Automatic item generation (AIG)--a means of leveraging technology to create large quantities of items--requires a minimum number of items to offset the sizable upfront investment (i.e., model development and technology deployment) in order to achieve cost savings. In this cost-benefit analysis, we estimated the cost of each step of AIG and manual…

Many educational testing programs report examinee performance at more than two levels of proficiency. Whether these assessments have the capacity to support these multiple inferences, though, is a topic that has not been widely discussed. This study proposes a method for evaluating the minimum number of measurement opportunities for reporting…

Does it matter if students are appropriately assigned to test accommodations? Using a randomized method, this study found that individual students assigned accommodations keyed to their particular needs were significantly more efficacious for English language learners (ELLs) and that little difference was reported between students receiving…

Presents two approaches to evaluating gender measurement bias in mathematics testing, and discusses how to assess these approaches. The two approaches are the study of internal test structure and external test relationships. Ensuring a gender-fair test requires attention to both areas. (SLD)

Results for 3,244 female and 3,033 male junior high school students from the Second International Mathematics Study show that applied items in algebra, geometry, and computation were easier for males but arithmetic items were differentially easier for females. Implications of these findings for assessment and instruction are discussed. (SLD)

A conceptual framework is presented for the development of the Quantitative Understanding: Amplifying Student Achievement and Reasoning (QUASAR) Cognitive Assessment Instrument (QCAI) that focuses on the ability of middle-school students to problem solve, reason, and communicate mathematically. The instrument will provide programatic rather than…