Comira Collaborates With Camber For The National Council On Measurement In Education Annual Meeting

SAN MATEO, Calif. - March 28, 2016 - PRLog -- The National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) Annual Meeting will be held April 7 - 11, 2016 in Washington, D.C. Heather Hayes, Ph.D., Sr. Instructional Evaluator; Measurement and Assessment Specialist of AMTIS, Inc., Stephen Gunter, Ph.D., Psychometrician, Industrial/Organizational Psychologist of Camber, Michael Finger, Ph.D., Director of Psychometric Services, Pamela Ing Stemmer, Ph.D., Psychometrician II of Comira, Anne Thissen-Roe, Ph.D., Senior Psychometrician, and Sarah Morrisey, M.S.., of Camber, have co-authored a paper on Detecting Group Differences in Item Response Processes: An Explanatory Speed-Accuracy Mixture Model. The discussion will look at group differences in cognitive processes using item response and response times.

In some jobs, and on some tests, novices and experts use qualitatively different approaches to solve the same problems. The experts perform better, but the difference is complex. Sometimes, the experts make fewer errors because of their broad knowledge or caution, while other times they simply get to the right solution faster. Three statistical techniques can be combined to understand expert and novice performance on tests: cognitive component models and response time models of test questions, and mixture modeling to allow for distinct groups of people.

To demonstrate these methods, the Camber-Comira team studied Veterans' Benefits Administration claims processors who were taking a test for certification. The workers belonged to one of four types of teams, each of which supported the development of either deep specialist knowledge, shallow generalist knowledge, or expert knowledge (complete mastery). Experts used their mental models approach to answer test questions quickly and accurately, whereas specialists answered or gave up quickly, and generalists took a slow, cautious approach with intermediate accuracy. Features of the test questions, such as ambiguity, also affected workers in the various teams differently.

About Comira
Comira is a full service testing company for licensure, certification, assessment, and educational testing programs. Comira offers end-to-end examination services, including fixed and remote computer-based testing, test development and research, and construction of new test item types for a wide range of professions. The breadth of our experience working with regulatory agencies at the Federal, state, and national levels provides us with a full understanding of the rigorous requirements and challenges found in examination-based licensure and certification. With a dedicated team of professionals, approximately 500 testing centers, and technology to support even the most complex testing programs, Comira is one of the most trusted computer-based testing providers in the industry. Visit www.comiratesting.com

About Camber Corporation
Camber Corporation is a defense contractor headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama. Camber Corporation is a Cyber, Intelligence, and Unmanned Systems, Engineering, and Technology company. Camber has specialties in data collection and analysis, counter-narcotics analysis, geospatial intelligence, and counter-terrorism support and analysis. Camber Corporation has personnel onsite at 100 locations including countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa, delivering daily interface on technical, programmatic, and operations issues. Camber support aligns with the operational interests of every Joint combatant command; more than 150 Army, Air Force, and Navy programs; National Guard headquarters in every state and territory; and more than 25 North Atlantic Treaty Organization or coalition countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Visit www.camber.com

About AMTIS, Inc.
AMTIS, Inc. provides professional and business processing services, leader development and training services leveraging technology-based solutions and a highly talented, knowledgeable, flexible, and credentialed workforce. Visit www.amtisinc.com

More information: http://www.comiratesting.com/about/NCME_Press_Release.pdf