Transcript Slide 1

2007 Annual Conference
“Windows and Continuous CBT:
a Brief Overview”
George T Gray, EdD
ACT, Inc
Continuous CBT vs. Testing in Windows
• Primary reason for continuous testing
• Convenience for candidates
• The test can be taken any time
Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation
2007 Annual Conference
Atlanta, Georgia
Reasons for testing in windows instead of continuous
testing
• Inability to calculate passing score until
candidates have tested (new items)
• Testing timed to coincide training program
graduation
• Item exposure - Items seen by same number of
candidates but over shorter interval of time
• Administrative considerations (updating item pools,
registration windows)
• Focus on development of a single annual test form
• Candidate motivation – less procrastination if there
is a time-limited testing event
Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation
2007 Annual Conference
Atlanta, Georgia
Two Exposure Scenarios
• Testing one day every three months, item
seen one day every 18 months, 4000
candidates, 33% exposure
• Testing every day, item seen every day,
1500 candidates over a period of years,
<15% exposure
Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation
2007 Annual Conference
Atlanta, Georgia
Where does the balance lie?
• No shortage of opinion, but probably no
consensus
Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation
2007 Annual Conference
Atlanta, Georgia
Are large item pools necessary for continuous
CBT?
• Psychometric opinion differs, and some
organizations are more concerned about
compromise of their item pool by cheating
than others
Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation
2007 Annual Conference
Atlanta, Georgia
My minimum recommendations for continuous testing
• Multiple test forms for candidates who
retest or pool-based item selection method
•Items must have statistics from previous
use or at least passing score information
associated with them (eg. Angoff ratings)
Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation
2007 Annual Conference
Atlanta, Georgia
What are certification organizations doing?
• An informal survey of certification programs:
• 14 organizations offering continuous testing
• 4 organizations offering windows of a month or
more
• 1 organization offering a one-week window
• 2 organizations offering a one-day window
• 1 organization offering one examination with
continuous testing and others with one day
windows
Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation
2007 Annual Conference
Atlanta, Georgia
continuous or windows testing not necessarily
related to size of program.
• One windows testing program tests tens of
thousands of candidates: 2 months online
and one month offline.
• Some programs that have annual
candidate volumes in the hundreds offer
continuous testing
Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation
2007 Annual Conference
Atlanta, Georgia
Speaker Contact Information
• George T. Gray, EdD
• ACT, Inc.
• [email protected]
Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation
2007 Annual Conference
Atlanta, Georgia