ABSTRACT
As demonstrated by the authors of other chapters in this volume, automated scoring of extended responses to test items or prompts is a fait accompli. Many changes and circumstances of the present age have facilitated this capability. Among these are the persistence of testing for licensure, certification, and selection in business and the professions; a proliferation of testing for measuring pupil proficiency in American schools; a renewed emphasis on constructed-response test formats; advances in computing power and software sophistication; and the permeation of technology into nearly all aspects of modern life. It is worth noting the rapid pace and short time span in which these changes have taken place.
