Assessing Computer-Based Assessments

Abstract

Quality assurance systems for psychological and educational tests have been available for a long time. The original focus of most of these systems, be it standards, guidelines, or formal reviewing systems, was on psychological testing. As a result, these systems are not optimally suited to evaluate the quality of educational tests, especially exams. In this chapter, a formal generic reviewing system is presented that is specifically tailored to this purpose: the RCEC review system. After an introduction with an overview of some important standards, guidelines, and review systems, and their common backgrounds, the RCEC review system for the evaluation of educational tests and exams is described. The underlying principles and background of this review system are explained, as well as the reviewing procedure with its six criteria. Next, the system is applied to review the quality of a computer-based adaptive test: Cito’s Math Entrance Test for Teachers Colleges. This is done to illustrate how the system operates in practice. The chapter ends with a discussion of the benefits and drawbacks of the RCEC review system.