Methods for improving certainty of test-taker performance determinations for assesments with open-ended items

A method of allocating resources to score a test-taker's response to an open-ended item of an assessment including a plurality of open-ended items and multiple choice items comprising:

• a. scoring the test-taker's responses to the multiple choice items;
• b. scoring the test-taker's responses to the open-ended items a first time;
• c. estimating a performance level of the test-taker based on the test-taker's score on the multiple choice items and the test-taker's first time score on the open-ended items;
• and
• d. allocating scoring resources to only those of the test-taker's responses to open-ended items which, if first time score thereof were adjusted, could change the test-taker's estimated performance level.

A method of allocating resources to score a test-taker's response to an open-ended item of an assessment including a plurality of open-ended items and multiple choice items comprising:

• a. scoring the test-taker's responses to the multiple choice items;
• b. estimating the performance level of the test-taker based on the test-taker's score on the multiple choice items;
• and
• c. allocating scoring resources to the test-taker's responses to open-ended items only if the scores achieved on the open-ended items could change the test-taker's estimated performance level.