Open AccessAN ELECTRONIC INFRASTRUCTURE FOR A FUTURE GENERATION OF TESTS
Author(s) -
Bennett Randy Elliot
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
ets research report series
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.235
H-Index - 5
ISSN - 2330-8516
DOI - 10.1002/j.2333-8504.1994.tb01635.x
Subject(s) - certification , licensure , computerized adaptive testing , sample (material) , test (biology) , computer science , scale (ratio) , psychology , applied psychology , medical education , psychometrics , medicine , clinical psychology , chemistry , paleontology , physics , chromatography , quantum mechanics , political science , law , biology
ETS is moving rapidly to computerize its tests for admissions to post‐secondary education and occupational licensure/certification. Computerized tests offer important advantages, including immediate score reporting, the convenience of testing when the examinee wishes, and for adaptive tests, equal accuracy throughout the score scale and a shorter test with no loss in measurement precision. There is much more that technology can achieve, however. This paper describes an electronic infrastructure for integrating the best of traditional testing approaches with new technology. This multi‐organizational infrastructure has the potential to help assessment contribute more positively to learning and decision making. It can do this by making it easier to deliver tests that employ performance tasks, include important skills not well‐measured by current examinations, sample behavior frequently over a student's school career, and give instructionally useful feedback to individuals.