The changing conception of measurement in education and psychology

Abstract

Since the era of Binet and Spearman, classical test theory and the ideal of the standard test have gone hand in hand, in part because both are based on the same paradigm of experimental control by manipulation and randomization. Their longevity is a consequence of this mutually beneficial symbiosis. A new type of theory and practice in testing is replacing the standard test by the test item bank, and classical test theory by item response theory. In this paper it is shown how these also reinforce and complete each other.