An Automated Item Pool Assembly Framework for Maximizing Item Utilization for CAT

Computerized adaptive testing (CAT) has gained deserved popularity in the administration of educational and professional assessments, but continues to face test security challenges. To ensure sustained quality assurance and testing integrity, it is imperative to establish and maintain multiple stable item pools that are consistent in terms of psychometric characteristics and content specifications. This study introduces the Honeycomb Pool Assembly (HPA) framework, an innovative solution for the construction of multiple parallel item pools for CAT that maximizes item utilization in the item bank. The HPA framework comprises two stages—cell assembly and pool assembly—and uses a mixed integer programming modeling approach. An empirical study demonstrated HPA's effectiveness in creating a large number of parallel pools using a real-world high-stakes CAT assessment item bank. The HPA framework offers several advantages, including (a) simultaneous creation of multiple parallel pools, (b) simplification of item pool maintenance, and (c) flexibility in establishing statistical and operational constraints. Moreover, it can help testing organizations efficiently manage and monitor the health of their item banks. Thus, the HPA framework is expected to be a valuable tool for testing professionals and organizations to address test security challenges and maintain the integrity of high-stakes CAT assessments.