1st Edition

Computerized Multistage Testing Theory and Applications

Edited By Duanli Yan, Alina A. von Davier, Charles Lewis Copyright 2014
    542 Pages 90 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    546 Pages 90 B/W Illustrations
    by Chapman & Hall

    Devising tests that evaluate a nation’s educational standing and implement efficacious educational reforms requires a careful balance among the contributions of technology, psychometrics, test design, and the learning sciences. Unlike other forms of adaptive testing, multistage testing (MST) is highly suitable for testing educational achievement because it can be adapted to educational surveys and student testing. Computerized Multistage Testing: Theory and Applications covers the methodologies, underlying technology, and implementation aspects of this type of test design.





    The book discusses current scientific perspectives and practical considerations for each step involved in setting up an MST program. It covers the history of MST, test design and implementation for various purposes, item pool development and maintenance, IRT-based and classical test theory-based methodologies for test assembly, routing and scoring, equating, test security, and existing software. It also explores current research, existing operational programs, and innovative future assessments using MST.





    Intended for psychologists, social scientists, and educational measurement scientists, this volume provides the first unified source of information on the design, psychometrics, implementation, and operational use of MST. It shows how to apply theoretical statistical tools to testing in novel and useful ways. It also explains how to explicitly tie the assumptions made by each model to observable (or at least inferable) data conditions.



    Winner of the 2016 AERA Award for Significant Contribution to Educational Measurement and Research Methodology
    The 2016 American Education Research Association (AERA) Div. D award committee for Significant Contributions to Educational Measurement and Research Methodology has recognized unanimously this collaborative work advancing the theory and applications of computerized MST. This annual award recognizes published research judged to represent a significant conceptual advancement in the theory and practice of educational measurement and/or educational research methodology. The 2016 award was made under the heading: Measurement, Psychometrics, and Assessment. This collective work, published in 2014 as an edited volume titled Computerized Multistage Testing: Theory and Applications, was cited by the committee both for the originality of the conceptual foundations presented in support of multistage testing and for arguing persuasively for its potential impact on the practice of educational measurement.

    Test Design, Item Pool, and Maintenance: Overview of Computerized Multistage Tests. Multistage Test Designs: Moving Research Results into Practice. Item Pool Design and Maintenance for Multistage Testing. Mixed-Format Tests: Issues and Methods. Design and Implementation of Large-Scale Multistage Testing Systems. Test Assembly: Overview of Test Assembly Methods in Multistage Testing. Using a Universal Shadow-Test Assembler with Multistage Testing. Multistage Testing by Shaping Modules on the Fly. Optimizing the Test Assembly and Routing for Multistage Testing. Routing, Scoring, and Equating: IRT-Based Multistage Testing. A Tree-Based Approach for Multistage Testing. Multistage Testing for Categorical Decisions. Adaptive Mastery Testing Using a Multidimensional IRT Model. Multistage Testing Using Diagnostic Models. Considerations on Parameter Estimation, Scoring, and Linking. Test Reliability, Validity, Fairness, and Security: Reliability of Multistage Tests Using Item Response Theory. Multistage Test Reliability Estimated via Classical Test Theory. Evaluating Validity, Fairness, and Differential Item Functioning. Test Security and Quality Control for Multistage Tests. Applications in Large-Scale Assessments: Optimal Design and Scoring with Small Samples. The Implementation of the GRE Revised General Test as a Multistage Test. The AICPA Uniform Certified Public Accounting Examinations. Transitioning a K–12 Assessment from Linear to Multistage Tests. An Adaptive Approach to Group-Score Assessments. Controlling Multistage Testing Exposure Rates. Software Tools for Multistage Testing Simulations. Closing Remarks: Past and Future of Multistage Testing in Educational Reform. Bibliography.

    Biography

    Duanli Yan, Alina A. von Davier, Charles Lewis