In online educational systems we can easily collect and analyze extensive data about student learning. Current practice, however, focuses only on some aspects of these data, particularly on correctness of students answers. When a student answers incorrectly, the submitted wrong answer can give us valuable information. We provide an overview of…

School librarians and other specialists should take note of the new wave of computer-based assessments required by the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), testing that is only now beginning to get off the ground. The new testing necessitates that districts possess the right hardware, install the requisite software, and, in some cases, create…

This report offers online course designers, particularly those keen on using Moodle CMSs, a means of diversifying accessibility to their educational materials via multiple modes of delivery that do not require the creation of numerous files and formats for just one activity. The author has made contributions to the development of an open source…

This paper offers a compilation of technologies that provides either free or low-cost solutions to the challenges of teaching online courses. It presents various teaching methods the outlined tools and technologies can support, with emphasis on fit between these tools and the tasks they are meant to serve. In addition, it highlights various…

In the process of item calibration for a computerized adaptive test (CAT), many well-established calibrating packages show weakness in the estimation of item parameters. This paper introduces an on-line calibration algorithm based on the convexity of likelihood functions. This package consists of: (1) an algorithm that estimates examinee ability…

Describes work in progress at SRI International in the Performance Assessment Links in Science (PALS) project, which is developing an online, standards-based, interactive resource bank of science performance assessments. Coupled with the development of the resource bank is a program of research on effective use of these resources. (SLD)

Putting prospective teachers through standardized interviews regarding their approach to the job might fulfill a sorting function, but it can prove to be time-consuming on both sides. Online applications, though they can be relatively quick and easy, tend to give a school district too little information about the real-world potential of…

An essay test is now an integral part of the computer based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL-CBT). This paper provides a brief overview of the current TOEFL-CBT essay test, describes the operational procedures for essay scoring, including the Online Scoring Network (OSN) of the Educational Testing Service (ETS), and discusses major…

Discusses trends in Web-based learning environments. Highlights include common features of existing Web-based learning environments; challenges; the large amount of available online educational material; adaptation and dynamic interaction; real-time interaction; and monitoring online testing. (LRW)

Describes a software system that allows teachers and students in practically any subject to make interactive expert systems of quizzes on the Internet. Discusses the design of the system, including building a database of questions and answers; integrating text files of questions and answers with JavaScript-HTML pages; and the JavaScript and HTML…

CSAR (Characteristic Storage And Retrieval) is the name of an interactive item bank system for the storage, retrieval, manipulation, and summarization of information about multiple choice test items. The purpose of the system is to facilitate the test construction process. The system has two main components: one or more item banks and an…

Recent changes in the structure of curriculum and the instructional system in Texas have required a major reorganization of teaching, evaluating, budgeting, and planning activities in the local education agencies, which has created the need for a database. The history of Richardson Instructional Management System (RIMS), its data processing…

Describes a computer-assisted testing system which produces multiple-choice examinations for a college course in business administration. The system uses SPIRES (Stanford Public Information REtrieval System) to manage a database of questions and related data, mark-sense cards for machine grading tests, and ACL (6) (Audit Command Language) to…

This article discusses problems in the psychological processing theory for learning disabilities assessment and describes the development and potential use of an interactive diagnostic system for testing students' processing skills for learning disabilities. (AEF)

Discusses online testing using the inQsit[C] Web-based software system, a system that enables an individual to create an assessment module, administer that module to gather responses, and perform simple analyses with responses. Describes how to create an online test using inQsit[C]; administering the test; grading the tests; concerns/problems…