Ask any test developer about their greatest challenges and there are two words you\u2019ll likely hear\u2014form assembly. Indeed, for any testing program that does not involve adaptive or \u201con the fly\u201d administration, drafting a test form from among a pool of eligible items is a critical step.<\/h3>\n
What makes the process so challenging is the need to balance multiple goals, including:<\/p>\n
\n- Meeting\u00a0the testing\u00a0program\u2019s content blueprint requirements, such as assigning three items from content area A.<\/li>\n
- Meeting\u00a0the testing program\u2019s statistical requirements; for example, the targeted level of item difficulty, test characteristic curve, or test\u00a0information at\u00a0a\u00a0pass\u2013fail cut\u00a0point.<\/li>\n
- Meeting\u00a0the testing program\u2019s long-term form plan, such as\u00a0a rule specifying that 20 percent of the assigned items must have appeared\u00a0on\u00a0a\u00a0previous form.<\/li>\n
- Achieving a\u00a0similar\u00a0level of\u00a0difficulty and\/or\u00a0precision to previous exams\u00a0or other exams\u00a0in the current\u00a0testing\u00a0cycle.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
In a nutshell, the task is cognitively\u00a0demanding\u00a0and\u00a0fraught with\u00a0potential human error.\u00a0To further complicate the task, many of the goals of the testing program may be directly\u00a0(or indirectly)\u00a0at odds with one another. For example,\u00a0a client may want to include older \u201clegacy\u201d items\u00a0with poorer statistical qualities while still maintaining high\u00a0levels of measurement precision for their exams.<\/p>\n
Patterns like these may not be immediately\u00a0apparent\u00a0but can become\u00a0noticeable\u00a0barriers\u00a0over time,\u00a0leading\u00a0to excessive effort, rework,\u00a0or even failure to satisfy\u00a0all\u00a0requirements\u00a0simultaneously.\u00a0Meeting the requirements becomes even more complex when they\u00a0must\u00a0be applied across more than one form\u00a0concurrently, as many testing programs build multiple forms at the same time.<\/p>\n<\/div>
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