The Technology-Based Assessment (TBA) was a project undertaken by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) for the National Assessment in Educational Progress (NAEP) in 2000–2003. The project was designed to explore the use of technology and large-scale assessment, especially the use of the computer, as a tool to enhance the quality and efficiency of K-12 education assessments.
Among other things, these studies examined how students perform on computer- versus paper-based mathematics and writing assessments, how population groups are affected, and how the operational and logistical mechanics of computer-delivered assessments are affected.
The TBA was the first step in large-scale assessment design and was the precursor to the digitally based assessment that is now administered to students and schools across the nation.