The Pennsylvania
Classroom Diagnostic Tools (CDT)
is a computer adaptive test (CAT). Similar to
other assessments, students
complete a CAT by
responding to a series of multiple-choice
items. A computer adaptive test (CAT)
is different because
as a student responds to each test question the CAT
determines
the next test question to
ask the student. The CAT uses the student’s
responses to determine which follow-up question would give
the most information about
the student’s performance
on the Pennsylvania Assessment Anchors
and Eligible Content.
This means that each student
can be administered a unique set of questions which allows the test to
give diagnostic information about
each student’s understanding and abilities of the Assessment Anchors
and Eligible Content.