Discusses issues for early childhood education administrators selecting a new assessment system. Considers features of screening and developmental assessment tools to look for and compares formats, strengths, and limitations for three types of assessment systems: paper-based, stand-alone software, and web-based assessment that allows for…

Potential benefits of using item response theory in test construction are evaluated using the experience and evidence accumulated during nine years of using a three-parameter model in the development of major achievement batteries. Topics addressed include error of measurement, test equating, item bias, and item difficulty. (TJH)

Discussion of computer-assisted testing focuses on a study of college students that investigated whether a computerized test which incorporated traditional test taking interfaces had any effect on students' performance, anxiety level, or attitudes toward the computer. Results indicate no difference in performance but a significant difference in…

Explores the emerging interface between computer technology and cognitive psychology for performance assessment in science education. Discussion includes interface theories and interface technologies and prototype projects for building an alternative assessment technology. (50 references) (KRN)

A preliminary scheme for estimating the speech intelligibility of hearing-impaired speakers from acoustic parameters, using a computerized artificial neural network to process mathematically the acoustic input variables, is outlined. Tests with 60 hearing-impaired speakers found the scheme to be highly accurate in identifying speakers separated by…

TESTAT is a supplementary module for the popular SYSTAT statistical package for the personal computer. The program performs test analyses based on classical test theory and item response theory. Limitations and advantages are discussed. (SLD)

A method is presented and illustrated for simultaneously generating multiple tests with similar characteristics from the item bank by using binary programing techniques. The parallel tests are created to match an existing seed test item for item and to match user-supplied taxonomic specifications. (SLD)

Describes a pilot study that examined issues encountered when computers were used for a master's degree comprehensive examination. Computer-based testing is discussed; procedures used for administering the exam are detailed; pre- and posttests that examined student attitudes are described; and recommendations for using computers in comprehensive…

The value of open-ended responses for computer-assisted-language-learning lessons and language tests is asserted. Results from a study in which students' notes and recall protocols of computerized reading passages were scored by both people and computers indicate that computer programs can score reliably with people, and in less time. (45…

Presents a description and evaluation of a microcomputer-based system designed to diagnose errors in basic algorithmic procedures made by students in a college remedial mathematics class. The paper-and-pencil diagnostic test is described, and results of pretests and posttests for the computer group and control group are discussed. (five…

Explored validity of Neurobehavioral Evaluation System, set of computerized tests and examined validity of reaction time variability as index of sustained attention. Findings from 105 children showed children able to complete 4 of tests. Findings from subsample of 88 children showed test performance significantly associated with teacher ratings of…

An interactive, computer-based assessment system implemented at the University of Luton (England) delivers end-of-module examinations, formative assessments, and self-assessment options. Student and faculty response to computer-based objective testing has been positive and suggests the approach is desirable both pedagogically and economically.…

Considers how computers might help broaden assessment practices by examining the types of test items that might be used in computer environments. Explores ideas from cognitive psychology and research on problem solving. Contains 17 references. (DDR)

Performed generalizability analyses of expert ratings and computer-produced scores for a computer-delivered performance assessment of physicians' patient management skills. The two automated scoring systems produced scores for the 200 medical students that were approximately as generalizable as those produced by the four expert raters. (SLD)

Investigated the role of context constraints on the course of predictive inferences during reading. Constraints were determined by manipulations of a context sentence that affected the extent to which an event was predictable. (Author/VWL)