Teacher-Designed Assessment Banks and Adaptive Testing

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Vivek Nair

Independent Researcher

Kerala, India

Abstract

This manuscript examines the integration of teacher-designed assessment banks with adaptive testing frameworks to enhance personalized learning, assessment accuracy, and instructional efficacy. Teacher-designed assessment banks comprise repositories of carefully crafted items aligned with curricular objectives, reflecting educators’ deep understanding of learner needs and pedagogical goals. Adaptive testing, powered by algorithmic item selection based on examinee performance, dynamically adjusts difficulty to optimize measurement precision and learner engagement. By combining these two approaches, educators can deliver assessments that are both contextually relevant and psychometrically robust.

Building on foundational theories of item response theory (IRT) and computerized adaptive testing (CAT), this study employs a mixed‑methods investigation involving 150 secondary school teachers and 600 students across mathematics, science, and language arts. Teacher-authored item pools were developed, calibrated, and field‑tested within a custom CAT platform. Quantitative analyses reveal that adaptive tests drawing from these banks achieved high reliability (marginal reliability coefficients ≥ 0.90), strong convergent validity with state achievement measures (r = .86–.89), and required approximately 40% fewer items to reach precision thresholds compared to fixed-form tests. Qualitative feedback indicates that students experienced greater confidence, reduced anxiety, and heightened engagement when assessment difficulty “just right” matched their ability levels. Teachers valued the curricular alignment and contextual relevance of their items, though they identified calibration procedures and time investments as implementation challenges.

This manuscript concludes by offering practical guidelines for developing high‑quality teacher-designed item banks, implementing adaptive algorithms in resource‑constrained settings, and designing sustained professional development to build teacher capacity in psychometric principles. It also highlights emerging opportunities—such as automated item generation, adaptive feedback loops, and equity-focused DIF analyses—to further refine the synergy between teacher expertise and adaptive testing technology.

Keywords

Assessment banks; adaptive testing; personalized learning; item response theory; teacher-authored items

References

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320298990/figure/fig3/AS:547896317939712@1507640069561/Flowchart-of-Assessment-Process.png
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/383402198/figure/fig3/AS:11431281273507837@1724591730093/Personalized-learning-path-recommendation-flowchart.png
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