APPLICATION OF COMPUTERIZED ADAPTIVE TESTING TO EDUCATIONAL PROBLEMS

Three applications of computerized adaptive testing (CAT) to help solve problems encountered in educational settings are described and discussed. Each of these applications makes use of item response theory to select test questions from an item pool to estimate a student's achievement level and its precision. These estimates may then be used in conjunction with certain testing strategies to facilitate certain educational decisions. The three applications considered are (a) adaptive mastery testing for determining whether or not a student has mastered a particular content area, (b) adaptive grading for assigning grades to students, and (c) adaptive self-referenced testing for estimating change in a student's achievement level. Differences between currently used classroom procedures and these CAT procedures are discussed. For the adaptive mastery testing procedure, evidence from a series of studies comparing conventional and adaptive testing procedures is presented showing that the adaptive procedure results in more accurate mastery classifications than do conventional mastery tests, while using fewer test questions.     

EDUCATIONAL DIAGNOSTIC ASSESSMENT

A strong demand currently exists for testing instruments that are capable of providing more informative and diagnostic results than typical tests offer. This paper reviews approaches that have been proposed for educational diagnostic assessment. Two major approaches are identified: (a) deficit assessment, which focuses on weaknesses of the student, and (b) error analysis, which focuses on the kinds of errors the student commits. This paper also reviews recent work related to diagnostic assessment that is based on the integration of methods from cognitive psychology and artificial intelligence. It is concluded that the development of powerful diagnostic instruments may require a reexamination of existing psychometric models and possibly the development of alternative ones. It is also pointed out that the traditional approach to the specification of content in terms of static taxonomies may not be appropriate given the dynamic and sequential nature of diagnostic assessment. Finally, it is noted that the psychometric and content demands of diagnostic assessment all but require test admininstration by computer.     

TECHNICAL GUIDELINES FOR ASSESSING COMPUTERIZED ADAPTIVE TESTS

Guidelines are proposed for evaluating a computerized adaptive test. Topics include dimensionality, measurement error, validity, estimation of item parameters, item pool characteristics and human factors. Equating CAT and conventional tests is considered and matters of equity are addressed.     

COMPUTERIZED KINEMATIC AND DYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF LARGE DEPLOYABLE STRUCTURES

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NARRATIVE FORMAT TESTING REPORTS AND TRADITIONAL TESTING REPORTS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

This article reports a comparative study of teacher acceptance of two kinds of testing reports that were generated for Form A of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills at the fourth-grade level. Locally produced reports similar to the traditional ones provided by the test publisher were evaluated against experimental reports that were computer generated in a narrative format. On a random basis, 52 teachers from 16 schools received either the traditional or experimental testing reports for their class, and were asked to evaluate the reports on six scales: clear, useful, meaningful, valuable, sufficient, and accurate, for each of three purposes: information for the teacher on individual students, class-summary information, and information for use at a parent-teacher meeting. On 15 of the 18 comparisons between the traditional and experimental reports, the experimental reports were rated significantly higher.     

ANALYSIS OF FOURTH GRADE TESTING

Three hundred and ninety‐nine Grade 4 Brisbane children were given a battery o1 general ability and achievement tests. Means and standard deviations allowed construction of 15‐point scales for a Queensland Grade 4. A correlation matrix included indices concerning sub‐tests of general ability and achievement tests. Comparisons with original A.C.E.R. co‐efficients were made. The matrix was factor sub‐tests of general ability and achievement tests. Comparisons with analysed and rotated, three factors emerging ‐‐ verbal, performance and computational. A canonical correlation was performed and three significant elements emerged ‐‐ a verbal, a computational (or integrative or automatic sequential) and a problem‐solving element.     

DEVELOPMENTALLY TESTING THE TELEVISION COMPONENT

This paper is a summary of a follow‐up study which gauged the reactions of an Open University Course Team to the developmental testing of the broadcast element of their course. The particular problems encountered in modifying the television component are identified and the paper concludes by suggesting the conditions which appear to be necessary for the broadcast component of an Open University course to be fully developmentally tested, and if necessary modified. The Journal has already published studies, by Frances Berrigan (Vol 3, No.2) and Margaret Gallagher (Vol 3, No.1), on the topic of developmental testing.     

DEVELOPMENTAL TESTING OF AV MATERIALS

Developmental Testing of Open University multi‐‐media packages as described in this paper is in its infancy. The project is unique in that the testing includes some evaluation of the radio programmes beforefinalisation. This paper concentrates on the testing of the radio component of the course     

谈图书馆编目工作实行计算机管理中存在的问题及对策

本文论述了编目工作使用计算机管理中存在的问题及改进建议。     

SELECTION OF PROSE MATERIAL FOR TESTING

The study investigated teachers' selection of prose material for testing. Thirty elementary school social studies teachers wrote test questions based on a 1900 word passage from a commercial social studies text. Moderate consensus was observed among the teachers as to those segments of the passage chosen for testing. Additional analyses to determine the characteristics of the passage segments selected for testing were performed. The most frequently selected text segments were sentences which either contained a list or were themselves an entry in a list.