1st Edition

Computer-Based Testing Building the Foundation for Future Assessments

    338 Pages
    by Routledge

    336 Pages
    by Routledge

    Although computer-based tests (CBT) have been administered for many years, improvements in the speed and power of computers coupled with reductions in their cost have made large-scale computer delivery of tests increasingly feasible. CBT is now a common form of test delivery for licensure, certification, and admissions tests. Many large-scale, high-stakes testing programs have introduced CBT either as an option or as the sole means of test delivery. Although this movement to CBT has, to a great extent, been successful, it has not been without problems. Advances in psychometrics are required to ensure that those who rely on test results can have at least the same confidence in CBTs as they have in traditional forms of assessment.

    This volume stems from an ETS-sponsored colloquium in which more than 200 measurement professionals from eight countries and 29 states convened to assess the current and future status of CBT. The formal agenda for the colloquium was divided into three major segments: Test Models, Test Administration, and Test Analysis and Scoring. Each segment consisted of several presentations followed by comments from noted psychometricians and a break-out session in which presenters and discussants identified important issues and established priorities for a CBT research agenda. This volume contains the papers presented at the colloquium, the discussant remarks based on those papers, and the research agenda that was generated from the break-out sessions.

    Computer-Based Testing: Building the Foundation for Future Assessments is must reading for professionals, scholars, and advanced students working in the testing field, as well as people in the information technology field who have an interest in testing.

    Contents: Preface. F. Drasgow, The Work Ahead: A Psychometric Infrastructure for Computerized Adaptive Tests. W.C. Ward, Part I: Test Models. W.C. Ward, Introduction. V.G. Folk, R.L. Smith, Models for Delivery of CBTs. R.M. Luecht, B.E. Clauser, Test Models for Complex CBT. W.J. van der Linden, On Complexity in CBT. W. Stout, Test Models for Traditional and Complex CBTs. M.T. Potenza, Part II: Test Administration. C.G. Parshall, Item Development and Pretesting in a CBT Environment. W.D. Way, M. Steffen, G.S. Anderson, Developing, Maintaining, and Renewing the Item Inventory to Support CBT. T. Davey, M. Nering, Controlling Item Exposure & Maintaining Item Security. R.K. Hambleton, New CBT Technical Issues: Developing Items, Pretesting, Test Security, and Item Exposure. L. Crocker, Issues in CBT Administration. C.N. Mills, Part III: Test Analysis and Scoring. B.G. Dodd, S.J. Fitzpatrick, Alternatives for Scoring CBTs. D.L. Schnipke, D.J. Scrams, Exploring Issues of Examinee Behavior: Insights Gained From Response-Time Analyses. B.S. Plake, Alternatives for Scoring CBTs and Analyzing Examinee Behavior. W. Camara, Examinee Behavior and Scoring of CBTs. Part IV: Research Agenda. R.L. Linn, F. Drasgow, W. Camara, L. Crocker, R.K. Hambleton, B.S. Plake, W. Stout, W.J. van der Linden, CBT: A Research Agenda.

    Biography

    Craig N. Mills, Maria T. Potenza, John J. Fremer, William C. Ward

    "...this book provides and excellent overview of the myriad issues in CBT and would be useful for advanced graduate students as well as professionals in the field regardless of their tendency toward theoretical or applied matters. All will benefit from reading this comprehensive collection of topics on CBT."
    Contemporary Psychology