Computer adaptive testing (CAT) is an increasingly common mode of test administration offering improved test security, better measurement precision, and the potential for shorter testing experiences. This article presents a new item selection algorithm based on a generalized objective function to support multiple types of testing conditions and…

The Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring (CEM), based in the North of England, recently celebrated its 40th birthday. Arising from an evaluation project at Newcastle University, and a subsequent move to Durham University, it rapidly grew in scope and influence, developing a series of highly regarded school assessments. For a relatively small…

With the advent of big data and advances in technology, psychological assessments have become increasingly sophisticated and complex. Nevertheless, traditional psychometric issues concerning the validity, reliability, and measurement bias of such assessments remain fundamental in determining whether score inferences of human attributes are…

One of the methods of controlling test security in adaptive testing is imposing random item-ineligibility constraints on the selection of the items with probabilities automatically updated to maintain a predetermined upper bound on the exposure rates. Three major improvements of the method are presented. First, a few modifications to improve the…

Adaptive tests are more efficient than fixed-length tests through the use of item response theory; adaptive tests also present students questions that are tailored to their proficiency level. Although the adaptive algorithm is straightforward, developing a multidimensional computer adaptive test (MCAT) measure is complex. Evidence-centered design…

A decision of whether to move from paper-and-pencil to computer-based tests is based largely on a careful weighing of the potential benefits of a change against its costs, disadvantages, and challenges. This paper briefly discusses the trade-offs involved in making such a transition, and then focuses on a relatively unexplored benefit of…

The goal in personalized assessment is to best fit the needs of each individual test taker, given the assessment purposes. Design-in-Real-Time (DIRTy) assessment reflects the progressive evolution in testing from a single test, to an adaptive test, to an adaptive assessment "system." In this article, we lay the foundation for DIRTy…

Education systems are increasingly being called upon to implement new technology-based assessment systems that generate efficiencies, better meet changing stakeholder expectations, or fulfil new assessment purposes. These assessment systems require coordinated organisational effort to implement and can be expensive in time, skill and other…

As perfectly summarised by Ida Lawrence, "Testing is growing by leaps and bounds across the world. There is a realization that a nation's well-being depends crucially on the educational achievement of its population. Valid tests are an essential tool to evaluate a nation's educational standing and to implement efficacious educational reforms.…

A multistage adaptive testing (MST) design was implemented for the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) starting in 2012 for about 40 countries and has been implemented for the 2018 cycle of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) for more than 80 countries. Using examples from PISA and PIAAC,…

Research evidence concerning the effects of adaptive teaching and individualized learning remain relatively inconclusive, while there is obviously a need for better understanding how K-12 formal education may be more successful in addressing students' personal needs and interests, accounting for their diverse abilities with the main goal of…

The term Adaptive E-learning System (AES) refers to the set of techniques and approaches that are combined together to offer online courses to the learners with the aim of providing customized resources and interfaces. Most of these systems focus on adaptive contents which are generated to the learners without considering the learning styles of…

This article aims to provide a theoretical framework for computerized adaptive tests (CAT) and item response theory models for polytomous items. Besides that, it aims to introduce the simulation and live CAT software to the related researchers. Computerized adaptive test algorithm, assumptions of item response theory models, nominal response…

In recent years, the computerised adaptive test (CAT) has gained popularity over conventional exams in evaluating student capabilities with desired accuracy. However, the key limitation of CAT is that it requires a large pool of pre-calibrated questions. In the absence of such a pre-calibrated question bank, offline exams with uncalibrated…

What's the difference between accommodations and modifications, and why does the distinction matter? In this article, professor Lee Ann Jung explains that accommodations "provide access to the general curriculum but do not fundamentally alter the learning goal or grade level standard." For instance, if the purpose of an assessment is to…