Controlling Item Allocation in the Automated Assembly of Multiple Test Forms. ACT Research Report Series.

Automated test assembly is a technology for producing multiple, equivalent test forms from an item pool. An important consideration for test security in automated test assembly is the inclusion of the same items on these multiple forms. Although it is possible to use item selection as a formal constraint in assembling forms, the number of constraints is often so large to begin with that imposing additional constraints may produce unsatisfactory results. This paper proposes an alternative method for controlling item allocation that is based on randomization. An example from an actual item pool is presented to illustrate the method. Results show that it is possible to control the overall allocation of items across multiple test forms assembled through automated assembly methods using the same procedure that is used to control for item exposure in computerized adaptive testing situations. The iterative procedure was programmed directly into the form-assembly code, so that iterations become part of the assembly process. The goal is to produce the desired item allocation across forms, rather than to obtain exposure-control parameters for each item. (Author/SLD)