TitleConstructing rotating item pools for constrained adaptive testing
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2004
AuthorsAriel, A, Veldkamp, BP, van der Linden, WJ
JournalJournal of Educational Measurement
Volume41
Number4
Pagination345-359
Publication Languageeng
ISBN Number0022-0655 (Print)
Accession Number2004-21596-004
Keywordscomputerized adaptive tests, constrained adaptive testing, item exposure, rotating item pools
Abstract

Preventing items in adaptive testing from being over- or underexposed is one of the main problems in computerized adaptive testing. Though the problem of overexposed items can be solved using a probabilistic item-exposure control method, such methods are unable to deal with the problem of underexposed items. Using a system of rotating item pools, on the other hand, is a method that potentially solves both problems. In this method, a master pool is divided into (possibly overlapping) smaller item pools, which are required to have similar distributions of content and statistical attributes. These pools are rotated among the testing sites to realize desirable exposure rates for the items. A test assembly model, motivated by Gulliksen's matched random subtests method, was explored to help solve the problem of dividing a master pool into a set of smaller pools. Different methods to solve the model are proposed. An item pool from the Law School Admission Test was used to evaluate the performances of computerized adaptive tests from systems of rotating item pools constructed using these methods. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved)