Automated scoring systems provide multiple benefits but also pose challenges, notably potential bias. Various methods exist to evaluate these algorithms and their outputs for bias. Upon detecting bias, the next logical step is to investigate its cause, often by examining feature distributions. Recently, Johnson and McCaffrey proposed an…

Multistage testing (MST), a variant of computerized adaptive testing (CAT), differs from conventional CAT in that it is adapted at the module level rather than at the individual item level. Typically, all examinees begin the MST with a linear test form in the first stage, commonly known as the routing stage. In 2020, Han introduced an innovative…

Test takers wishing to gain an unfair advantage often share answers with other test takers, either sharing all answers (a full key) or some (a partial key). Detecting key sharing during a tight testing window requires an efficient, easily interpretable, and rich form of analysis that is descriptive and inferential. We introduce a detection method…

In multidimensional computerized adaptive testing (MCAT), item selection strategies are generally constructed based on responses, and they do not consider the response times required by items. This study constructed two new criteria (referred to as DT-inc and DT) for MCAT item selection by utilizing information from response times. The new designs…

Machine learning-based automatic scoring faces challenges with imbalanced student responses across scoring categories. To address this, we introduce a novel text data augmentation framework that leverages GPT-4, a generative large language model specifically tailored for imbalanced datasets in automatic scoring. Our experimental dataset consisted…

Online calibration estimates new item parameters alongside previously calibrated items, supporting efficient item replenishment. However, most existing online calibration procedures for Cognitive Diagnostic Computerized Adaptive Testing (CD-CAT) lack mechanisms to ensure content balance during live testing. This limitation can lead to uneven…

Computer adaptive testing (CAT) is an increasingly common mode of test administration offering improved test security, better measurement precision, and the potential for shorter testing experiences. This article presents a new item selection algorithm based on a generalized objective function to support multiple types of testing conditions and…

Recent developments in the use of large-language models have led to substantial improvements in the accuracy of content-based automated scoring of free-text responses. The reported accuracy levels suggest that automated systems could have widespread applicability in assessment. However, before they are used in operational testing, other aspects of…

In computerized adaptive testing, item exposure control methods are often used to provide a more balanced usage of the item pool. Many of the most popular methods, including the restricted method (Revuelta and Ponsoda), use a single maximum exposure rate to limit the proportion of times that each item is administered. However, Barrada et al.…

Prompts play a crucial role in eliciting accurate outputs from large language models (LLMs). This study examines the effectiveness of an automatic prompt engineering (APE) framework for automatic scoring in educational measurement. We collected constructed-response data from 930 students across 11 items and used human scores as the true labels. A…

The study presents multivariate sequential monitoring procedures for examining test-taking behaviors online. The procedures monitor examinee's responses and response times and signal aberrancy as soon as significant change is identifieddetected in the test-taking behavior. The study in particular proposes three schemes to track different…

In recent years, the application of explainability techniques to automated essay scoring and automated short-answer grading (ASAG) models, particularly those based on transformer architectures, has gained significant attention. However, the reliability and consistency of these techniques remain underexplored. This study systematically investigates…

The purpose of this study was to compare calibration and linking methods for placing pretest item parameter estimates on the item pool scale in a 1-3 computerized multistage adaptive testing design in terms of item parameter recovery. Two models were used: embedded-section, in which pretest items were administered within a separate module, and…

Online calibration is a key technology for item calibration in computerized adaptive testing (CAT) and has been widely used in various forms of CAT, including unidimensional CAT, multidimensional CAT (MCAT), CAT with polytomously scored items, and cognitive diagnostic CAT. However, as multidimensional and polytomous assessment data become more…

The purpose of this study is to describe and evaluate a multilingual automated essay scoring (AES) system for grading essays in three languages. Two different sentence embedding models were evaluated within the AES system, multilingual BERT (mBERT) and language-agnostic BERT sentence embedding (LaBSE). German, Italian, and Czech essays were…