Computerized Standardized Testing For Portland, Oregon Students in the 1980s

In the 1980s, computerized standardized testing was in its early stages. While most tests were still paper-based, technology began to play a role, especially with diagnostic tools and data management. One significant development was the introduction of Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT), which adjusts the difficulty of questions based on student responses. The LSAT was among the first large-scale tests to use computers. Optical mark recognition (OMR) machines were also used to speed up scoring.

Despite these advances, fully computerized standardized testing did not become widespread until later decades. These photos were found by Shane Egan that show the computerized standardized testing for students in Portland, Oregon in the 1980s.