ABSTRACT
Assessment Engineering (AE) is a comprehensive framework for managing test design, development, analysis, and reporting (see also Luecht, Chapter 5, this volume). AE can be used to develop formative and summative tests in an efficient manner that allow for detailed inferences to be made about multiple aspects of examinees’ knowledge and skills. A systematic approach to developing test items is the centerpiece of AE, where each test item is developed to probe examinees’ mastery on a specific set of skills and knowledge, and examinee response can then be used to guide instruction and student learning. This chapter demonstrates an item-generation process under the AE framework. Our demonstration is organized into four sections. First, we describe the similarities and differences between the traditional and AE process of item development. Second, we demonstrate how an item template, an intermediate representation of a test item, can be created from the process of AE. Third, we demonstrate how test items can be generated from item templates. Fourth, we discuss the implications of item development under the AE framework. By applying the AE framework to item generation, we hope to improve the current process of test development and ensure that test items are created in an efficient manner to promote reliable and valid inferences about examinees’ knowledge and skills.
