The National Center for Education Statistics conducts surveys which require the coding of the respondent's major field of study. This paper presents a new system for the coding of major field of study. It operates on-line i a Computer Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) environment and allows conversational checks to verify coding directly from…

This paper recounts the use of a computerized multiple-measures placement model at Yuba College in Marysville, California. Yuba began using computerized placement tests in 1994, based on suggestions from faculty and student assessment staff. Two years later, a set of multiple measures criteria, consisting mainly of self-reported high school…

To evaluate student learning in a computer-supported environment known as "GenScope," a system was developed for assessing students' understanding and learning of introductory genetics material presented in two developed GenScope instruments. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to address traditional evidential validity…

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…

Because of the crucial nature of the technical literacy problem and the necessity for employees to be able to understand and apply information contained in technical manuals, a technical literacy test was developed in order to identify the level of a person's familiarity with or likely aptitude for work using a computer. The information yielded by…

Differences in learners' control decisions in computer-assisted learning were studied during part task versus whole task practice. The criterion task was chosen for its relevance to air crew training problems. Forty-one male and female undergraduates participated in a computer simulation task estimating the location and orientation of target…

This study investigated the relationship between examinee achievement-specific locus of control and the differences between self-adapted testing (SAT) and computerized adaptive testing (CAT) in terms of mean estimated proficiency and posttest state anxiety. Subjects were 379 college students. A disordinal interaction was found between test type…

Providing instructors an efficient way to acquire a well-defined, tailored test for a given student, or group of students, the Item Bank deals in multiple-choice, Rasch-calibrated problems which are deposited under two subject areas: reading and mathematics. Users can obtain a test which is appropriate to what their migrant students have been…

This study investigated the transfer of solution strategies between close variants of quantitative reasoning questions. Pre- and posttests were obtained from 406 college undergraduates, all of whom took the same posttest; pretests varied such that one group of participants saw close variants of one set of posttest items while other groups saw…

Advantages and disadvantages of standard Rasch analysis computer programs are discussed. The unconditional maximum likelihood algorithm allows all observations to participate equally in determining the measures and calibrations to be obtained quickly from a data set. On the advantage side, standard Rasch programs can be used immediately, are…

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…

The Miller Motivation Scale is a 160-item computer scored scale. It was developed to measure quickly and easily and display the motivational profile of the client. It has eight subscales. Five subscales measure encouragement, self-fulfillment and social interest. They are called Creative, Innovative, Productive, Cooperative, and Power. Three…

A number of challenges will be faced by the school testing community in the future. The content of achievement tests must match the curriculum, which changes its focus over the years. Test content should reflect expanding curriculum areas such as computer literacy, consumer skills, and critical thinking. Test publishers will provide data for…

Drawing from personal experiences in the development of an interactive testing program for a sociology course, this paper discusses issues related to the use of computer-based education in social science classes. First, the paper describes the steps taken by the Community College of Denver to introduce interested faculty to the possibilities of…