Computer Adaptive Testing

Assessment plays a vital role in education. However, assessment is pointless without some way to gather feedback and modify the assessment. The advent of technology use in assessment has provided educators with new ways to evaluate and analyze the results from those assessments. A promising and widely utilized type of assessment is Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT). CAT is a computer based test that uses the participant’s responses to tailor or adjust the level of the subsequent questions to more accurately assess that individual’s understanding of the material (Rezaie, 2017). As with all forms of assessment, there are advantages and disadvantages to the adaptive testing format. The benefits of CAT testing are shaping the direction that testing has taken for the last forty years. One great advantage of computer testing in general is the standardization of the testing experience for all participants. All of the participants will experience the same testing parameters and can take the test on their own schedule. Additionally, the CAT model allows for immediate and personalized feedback. My school age children have been taking adaptive tests for the last few years. I have watched them take previous test scores and set future goals for improvement in selected areas. They celebrate their improvement over previous tests and actively seek to continue improving. Having immediate scores also allows them to be less anxious about the test taking procedure in general. The speed of feedback has definitely allowed my children to improve their test performance and enjoy the test taking experience as a fun competition with their own previous scores. Another advantage to the CAT format for testing is the increase in productivity. The cost to produce multiple versions of tests for different groups of participants is avoided. Participants receive tests designed by their own responses without any additional work from the administrators. Also, the time to grade and tabulate the results of all the exams is removed as well. Teachers can use their time to complete other important tasks. Although the advantages are considerable for CAT, there are some drawbacks that must be considered. The most obvious problem with computer testing is the inherent need for test takers to be computer proficient. Over the last few decades, some comparisons between paper and pen and computer based assessments have been explored (Rezaie, 2017). While some indicated paper and pen tests led to better results, there are also plenty of studies that show paper and pen results are not significantly different from computer based test results. In the end, the success of the participants depends on the level of comfort and knowledge they possess regarding computer use. Also, students that have issues with technology will have increased anxiety regarding a computer based test. I would fall into this category. If I know I must take a test by computer only, I worry more about the accuracy of my answers and any required computations. However, I still perform well despite the format. Another downside to the CAT format is the necessity of equipping a computer lab or providing laptops for all participants. School districts that lack funds might find this requirement overly burdensome. The final downside to CAT lies in the test formation. Computer adaptive tests can not generally ask open ended questions that require subjective grading. Additionally, a CAT is only as strong as its test item bank. Item discrimination and item difficulty must be thoroughly researched before and after the test is administered. All forms of assessment are only as useful as their questions will allow. Despite the shortcomings, I think that adaptive testing is creating some exciting possibilities in assessment. Computer adaptive testing will continue to be a beneficial tool for educators in the future.

Rezaie, M & Golshan, M. (2017). Ijeionline.com. Retrieved 29 September 2017, from http://ijeionline.com/attachments/article/42/IJEI_Vol.2_No.5_2015-5-11.pdf