9813981 Klein RAND Corporation will spend one year in a feasibility study to identify opportunities and challenges in assessing student achievement through a "National Internet Testing System" (NIT). The study will focus on how this type of system could use computerized adaptive tests (CATs) and computer-delivered performance-based tasks to assess student proficiency in science and mathematics in ways that are valid, reliable, cost-effective, and fair. A "bank" of items will be administered to students in a way that is continuously tailored to that student's achievement level. It is anticipated that the CAT items will be categorized in accordance with local, state, and national standards, and these clarifications can be encoded into the system so that items can be aligned with a site's curriculum. Advantages of CAT testing are they are customized to a student's level, they are quicker to administer, and scores can be reported almost immediately. Potentially, scores could be linked to NAEP and state tests.
