Computer Adaptive Testing in Second Language Contexts

The widespread accessibility to large, networked computer labs at educational sites and commercial testing centers, coupled with fast-paced advances in both computer technology and measurement theory, along with the availability of off-the-shelf software for test delivery, all help to make the computerized assessment of individuals more efficient and accurate than assessment using traditional paper-and-pencil (P&P) tests. Computer adaptive testing (CAT) is a form of computerized assessment that has achieved a strong foothold in licensure and certification testing and is finding greater application in many other areas as well, including education. A CAT differs from a straightforward, linear test in that an item(s) is selected for each test taker based on his/her performance on previous items. As such, assessment is tailored online to accommodate the test taker's estimated ability and confront the examinee with items that best measure that ability.