Computer-Adaptive Testing

The Board of Registry of the American Society of Clinical Pathologists has been researching the psychometric properties of computer-adaptive testing (CAT) for the past 3 years, and has demonstrated that CAT is a makes reliable pass/fail certification decisions. Item selection is tailored to examinee ability and is made from Rasch-calibrated item pools distributed across difficulty and content areas. A pass/fail point has been established on the item pool scale. For a clear pass or fail, the stopping rule requires that the current estimated examinee ability measure be 1.5 S.E.s above or below the pass/fail point. This ensures that the pass/fail decision is made with over 90% confidence. Tailoring the test to the examinee's ability and using this stopping rule allows the administration of fewer items, while increasing the percent of examinees who clearly pass or fail, compared to a conventional paper-and-pencil test.

This summer the Board will conduct CAT examinations at a "model" site. After their CAT examination, examinees will also be asked to complete a satisfaction survey. Those who meet all requirements will be awarded certification. If CAT continues to be reliable psychometrically and also proves acceptable to the examinees, the next step will be to develop strategies for national implementation.

Computer-Adaptive Testing, M Lunz … Rasch Measurement Transactions, 1991, 5:1 p. 137

Rasch Publications
Rasch Measurement Transactions (free, online)	Rasch Measurement research papers (free, online)	Probabilistic Models for Some Intelligence and Attainment Tests, Georg Rasch	Applying the Rasch Model 3rd. Ed., Bond & Fox	Best Test Design, Wright & Stone
Rating Scale Analysis, Wright & Masters	Introduction to Rasch Measurement, E. Smith & R. Smith	Introduction to Many-Facet Rasch Measurement, Thomas Eckes	Invariant Measurement: Using Rasch Models in the Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences, George Engelhard, Jr.	Statistical Analyses for Language Testers, Rita Green
Rasch Models: Foundations, Recent Developments, and Applications, Fischer & Molenaar	Journal of Applied Measurement	Rasch models for measurement, David Andrich	Constructing Measures, Mark Wilson	Rasch Analysis in the Human Sciences, Boone, Stave, Yale
in Spanish:	Análisis de Rasch para todos, Agustín Tristán		Mediciones, Posicionamientos y Diagnósticos Competitivos, Juan Ramón Oreja Rodríguez

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