Change in Engagement During Test Events: An Argument for Weighted Scoring?

Abstract

Recent research has provided evidence that performance change during a student’s test event can indicate the presence of test-taking disengagement. Meaningful performance change implies that some portions of the test event reflect assumed maximum performance better than others and, because disengagement tends to diminish performance, lower-performing portions are less likely to reflect maximum performance than higher-performing portions. This empirical study explored the use of differential weighting of item responses during scoring, with weighting schemes representing either declining or increasing performance. Results indicated that weighted scoring could substantially decrease the score distortion due to disengagement factors and thereby improve test score validity. The study findings support the use of scoring procedures that manage disengagement by adapting to student test-taking behavior.