TitleConstraining item exposure in computerized adaptive testing with shadow tests
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2004
Authorsvan der Linden, WJ, Veldkamp, BP
JournalJournal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics
Volume29
Number3
Pagination273-291
Publication Languageeng
ISBN Number1076-9986 (Print)
Accession Number2006-01687-001
Keywordscomputerized adaptive testing, item exposure control, item ineligibility constraints, Probability, shadow tests
Abstract

Item-exposure control in computerized adaptive testing is implemented by imposing item-ineligibility constraints on the assembly process of the shadow tests. The method resembles Sympson and Hetter’s (1985) method of item-exposure control in that the decisions to impose the constraints are probabilistic. The method does not, however, require time-consuming simulation studies to set values for control parameters before the operational use of the test. Instead, it can set the probabilities of item ineligibility adaptively during the test using the actual item-exposure rates. An empirical study using an item pool from the Law School Admission Test showed that application of the method yielded perfect control of the item-exposure rates and had negligible impact on the bias and mean-squared error functions of the ability estimator.