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Automatic Scoring of Paper-and-Pencil Figural Responses CAT

Author(s):
Martinez, Michael E.; Ferris, John J.; Kraft, William D.; Manning, Winton H.
Publication Year:
1990
Report Number:
RR-90-23
Source:
ETS Research Report
Document Type:
Report
Page Count:
24
Subject/Key Words:
Computer Assisted Testing, Figural Response Items, Figural Responses, Optical Scanning, Scoring

Abstract

Large-scale testing is dominated by the multiple-choice question format. Widespread use of the format is due, in part, to the ease with which multiple-choice items can be scored automatically. This paper examines automatic scoring procedures for an alternative item type: figural response. Figural response items call for the completion or modification of figural material, including illustrations, diagrams, and graphs. Twenty-five science items were written in cooperation with the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and printed with an ink that was invisible to scanning equipment. The items were answered with pencils, response sheets were scanned, and the resulting data were processed by computer-based scoring algorithms. The paper describes the technology that leads to successful pilot scoring of seven items for ten subjects. Implications of this technology for the future of large-scale testing are discussed. (24pp.)

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