The most appropriate statistical model for the small-scale (n<100) studies common in language testing research is the Rasch one-parameter logistic model. The Rasch model provides a wide range of options for conducting research, refining existing examinations, and developing tailored (computerized adaptive) language tests. Three investigations…

Subjects for an investigation of the effects of training with a computer and past computer experience on the computerized aptitude test performance of college students were 92 undergraduates at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, who participated in a test study utilizing six Apple II+ microcomputers. The study was conducted to…

The present monte carlo simulation study was designed to examine the effects of multidimensionality during the administration of computerized adaptive testing (CAT). It was assumed that multidimensionality existed in the individuals to whom test items were being administered, i.e., that the correct or incorrect responses given by an individual…

The successful Wisconsin Title 1 project item bank offers a valid, flexible, and efficient means of providing migrant student tests in reading and mathematics tailored to instructor curricula. The item bank system consists of nine PASCAL computer programs which maintain, search, and select from approximately 1,000 test items stored on floppy disks…

This paper addresses the potential influence of current and projected microcomputer technological advances on the profession of school psychology. An overview of the uses and abuses of computers in school psychology is presented, followed by a brief discussion of three general uses of computers in school psychology: the computer as tool, tutor,…

Major efforts of this project fall into four categories: (1) investigations were performed on the relationship between the dimensionality of a dataset and its underlying cognitive processes; (2) two approaches for diagnosing erroneous rules of operation were developed (an "error vector" system for constructing error diagnostic programs…

The use of item response theory (IRT) is a prerequisite to successful use of computerized test systems. In item response models, as opposed to classical test theory, the abilities of the examinees and the properties of the items are parameterized separately. Therefore, when measuring the abilities of examinees, the model implicitly corrects for…

The document is part of the final report on Project STEEL (Special Teacher Education and Evaluation Laboratory) intended to extend the utilization of technology in the training of preservice special education teachers. This volume focuses on the first of four project objectives, the development and implementation of a microcomputer-based…

This paper presents an explanation of the program design of the three separate Pascal-language programs which comprise UCLA's Diagnostic Testing Package "DX." The three parts of the DX test package are three closely interrelated programs--Editest, Runtest, and Summary. Editest serves the following functions: (1) the creation of a…

The development of a Spanish computerized adaptive placement test at Brigham Young University (Utah) is described. The test is based on an approach that locates an examinee's ability along a continuum of latent ability rather than determining the degree to which an individual's ability differs from the abilities of others taking the test, as in…

This document describes the WORDS software, a computer program designed to evaluate a reading disabled student's sight word vocabulary using an Apple II microcomputer. A brief discussion of various methods of addressing reading difficulties precedes a detailed description of the WORDS program and its use. This description covers: (1) the…

The Diagnostic Testing System (DX) is an integral system for developing and administering tests. The system can be utilized for testing in any subject matter, or any number of subject matters, at any level on scholastic or cognitive continuums. The major purpose of DX is to provide diagnostic data about the level at which a given student (or group…

In the answer-until-correct mode of multiple-choice testing, respondents are directed to continue choosing among the alternatives to each item until they find the correct response. There is no consensus as to how to convert the resulting pattern of responses into a measure because of two conflicting models of item response behavior. The first…

The graphics and animation capabilities of computers offer a new dimension in science testing. Instead of presenting verbal situations or questions with accompanying pictures, computers can present simulated actions and events that are the focus of science questions. The purpose of this project was to develop a valid and reliable computer-based…

This paper has shown the advantages of tailored testing over traditional methods, the need for latent trait theory in the application of tailored testing, and some of the results available to show the quality of estimates obtained by tailored testing procedures. Since the tailored testing procedures overcome many of the problems with traditional…