The process proposed for the development and use of computer-based testing, including simulation and multiple-choice questions, as part of the National Board of Medical Examiners' certification sequence is outlined. Summary reports of first-phase pilot testing in six medical schools are appended. (MSE)

Developed paper-and-pencil and microcomputer versions of prototype occupational interest inventory for academically disadvantaged or functionally illiterate adults. Compared results obtained from 30 such adults on the United States Employment Service Interest Inventory and both versions of the prototype inventory. Results revealed acceptable…

A computer-administered version of the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale was administered to 31 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder, 16 with other anxiety disorders, and 23 nonpatient controls. The computer version correlated highly with the clinician-administered version and was well understood and liked by subjects. (SLD)

Describes the process for generating, from a text, three types of multiple-choice vocabulary cloze tests: one based on n-th word deletion, one using user-specified frequency ranges, and one based on a particular word class. The article discusses the extent to which good test material can be produced realistically by computer-aided systems and the…

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…

Describes the development and administration of a computerized test at the Iowa State University Library for a mandatory library skills class. Discusses the use of Authorware; test appearance and environment; test administration; compiling test scores; results of students' evaluations; Web courseware; and future of the computerized test. (LRW)

The authors of this article discuss customizing parent education which requires customized assessment. At Auburn University, Kreg Edgmon and Wally Goddard developed a parent assessment based on the National Extension Parent Education Model (NEPEM) (Smith, Cudaback, Goddard, & Myers-Walls, 1994). All items in the parent assessment were tested with…

In low-stakes testing, the motivation levels of examinees are often a matter of concern to test givers because a lack of examinee effort represents a direct threat to the validity of the test data. This study investigated the use of response time to assess the amount of examinee effort received by individual test items. In 2 studies, it was found…

This Monte Carlo study examined the effect of complex sampling of items on the measurement of differential item functioning (DIF) using the Mantel-Haenszel procedure. Data were generated using a three-parameter logistic item response theory model according to the balanced incomplete block (BIB) design used in the National Assessment of Educational…

The Computerized Inventory of Developmental Writing Traits (CIDWT) is meant to provide a valid reliable measure of program improvement, particularly for teachers implementing a process writing approach in their classrooms. While standardized tests, portfolio, and holistic scoring all have something to offer, the CIDWT is an inexpensive direct…

While computer-based tests might be as simple as computerized versions of paper-and-pencil examinations, more innovative applications also exist. Examples of innovations in computer-based assessment include the use of graphics or sound, some measure of interactivity, a change in the means in which examinees responded to items, and the application…

This report illustrates one way in which the technologies of testing might combine with cognitive science techniques to help steer instruction. Steering testing is brief diagnostic testing that steers, or individualizes, the course of instruction. Steering testing uses simple heuristics for reasoning about the level of a student's competence in a…

Computerized adaptive testing for language teaching and learning takes advantage of two properties of the computer: its number-crunching and multiple-branching capabilities. Adaptive testing has also been called tailored testing because it aims at presenting items that suit the student's competence and that are informative, using an item bank and…

This report provides an overview of the current applications of computer technology to construct test items and/or to formulate tests according to sound measurement principles. The test items may be computer-generated from strategies programmed by test constructors, or pre-constructed by item writers and stored in computer memory. The tests…

The DX SYSTEM of Diagnostic Testing is an easy-to-use computerized system for developing and administering diagnostic tests. A diagnostic test measures a student's mastery of a specific domain (skill or content area). It examines the necessary subskills hierarchically from the most to the least complex. The DX SYSTEM features tailored testing with…