Person-fit research in the context of paper-and-pencil tests is reviewed, and some specific problems regarding person fit in the context of computerized adaptive testing (CAT) are discussed. Some new methods are proposed to investigate person fit in a CAT environment. These statistics are based on Statistical Process Control (SPC) theory. A…

Proposed a refinement, based on the stratification of items developed by D. Weiss (1973), of the computerized adaptive testing item selection procedure of H. Chang and Z. Ying (1999). Simulation studies using an item bank from the Graduate Record Examination show the benefits of the new procedure. (SLD)

The interest in the application of large-scale adaptive testing for secure tests has served to focus attention on issues that arise when theoretical advances are made operational. Many such issues in the application of large-scale adaptive testing for secure tests have more to do with changes in testing conditions than with testing paradigms. One…

Recent simulations have shown that, for a given sample size, the Mantel-Haenszel (MH) variances tend to be larger when items are administered to randomly selected examinees than when they are administered adaptively. Results suggest that adaptive testing may lead to more efficient application of MH differential item functioning analyses. (SLD)

Applied optimal design methods to the item-bank design of adaptive testing for continuous testing situations using a version of the weighted-deviations model (M. Stocking and L. Swanson, 1993) in a simulation. Independent and overlapping item banks used items more efficiently than did a large item bank. (SLD)

Showed how Taylor approximation can be used to generate a linear approximation to a logistic item characteristic curve and a linear ability estimator. Demonstrated how, for a specific simulation, this could result in the special case of a Robbins-Monro item selection procedure for adaptive testing. (SLD)

Evaluates a method for item selection in adaptive testing that is based on Kullback-Leibler information (KLI) (T. Cover and J. Thomas, 1991). Simulation study results show that testing algorithms using KLI-based item selection perform better than or as well as those using Fisher information item selection. (SLD)

Most large-scale testing programs facing computerized adaptive testing (CAT) must face the challenge of maintaining extensive content requirements, but content constraints in computerized adaptive testing (CAT) can compromise the precision and efficiency that could be achieved by a pure maximum information adaptive testing algorithm. This…

To satisfy the security requirements of computerized adaptive tests (CATs), efforts have been made to control the exposure rates of optimal items directly by incorporating statistical methods into the item selection procedure. Since differences are likely to occur between the exposure control parameter derivation stage and the operational CAT…

In computerized adaptive testing, updating item parameter estimates using adaptive testing data is often called online calibration. This study investigated how to evaluate whether the adaptive testing data used for online calibration sufficiently fit the item response model used. Three approaches were investigated, based on a Lagrange multiplier…

Information based item selection methods in computerized adaptive tests (CATs) tend to choose the item that provides maximum information at an examinee's estimated trait level. As a result, these methods can yield extremely skewed item exposure distributions in which items with high "a" values may be overexposed, while those with low…

The purpose of this study was to compare a proposed revised a-stratified, or alpha-stratified, USTR method of test item selection with the original alpha-stratified multistage computerized adaptive testing approach (STR) and the use of maximum Fisher information (FSH) with respect to test efficiency and item pool usage using simulated computerized…

Examined the effectiveness of the Sympson-Hetter technique and rotated content balancing relative to no exposure control and no content rotation conditions in a computerized adaptive testing system based on the partial credit model. Simulation results show the Sympson-Hetter technique can be used with minimal impact on measurement precision,…

Performed a simulation study to demonstrate the dramatic impact of capitalization on estimation errors on ability estimation in adaptive testing. Discusses four different strategies to minimize the likelihood of capitalization in computerized adaptive testing. (SLD)

Proposes a new multistage adaptive-testing procedure that factors the discrimination parameter (alpha) into the item-selection process. Simulation studies indicate that the new strategy results in tests that are well-balanced, with respect to item exposure, and efficient. (SLD)