The purpose of this study was to compare and evaluate three online pretest item calibration/scaling methods in terms of item parameter recovery when the item responses to the pretest items in the pool would be sparse. The three methods considered were the marginal maximum likelihood estimate with one EM cycle (OEM) method, the marginal maximum…

Maximum likelihood and Bayesian procedures are presented for item selection and scoring of multidimensional adaptive tests. A demonstration with simulated response data illustrates that multidimensional adaptive testing can provide equal or higher reliabilities with fewer items than are required in one-dimensional adaptive testing. (SLD)

A student may be so unlike other students that his/her aptitude test score fails to be a completely appropriate measure. We consider the problem of using the student's pattern of multiple-choice aptitude test answers to decide whether his/her score is an appropriate ability measure. (Author/CTM)

The analytically derived asymptotic standard errors (SEs) of maximum likelihood (ML) item estimates can be approximated by a mathematical function without examinees' responses to test items, and the empirically determined SEs of marginal maximum likelihood estimation (MMLE)/Bayesian item estimates can be obtained when the same set of items is…

The accuracy of estimation of the subjects' latent ability maintained by tailoring for each testee the order of item presentation and the border of item dichotomization was compared to the information provided by the original graded test items. (RC)

Dichotomous search strategies (DSSs) for computerized adaptive testing are similar to golden section search strategies (GSSSs). Each middle point of successive search regions is a testing point. After each item is administered, the subject's obtained score is compared with the expected score at successive testing points. If the subject's obtained…

Probabilistic models with more than one latent variable are designed to report profiles of skills or cognitive attributes. Testing programs want to offer additional information beyond what a single test score can provide using these skill profiles. Many recent approaches to skill profile models are limited to dichotomous data and have made use of…