Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS) - About Calibration

Rater Calibration

Rater calibration requires that potential raters view and score videotaped AMPS observations during the course and then complete 10 live observations after the course. Rater calibration allows AMPS Project International to determine each rater’s severity and whether or not he or she is scoring the AMPS in a valid and reliable manner.

    To become an AMPS Calibrated Rater, an occupational therapist must complete the following steps:
  1. Attend a five-day training course
  2. Test 10 clients who perform 2 or 3 AMPS tasks
  3. Independently interview and score live clients (the use of video tapes is not acceptable). Two of the ten clients may be co-scored. Co-scoring is defined as two therapists observing a client at the same time, but scoring the client's performance independently.
  4. Enter the data into the computer using the AMPS computer-scoring program
  5. Submit exported data using the online Rater Calibration Center within three months of taking the course.

For detailed instructions, use the Rater Calibration Requirements pages of the course handouts.

The rater will receive a confirmation code when data has been successfully submited. If a rater does not receive a confirmation code, AMPS Project International did not receive the data. It is the responsibility of the occupational therapist to review data entry for accuracy. Errors may result in having to retake the course, test additional clients, or pay additional fees. Data must be exported from the AMPS computer scoring software. Backup copies of the data are not accepted.

Once data is received, AMPS Project International will complete a detailed analysis of rater severity and therapist reliability as an AMPS rater. When finished analyzing rater data, AMPS Project International will provide a detailed letter regarding the results of the analysis. The letter will be made available for download from the Rater Calibration Center within 2-3 weeks as indicated by the Rater Calibration Center when data is received. If the rater calibrates reliably, a calibration code specific to the rater's severity will be included in the letter. If the analysis reveals that the rater does not demonstrate valid and reliable scoring, he or she will be asked to test an additional ten clients or, in the rare case of extreme (and invalid) rater severity, to take the course again.

Submission of data for an additional ten clients provides the potential AMPS user with an additional opportunity to learn to administer and score the AMPS in a valid and reliable manner. Approximately 95% for those who resubmit calibrate successfully. Those who do not calibrate as valid and reliable raters with the second set of data must retake the course if they want to use the AMPS in clinical practice or research.

For technical assistance with software, please contact the AMPS Project International by e-mail: info@AMPSintl.com.


This page was last modified on 11 January 2010