Mitigating Preknowledge Bias in Ability Estimates in Multistage Testing

• In Event: Multistage Testing

Abstract

We investigated a mitigation strategy in a multistage test (MST) to reduce score bias when item preknowledge occurs, which downweights observations on potentially compromised items during interim ability estimation to route examinees to modules of appropriate difficulty in successive stages. Results showed that preknowledge-weighting produced lower bias in ability estimates.

Authors

• Merve Sarac, COLLEGE BOARD

• James Wollack, UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN