In this paper, a number of practical questions related to introducing CAT for K-12 assessments are discussed. These questions relate to four main topic areas: 1) the CAT algorithm; 2) CAT item development; 3) the CAT test delivery system; and 4) psychometrics to support CAT. In considering these questions, we describe some of the successful practices that have been used in operational high-stakes CAT programs, as well as the challenges these programs face. This discussion is aimed to assist state departments of education in considering the use of CAT as they move to transition testing programs to online delivery in the future.

Learning English as a foreign language in any formal education context requires opportunities for learners and teachers to give and receive feedback on the teaching learning process as it is happening. These opportunities could be created via various in-class activities specifically designed for this purpose. Teachers who create and use these diagnostic opportunities effectively detect what learners need in a timely fashion, and provide remedial teaching in the right time and mode, so that chances can be created for learners to improve their learning. There is no one universally accepted way of how to do this, however, with various approaches for collecting, analyzing and reviewing data for this purpose. This book encapsulates the unbreakable relationship between teaching, learning and assessment through a range of articles which scrutinize assessment from a wide spectrum, ranging from the role of assessment in language learning to ELT teacher assessment literacy, from the use of technology in classroom-based assessment to practicing teachers’ reflections on their teacher classroom action research, and from the role of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) to empirical data analysis.

In this valuable resource, well-known scholars present a detailed understanding of contemporary theories and practices in the fields of measurement, assessment, and evaluation, with guidance on how to apply these ideas for the benefit of students and institutions. Bringing together terminology, analytical perspectives, and methodological advances, this second edition facilitates informed decision-making while connecting the latest thinking in these methodological areas with actual practice in higher education. This research handbook provides higher education administrators, student affairs personnel, institutional researchers, and faculty with an integrated volume of theory, method, and application.

The Race To The Top program strongly advocates the use of computer technology in assessments. It dramatically promotes computer-based testing, linear or adaptive, in K-12 state assessment programs. Moreover, assessment requirements driven by this federal initiative exponentially increase the complexity in assessment design and test development. This book provides readers with a review of the history and basics of computer-based tests. It also offers a macro perspective for designing such assessment systems in the K-12 setting as well as a micro perspective on new challenges such as innovative items, scoring of such items, cognitive diagnosis, and vertical scaling for growth modeling and value added approaches to assessment. The editors’ goal is to provide readers with necessary information to create a smarter computer-based testing system by following the advice and experience of experts from education as well as other industries. This book is based on a conference (http://marces.org/workshop.htm) held by the Maryland Assessment Research Center for Education Success. It presents multiple perspectives including test vendors and state departments of education, in designing and implementing a computer-based test in the K-12 setting. The design and implementation of such a system requires deliberate planning and thorough considerations. The advice and experiences presented in this book serve as a guide to practitioners and as a good source of information for quality control. The technical issues discussed in this book are relatively new and unique to K-12 large-scale computer-based testing programs, especially due to the recent federal policy. Several chapters provide possible solutions to psychometricians dealing with the technical challenges related to innovative items, cognitive diagnosis, and growth modeling in computer-based linear or adaptive tests in the K-12 setting.

This book offers a comprehensive introduction to the latest developments in the theory and practice of CAT. It can be used both as a basic reference and a valuable resource on test theory. It covers such topics as item selection and ability estimation, item pool development and maintenance, item calibration and model fit, and testlet-based adaptive testing, as well as the operational aspects of existing large-scale CAT programs.

"The authors are well-known in the Assessment field and this work presents their highly original analysis... [It] promotes a professional learning approach that will undoubtedly help educationalists in schools and across the schools sector in their quest to improve learning." Professor Mary James, University of Cambridge, UK. This book explores the processes involved in developing assessment practice. It argues that the role of teacher assessment needs to be put firmly at the forefront of the educational agenda and that assessment by teachers needs to be developed in a widespread, high quality and sustainable fashion. The authors, all members of the influential Assessment Reform Group, argue that the target-driven approach of external testing leads to problems, including 'teaching to the test' to the detriment of the wider curriculum, and motivational problems. In this book, they tackle the differences between formative and summative assessment and ask the question: "What is quality teacher assessment?" There is coverage of key professional learning dimensions including: The purposes of assessment The need for evidence to support innovation The process and steps to develop new practice Perceptions of what counts as quality assessment in schools The authors draw on these various perspectives to explain how teachers and schools can build on existing practice, and develop new practices, and how the system should react to support them. This book is essential reading for teachers, head teachers, local authority professionals, policy makers and academics.

This book introduces computer-based testing, addressing both nontechnical and technical considerations. The material is oriented toward practitioners and graduate students. The practical emphasis will be useful to measurement professionals who are or will be responsible for implementing a computerized testing program. The instructional information is also designed to be suitable for a one-semester graduate course in computerized testing in an educational measurement or quantitative methods program. While certain theoretical concepts are addressed, the focus of the book is on the applied nature of computerized testing. For this reason, the materials include such features as example applications, figures, and plots to illustrate critical points in the discussions. A wide range ofnontechnical issues need to be considered in implementing a computer-based testing program. Separate chapters are provided on test administration and development issues, examinee issues, software issues, and innovative item types. Test administration and delivery issues include the location of exam administration, selection of hardware and software, security considerations, scheduling of administration frequency and time limits, cost implications, and program support as well as approaches for addressing reliability, validity, comparability, and data analysis. Examinee issues include the influence ofexaminees' reactions to adaptive testing, the effect ofcomputer based task constraints, and the impact of examinees' prior computer experience. Software issues include usability studies and software evaluation as tools in selecting and developing appropriate software, based on the test program needs.