Computer-Adaptive Assessment in Northern Irish Schools
The Psychometrics Centre and the Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations & Assessment (CCEA) have been working together since late 2017 in developing and delivering online computer-adaptive assessments for schoolsacross Northern Ireland, using the Concerto platform. Our assessments have been completed by around 20,000 pupils per year. Work has thus far focussed on the domains of numeracy, literacy and digital skills, with the Centre providing support in:
- Large-scale item bank design, encompassing quality control and security protocols
- Psychometric analyses and reports to calibrate items and inform future item bank and curriculum design
- Online computer-adaptive test implementation in the Concerto platform and delivery at scale to thousands of students
- Mobile-responsive and visually engaging interface design using miultimedia and technology-enhanced items (e.g. online calculator)
- Automatic IRT-based scoring of students' abilities and detailed reporting on skills development and learning objectives.
- Improvement in the reporting of outcomes to teachers and stakeholders at various levels of the education system
- Effective and automated integration with school networks and IT facilities, including single sign-on for teachers and students
- Making available Irish Gaelic versions of the CATs to schools that may be completing assessments online for the first time
The tests developed have already had a significant impact and have received postiive feedback through successive years from students and teachers in the region.
