title: Development and validation of an assessment tool for a national young worker curriculum.
abstract: An online, multiple-choice assessment was developed and validated for Youth@Work-Talking Safety, a NIOSH curriculum that equips middle and high school students with foundational workplace safety and health knowledge and skills.
  
  
  
  Classical Test Theory was used for the test development and validation; the Jaeger method was used for cut score determination. A total of 118 multiple-choice items were developed to measure the acquisition of knowledge and skills taught through the NIOSH curriculum. Pilot testing was conducted with 192 8-12th grade students and a cut score was determined.
  
  
  
  The mean score for all test-takers on the Talking Safety assessment was 80.9%; total test reliability measured using an Alpha/KR20 statistic was 0.93. A minimum passing (cut) score of 74% was established.
  
  
  
  The assessment provides an objective measure of students' acquisition of the foundational workplace safety and health competencies taught through the Talking Safety curriculum. Am. J. Ind. Med. 59:969-978, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cincinnati, Ohio. rguerin@cdc.gov.
authors.forename: Rebecca J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Guerin
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cincinnati, Ohio.
authors.forename: Andrea H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Okun
authors.affiliation: NOCTI, Big Rapids, Michigan.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kelley
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D003479:Curriculum; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009314:National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, U.S. / Q000592:standards*; D016272:Occupational Health / Q000193:education*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States; D017132:Workplace / Q000592:standards
keywords: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.); National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (U.S.); adolescent; assessment; curriculum; measurement; occupational injuries; safety; work; young workers