Assessment types

Every skill is scored with an assessment type, set in the skill’s Type field. Choose the one that matches how the skill is best observed. You can change a skill’s type as your needs change.

The Type list groups the types into Basic (Binary, Scale (Buttons)), Organizational (Composite) and Advanced (the prompted, multi-trial and drop-down types). The list marks the advanced types as rarely needed, but in ABA the prompted types are the usual choice: most tasks in the Skills Library’s BCBA, BCaBA and RBT Test Content Outlines use Multi-trial Binary Prompt.

Type	Records	Fits
Binary	One Met or Unmet per session	Clear pass/fail tasks
Scale (Buttons)	One choice from a short list of levels	Proficiency that is a matter of degree
Composite	Nothing; it counts as Proficient once its child skills are	Skillsets and sections
Binary Prompt	One response: +, +P, - or -P	A task done once per session, with prompting data
Multi-trial Binary	A count of Met and Unmet trials	Tasks repeated many times in a session
Multi-trial Binary Prompt	A count of +, +P, - and -P trials	Repeated tasks, with prompting data
Scale (Drop-down)	One choice from a longer drop-down list	A scale with too many levels for buttons

Basic types

Binary

A single pass/fail judgment per session: the observer taps Met or Unmet. Best for a task that is either done or not, such as “Arrives on time for sessions.”

Scale (Buttons)

A graded score: the observer taps one of the skill’s levels, and each level carries a score from 0 to 100. Best when proficiency is a matter of degree. The levels are yours to define under Options on the skill. The RBT Competency Assessment in the Skills Library uses this type with levels for how the applicant demonstrated each task: With a Client, Role-Play or Interview, each scoring 100 where the task allows that method, and Not Met, scoring 0.

Composite

A skill that is not scored itself: it counts as Proficient once all its child skills are. Use it for a skillset and its sections, so you can track “D. Data Collection” as a whole while scoring the tasks inside it (see skill trees).

Prompted types

The prompted types record prompting the way ABA data sheets already do. Instead of a flat pass/fail, the observer records how independently the task was done:

• +: correct, on their own.
• +P: correct, but only after a prompt.
• -: incorrect.
• -P: incorrect, even with a prompt.

Only an independent + counts toward the skill’s score. The row also shows a second score that counts +P as correct too, so you can see how much of the performance still depends on prompts.

For example, when observing an RBT run a discrete-trial program, delivering the SD correctly without help is a +; getting it right after you model it is a +P; and still presenting it incorrectly after the model is a -P.

Binary Prompt

One prompted response per session, chosen from -P, -, +P and +. Fits a task observed once per session, such as “Prepares required materials prior to the beginning of session.”

Multi-trial Binary Prompt

Prompted trials counted across the session and scored as a percentage. Each tap of -P, -, +P or + adds one trial, and a badge on each button shows its count. Fits a task the technician performs many times in a session, such as “Reinforces correct responses and within 3 seconds.” This is the type most Skills Library tasks use.

Other advanced types

Reach for these only when you need them

Start with the types above. The ones below suit particular cases; add one once a skill clearly calls for it.

Multi-trial Binary

Several Met or Unmet trials scored as a percentage (e.g. “8 of 10 correct”). Fits a task judged across repeated attempts when you don’t need prompting data, such as whether each trial’s data was recorded straight away.

Scale (Drop-down)

Like Scale (Buttons), but the observer picks the level from a drop-down. Use it when a scale has more levels than fit as buttons.

Choosing one

For tasks like those in the RBT Test Content Outline, use a prompted type: Multi-trial Binary Prompt when the task repeats through the session, Binary Prompt when it happens once. Use Binary for simple yes/no expectations, Scale (Buttons) when proficiency is a matter of degree, and Composite for skillsets and sections.

Don't over-engineer it

Importing a Skills Library skillset gives you these choices already made. Start there, run regular supervision, and adjust types only once that routine is in place.