This simulation study involved the design of two two-stage tests in which the routing tests and the second-stage measurement testlets took the form of a multidimensional knapsack problem with prespecified target informations and constraints to be enumerated using the algorithm of E. Balas. Two conventional tests of similar length to the two-stage…

A two-stage study was conducted to compare the ability estimates yielded by tailored testing procedures based on the one-parameter logistic (1PL) and three-parameter logistic (3PL) models. The first stage of the study employed real data, while the second stage employed simulated data. In the first stage, response data for 3,000 examinees were…

Because of the recent popularity of the three-parameter logistic model among the researchers who apply latent trait theory, it will be worthwhile to investigate the effect of noise accommodated in different models. In the present paper, four types of models on the dichotomous response level, Types A, B, C and D, are considered. Type A does not…

A pilot study of a computerized adaptive test of mathematics achievement was conducted in May and June 1989 in selected schools of the San Diego Unified School District. The study evaluated the usefulness of the test for determining eligibility for Chapter 1 programs in mathematics. The test was a prototype battery of three adaptive tests: (1)…

The effect of dimensionality on an adaptive test's ability estimation was examined. Two-dimensional data sets, which differed from one another in the interdimensional ability association, the correlation among the difficulty parameters, and whether the item discriminations were or were not confounded with item difficulty, were generated for 1,600…

This study investigated participants' reactions to computerized testing and assessed the practicability of this testing method in the classroom. A sample of 315 secondary-level students took a computerized and a printed version of a standardized aptitude test battery and a survey assessing their reactions to the computerized testing. Overall…

The Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT) project is a joint Armed Services coordinated effort to develop and evaluate a system for automated, adaptive administration of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). The CAT is a system for administering personnel tests that differs from conventional test administration in two major…

Computerized adaptive testing (CAT) offers the opportunity to replace paper-and-pencil aptitude tests such as the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery with shorter, more accurate, and more secure computer-administered tests. Its potential advantages need to be verified by experimental administration of automated tests to military recruit…

Diagnostic testing confronts several challenges at once, among which are issues of test interpretation and immediate modification of the test itself in response to the interpretation. Several methods are available for administering and evaluating a test in real-time, towards optimizing the examiner's chances of isolating a persistent pattern of…

A method of estimating the operating characteristics of a new test item added to an established test without assuming a prior model has been proposed by the author. In this paper, the author extends this logic by proposing a different hypothesized distribution of the resulting estimate. The former method used a normal approximation; the present…

In an adaptive test, the test administrator chooses test items sequentially during the test, in such a way as to adapt test difficulty to examinee ability as shown during testing. An effectively designed adaptive test can resolve the dilemma inherent in conventional test design. By tailoring tests to individuals, the adaptive test can…

Implementation of an adaptive achievement test for teaching signed-numbers operations to junior high students is described. A computer program capable of finding 240 basic errors in signed-number computations was written on the PLATO system and used for analyzing a 64-item conventional test, as well as an adaptive test of addition problems. The…

This study used a series of simulations to answer questions about the efficacy of adaptive testing raised by empirical studies. The first study showed that for reasonable high entry points, parameters estimated from paper-and-pencil test protocols cross-validated remarkably well to groups actually tested at a computer terminal. This suggested that…

Measures of consistency and completeness of order relations derived from test-type data are proposed. The measures are generalized to apply to incomplete data such as tailored testing. The measures are based on consideration of the items-plus-persons by items-plus-persons matrix as an adjacency matrix in which a 1 means that the row element…

Discusses the possible limitations and the advantages of computer-assisted language testing and several test variables which are of concern in determining test validity. The concept of computer-adaptive testing and its relationship to these variables is described. (SED)