The collaborative item development application 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. Development of new assessment items, especially including those which require increasing cognitive demand, is an ongoing, yet traditionally costly need. Using collaborative technology, this process becomes more efficient and less costly to continually develop new items.

MetaCat offers data export at any time in common web formats (XML, CSV, and custom) and makes MetaCat a great choice for item development no matter where the final items might reside. MetaCat also offers easy, streamlined online testing capabilities that include the ability to embed new items with online tests for field-testing—just with a click of a checkbox! Classical statistics are calculated in real-time. Test results can easily be exported for further analysis in statistical programs. Statistics calculated from other programs can be uploaded and stored with the item for future use.

The following screen shot highlights the tool in use. Note the Edit icons (they enable item editors to edit each section as well as upload media such as images, video or audio), 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 from the prior version is shown at left and new text that was added 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