HEAP's Collaborative Item Development Tool
Purpose:
This tool provides secure online collaborative assessment item development in order to continually expand the HEAP’s assessment item bank. Development of new assessment items, especially including those which require increasing cognitive demand, is an ongoing, yet traditionally costly need. Using collaborative technology and the vast scope and talent of HEAP members, this process becomes efficient and less costly to continually develop new items.
About the Tool:
The Collaborative Item Development Tool allows working teams across the country to submit, edit, and/or review items. The secure system includes custom multi-author work flow and signoff processes and allows accepted items to be moved through the system. Item writers can use samples of the cognitive complexity progressions to help develop items requiring higher cognitive demand. Below is a sample item undergoing review. The original item was a multiple choice question. It has been changed into a constructed response.
The following screen shot highlights the tool in use. Note the Edit icons (they enable item editors to edit each section), the comment section and the custom workflow progress window at lower left.
Sample Item During Development 
The following screen shot highlights the edit history. The edit history allows an editor to scroll through all changes and see the edit progression - including who and when each change was made. Options to revert to earlier versions are available.
Deleted text is shown at left, new text is shown at right. Also note that the original item was a selected response and was changed into a constructed response item. Edit History from Above Item
Please contact Nancy Hudson, HEAP Coordinator, CCSSO, for more
information!
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