APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SCORING NONOBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT MATERIALS THROUGH THE APPLICATION AND USE OF CAPTURED IMAGES

An apparatus and method are provided for scoring nonobjective assessment materials recorded on paper, such as essays, by displaying digitized images of the assessment materials on computer screens for scoring by human scorers. A digitized image of the assessment material is captured by scanning an assessment form and storing the image in an electronic file. The stored digitized image is displayed to the scorer and a score entered by the scorer is returned to a scoring center where reports are generated. Embodiments of the invention include capturing the image in association with Optical Mark Reading (OMR), capturing identifying information through OMR, training and testing the scorer by displaying images of anchor items and validity items for scoring. A series of computer data files ensure control of the scoring process.