This research illustrates the construction of a computer-based multilevel adaptive test (MST) to estimate mathematics skills of students in Grade 10. The research shows that the test overcomes some of the limitations of linear and classical adaptive tests. It proves to be more informative than a linear test built on the same item bank. Consequently, it allows us to estimate with greater reliability the ability of students within a wide interval of the continuum, improving evaluation for all students and especially for those at the extremes of the continuum. The test succeeds either in providing low ability students with an appropriate number of items that they are actually able to answer or high ability students with items that are still challenging. In the construction phase of the test, it was possible to respect constraints of construct coverage that ensured the test was balanced with respect to it.

The analysis of the results obtained from the field MST administration also provided useful insights for further research.

Emanuela Botta is a school principal now working as an adjunct professor of Experimental Pedagogy at Sapienza University of Rome. She holds a PhD in Social and Developmental Psychology and Educational Research that allowed her to develop the first adaptive test model in Italy and the first of its kind (MST) in Europe.

She graduated with honors in Mathematics and recently, she has done research in collaboration with INVALSI.

She is currently continuing her studies and research in the field of experimental Pedagogy, in particular in the field of evaluation, assessment, role and profile of school leadership and school inclusion.

She has published about 20 works, including a monography, on a variety of topics such as evaluation, system and educational, teaching mathematics and inclusion.