Automated Test Assembly with Mixed‐Integer Programming: The Effects of Modeling Approaches and Solvers

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 547-565
Author(s):  
Xiao Luo
Keyword(s):  
Integer Programming ◽  
Mixed Integer Programming ◽  
Mixed Integer ◽  
Automated Test Assembly ◽  
Modeling Approaches ◽  
Test Assembly ◽  
Automated Test

JPLEX: Java Simplex Implementation With Branch-and-Bound Search for Automated Test Assembly

2011 ◽  
Vol 35 (8) ◽  
pp. 643-644 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryoungsun Park ◽  
Jiseon Kim ◽  
Barbara G. Dodd ◽  
Hyewon Chung
Keyword(s):  
Linear Programming ◽  
Branch And Bound ◽  
Simplex Algorithm ◽  
Configuration File ◽  
Mixed Integer ◽  
Modeling Languages ◽  
Automated Test Assembly ◽  
Test Assembly ◽  
Automated Test ◽  
Research Students

JPLEX, short for Java simPLEX, is an automated test assembly (ATA) program. It is a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) solver written in Java. It reads in a configuration file, solves the minimization problem, and produces an output file for postprocessing. It implements the simplex algorithm to create a fully relaxed solution and branch-and-bound (BB) method to find an integer solution (Bazaraa, Jarvis, & Sherali, 1990). The input configuration file format for linear programming (LP) modeling (van der Linden, 2005) is tailored for ATA and easy to build without the help of other modeling languages. It was originally designed for midsized test assembly applications, but there is no restriction on the number of decision variables. This solver might be useful for research students who need to assemble a test from an item pool and for those who want to learn or teach LP concepts.

scholarly journals Automated Test Assembly in R: The eatATA Package

Psych ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 96-112
Author(s):  
Benjamin Becker ◽  
Dries Debeer ◽  
Karoline A. Sachse ◽  
Sebastian Weirich
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
R Package ◽  
Use Cases ◽  
Mixed Integer ◽  
Multiple Test ◽  
Large Scale Assessment ◽  
Automated Test Assembly ◽  
Test Assembly ◽  
Multi Stage ◽  
Automated Test

Combining items from an item pool into test forms (test assembly) is a frequent task in psychological and educational testing. Although efficient methods for automated test assembly exist, these are often unknown or unavailable to practitioners. In this paper we present the R package eatATA, which allows using several mixed-integer programming solvers for automated test assembly in R. We describe the general functionality and the common work flow of eatATA using a minimal example. We also provide four more elaborate use cases of automated test assembly: (a) The assembly of multiple test forms for a pilot study; (b) the assembly of blocks of items for a multiple matrix booklet design in the context of a large-scale assessment; (c) the assembly of two linear test forms for individual diagnostic purposes; (d) the assembly of multi-stage testing modules for individual diagnostic purposes. All use cases are accompanied with example item pools and commented R code.

Optimal Test Assembly in Practice

2013 ◽  
Vol 221 (3) ◽  
pp. 190-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jörg-Tobias Kuhn ◽  
Thomas Kiefer
Keyword(s):  
Particle Physics ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Linear Optimization ◽  
Mixed Integer ◽  
Optimal Test ◽  
Automated Test Assembly ◽  
Test Assembly ◽  
Block Level ◽  
Mixed Integer Linear Optimization

Several techniques have been developed in recent years to generate optimal large-scale assessments (LSAs) of student achievement. These techniques often represent a blend of procedures from such diverse fields as experimental design, combinatorial optimization, particle physics, or neural networks. However, despite the theoretical advances in the field, there still exists a surprising scarcity of well-documented test designs in which all factors that have guided design decisions are explicitly and clearly communicated. This paper therefore has two goals. First, a brief summary of relevant key terms, as well as experimental designs and automated test assembly routines in LSA, is given. Second, conceptual and methodological steps in designing the assessment of the Austrian educational standards in mathematics are described in detail. The test design was generated using a two-step procedure, starting at the item block level and continuing at the item level. Initially, a partially balanced incomplete item block design was generated using simulated annealing, whereas in a second step, items were assigned to the item blocks using mixed-integer linear optimization in combination with a shadow-test approach.

Non-blocking Supervisory Design Using Mixed Integer Programming

2009 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 180-185
Author(s):  
Mi ZHAO ◽  
Zhi-Wu LI ◽  
Na WEI
Keyword(s):  
Integer Programming ◽  
Mixed Integer Programming ◽  
Mixed Integer
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