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INTRODUCTION TO RISK & NEEDS |
Welcome to the world of independent, original and empirically based assessment tools or tests.
We serve our test users and are not obligated to large publishing houses with huge advertising budgets or to smaller companies seeking to raise capital. Our only clients are our test users, and our sole responsibility is to provide them with the most accurate and comprehensive test results possible.
Looking closely at test development, it is clear that people are confusing interview-based procedures with tests. This confusion is heightened because interview titles very rarely include the word "interview." The following are interviews: Mosaic 20, SARA, Lethality Checklist, Addiction Severity Index (ASI), and the Substance Use Disorders Diagnostic Schedule (SUDDS).
Interviews are not tests. Interviewers must repeat, paraphrase and probe for acceptable answers. This means interviews are subjective, not objective. And, all interview procedures are subject to very serious inter-interviewer reliability questions. On the other hand, objective tests can be studied in terms of their reliability, validity, accuracy and comprehensiveness. As you will see, interviews and tests represent very different approaches to acquiring information and predicting behavior in terms of future occurrences or recidivism.
It hasn’t been that long ago when testing, assessment and evaluations were the exclusive domain of psychologists. Niche markets have opened assessment and screening to automated (computer-scored) solutions. Risk & Needs has incorporated new software technology and psychometrics into its specialized tests that are designed for specific client groups and specific assessment purposes. Over the past decade, our distinctive tests have been widely embraced. Rather than continue to rely upon annoying, tedious, error prone and expensive test batteries, many departments, agencies and screening programs have turned to Risk & Needs’ automated (computer-scored and printed reports) tests that are tailored specifically to their needs.
It is our belief that evaluators should focus on finding tailored tests that assess important factors inherent in explicit assessment settings. In all of our tests, we are committed to providing meaningful and accurate assessment.
Our mission is to build specific tests for specific client groups with special needs. We hope you will find our website interesting and informative. If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to call. Our e-mail address is hhl@riskandneeds.com. Contact us; we are here to help.
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