This paper reviews the salient characteristics of the current inventory of large-scale achievement tests, analyzes two recent proposals for creating a national testing program, and describes a new approach to statewide and nationwide testing that RAND is examining. Section 2 discusses the criteria typically used for evaluating large-scale testing…

Examines the ways in which computers can assist teachers in developing good tests. Describes the program TESTWORKS in detail and provides charts comparing this program with 11 others in the areas of price, type of questions generated, computer functions, and the usefulness of each. Discusses the use of word processors and databases. (KO)

A computer-administered version of the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale was administered to 31 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder, 16 with other anxiety disorders, and 23 nonpatient controls. The computer version correlated highly with the clinician-administered version and was well understood and liked by subjects. (SLD)

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of pretest items on response time in an operational, fixed-length, time-limited computerized adaptive test (CAT). These pretest items are embedded within the CAT, but unlike the operational items, are not tailored to the examinee's ability level. If examinees with higher ability levels need less…

This study investigated the usefulness of the bifactor model in the investigation of score equivalence from computerized and paper-and-pencil formats of the same reading tests. Concerns about the equivalence of the paper-and-pencil and computerized formats were warranted because of the use of reading passages, computer unfamiliarity of primary…

This handbook is intended for persons who might develop or use an item bank to support their testing program. An item bank is defined as a "large collection of distinguishable test items," with "large" explained as meaning that the number of items available is greater than the number to be used in any one test. The first section of the handbook…

This report and compilation of papers summarizes information collected by an Assessment Development and Use Project, initiated by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL) to assist test development efforts by state and local agencies. Specific item banking applications are reported in two case studies, selected because they represent…

An adaptive test can usually match or exceed the measurement precision of conventional tests several times its length. This increased efficiency is not without costs, however, as the models underlying adaptive testing make strong assumptions about examinees and items. Most troublesome is the assumption that item pools are unidimensional. Truly…

This report described a feasibility study designed to investigate the utility of interactive videodisc technology in testing preschool children. Computer assisted testing permits test administration with minimal training for personnel, high quality control in administration procedures, and immediate scoring and feedback. The combination of an…

Computer-based test interpretation (CBTI) is discussed in terms of its potential dangers to the public interest, problems with professional review of CBTI systems, and needed policies for these systems. Several problems with CBTI systems are outlined: (1) they may be nicely packaged, but it is difficult to establish their value; (2) they do not…

The feasibility of implementing self-paced computerized tailored testing evaluation methods in an undergraduate measurement and evaluation course, and possible differences in achievement levels under a paced versus self-paced testing schedule were investigated. A maximum likelihood tailored testing procedure based on the simple logistic model had…

The effects of examination format and previous experience with microcomputers on the test scores of 96 undergraduate students were investigated. Results indicated no significant differences in the scores obtained on the two types of test administration (microcomputer and traditional paper and pencil). Computer experience was not an important…

Describes a system in which questions tailored to the examinee's capabilities are administered by computer. Enumerates possible benefits of the system, reviews the "state of the art," and predicts potential applications of computerized adaptive testing. (MCG)

The purposes of this research study were to develop and field test anchor-based judgmental methods for enabling test specialists to estimate item difficulty statistics. The study consisted of three related field tests. In each, researchers worked with six Law School Admission Test (LSAT) test specialists and one or more of the LSAT subtests. The…

In constrained adaptive testing, the numbers of constraints needed to control the content of the tests can easily run into the hundreds. Proper initialization of the algorithm becomes a requirement because the presence of large numbers of constraints slows down the convergence of the ability estimator. In this paper, an empirical initialization of…