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Simulating the Use of Disclosed Items in Computerized Adaptive Testing
Author(s) -
Stocking Martha L.,
Ward William C.,
Potenza Maria T.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
journal of educational measurement
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.917
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1745-3984
pISSN - 0022-0655
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-3984.1998.tb00527.x
Subject(s) - test (biology) , computerized adaptive testing , computer science , item response theory , reliability engineering , psychology , statistics , psychometrics , mathematics , engineering , paleontology , biology
Regular use of questions previously made available to the public (i.e., disclosed items) may provide one way to meet the requirement for large numbers of questions in a continuous testing environment, that is, an environment in which testing is offered at test taker convenience throughout the year rather than on a few prespecified test dates. First it must be shown that such use has effects on test scores small enough to be acceptable. In this study simulations are used to explore the use of disclosed items under a worst‐case scenario which assumes that disclosed items are always answered correctly. Some item pool and test designs were identified in which the use of disclosed items produces effects on test scores that may be viewed as negligible.