Preliminary pilot studies and a field study show how a generalizable conceptual framework calibrated with item response modeling can be used to describe the development of student conceptual understanding in chemistry. ChemQuery is an assessment system that uses a framework of the key ideas in the discipline, called the Perspectives of Chemists,…

This article reports on the Pittsburgh Public Schools Oral Ratings Assessment for Language Students (PPS ORALS) project, a Title VI Foreign Language Assistance Program grant-funded project to create an online testing Software program that makes large-scale oral testing in a world language not only feasible, but also easy to create, administer, and…

Assessing the language development of bilingual children can be a challenge--too often, children in the complex process of learning both Spanish and English are under- or over-diagnosed with language disorders. SLPs can change that with "SALT 2010 Bilingual S/E Version" for grades K-3, the first tool to comprehensively assess children's language…

Formative assessment has recently become a focus of renewed research as state and federal policy-makers realize that summative assessments have reached a point of diminishing returns as a tool for increasing student achievement. Consequently, supporters of large-scale testing programs are now beginning to consider the potential of formative…

Thousands of older incarcerated youth (17-18 years old) pass through the juvenile justice system every year. Many are not viable candidates for traditional high school graduation because of limited earned credits and large gaps in education. The purpose of this study was to establish an effective and efficient means for determining students'…

The Grammar, Spelling, and Punctuation (GSP) test is administered to students in the College of Communication at the University of Texas, Austin, as a means of determining eligibility to register for certain courses in journalism, broadcasting, and advertising. The test was administered in a paper-and-pencil version to 16 students and in a…

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…

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…

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…

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…

To date, the majority of computerized adaptive testing (CAT) systems for achievement and aptitude testing have been based on the dichotomous item response models. However, current research with polychotomous model-based CATs is yielding promising results. This study extends previous work on nominal response model-based CAT (NR CAT) and compares…

The DX SYSTEM of Diagnostic Testing is an easy-to-use computerized system for developing and administering diagnostic tests. A diagnostic test measures a student's mastery of a specific domain (skill or content area). It examines the necessary subskills hierarchically from the most to the least complex. The DX SYSTEM features tailored testing with…

A brief overview of item response theory is provided, and a 186-item bibliography of books and articles on the subject dating from 1953 to June 1989 is presented. The overview includes a definition of the theory, a discussion of its development and application, and comparisons with classical test theory. All publications in the bibliography were…

This paper reviews 18 microcomputer software item banks on an individual basis. Software Programs reviewed are AIMS (Academic Instructional Measurement System); CREATE-A-TEST; Exam Builder; Exams and Examiner; MicroCAT; Multiple Choice Files; P.D.Q. Builder; Quiz Rite; Teacher Create Series (5 programs); TAP (Testing Authoring Program); TestBank…

Describes an evaluation program which is aimed at providing well-designed, comprehensive, and objective tests to a specific category of engineering students. Involves the use of a computerized statistical analysis. Provides recommendations for organizing such an activity. (TW)