal, the specific assessment is selected, and then a particular measurement factor is picked as the focus of the goal. This linkage enables long term tracking of the goal by a particular assessment result.

4. Notes

Notes refers to the appended comments that are added to a Goal after the goal has been created. To ad a note, you must first display existing plans, and then click on the "Note" button inside the displayed goal. The "Date" and "Note" section will be filled out automatically after the text has been entered.

2. Viewing Existing Plans

This screen allows you to view completed Action Plans or those in progress. This is also the place that you add notes to an Action Plan.

3. Printing Action Plans

This button formats the Action Plans in a printer friendly format

Outcome Measurements are a critical part of many assessment programs. To be able to measure the effectiveness of a program or care provider is critical. Assessments.com includes many features that allow you to build a powerful outcome measurement application. Below are independent features that can be used independently or together for a best practices outcome measurement system. Their Outcome Measurement value is described below.

1. Comparing Assessment Results Over Time

By comparing assessment results over time, the basis for outcome improvement in a Test Subjects condition can be documented.

2. Comparing Provider Effectiveness

By using the Providers link an Action Plan Goal, permanent tracking of the effectiveness of the Provider can be documented. Over time, the effectiveness of a provider can be reviewed based on the associated Action Plan.

3. Aggregate Test Subject Information

By looking at average test scores over time, effectiveness is documented. Improvement can be linked to providers (via action plans), or other assessment results.

4. Aggregate Demographic information

By reviewing average test scores, ages, and/or other combinations, effectiveness or demographic trends can be documented. Disproportionality and bias can also be studied if race data is collected.

Aggregate Reports are located in the Reports tab and refer to reports where data has been collected on your accounts. Test Managers will see cumulative data from their Test Subjects, and Administrators will see data from all users in the account.

1. Demographics

Demographic reports are available from the Account tab which allow you to see cumulative data on your Test Subjects. Data can be evaluated based on Age, Gender, and Race over periods of time.

2. Group Reporting on Assessment Data

From the Reports tab specific test results can be averaged between given dates.

1. Account Administrator. Top person in the account hierarchy. The person who sets up the Assessments.com account initially.
2. Administrator. An additional administrator added by the Account Administrator.
3. Assessment and Test. These two words are used interchangeably throughout the web site.
4. Cart. Short for Shopping Cart. Refers to the place you place items that you intend to buy.
5. Case Notes. Action Plan feature to help manage Test Subject case plans.
6. Custom Fields. Customer defined fields that become a standard part of the user or Test Subject data.
7. Demographic Information. The collection and reporting of aggregate data based on the pool of Test Subjects within an account or under a Test Manager.
8. Email. The email button in Test Central can be used to contact Test Subjects and Test Managers such as emailing the PIN, or reminding someone to complete an assessment. It will launch the default email client on the user’s machine.
9. Goals. Action Plan feature with linked assessment and provider data
10. Measurement Factors. Categories of an assessment, defined by the assessment author.
11. Outcome Measure. Trade language for the ability to measure the effectiveness of care provider programs or Test Subject progress.
12. PIN. Personal Identification Number. The unique number generated at the time an assessment is assigned to a Test Subject. It expires upon completion of the assessment.
13. Profiles and User Profiles. These words are used interchangeably, and refer to the unique information associated with each user account or Test Subject.
14. Providers. Agency, company, resource, or person providing careor services to the Test Subject
15. Reminder. Action Plan feature that automatically reminds the user of important tasks and dates.
16. Score and Reporting. Used interchangeably. Traditional assessment scoring is including in the Reporting section of the Assessments.com website.
17. Assessment Status. Refers to the status of an assessment that has been assigned to take. If not started yet, "not started. If started but either saved as a work in progress, or if the assessment is actually be taken at the moment you are viewing Test Central, then the status is "in progress". If completed, the status is "completed".
18. Test Manager. Person administering assessments.
19. Test Subject. The person the assessment is about.
20. To Do. Action Plan feature to help day to day organizational activities surrounding assessment management.
21. Validation. Refers to efforts on the part of the assessment authors to verify that the assessment is accurate. Validation claims can be seen in the assessment data sheet, viewable from the Assessments.com catalog of assessments.