COURSE CODE: EFN 5306

COURSE TITLE: CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT

PREPARED BY

DR. LEYLAND F. THOMPSON

ROOM No: F26

_____________________________________________________
Lesson 8: Item Analysis
Determining Item Effectiveness

The effectiveness of each test item can be determined by analyzing the students’ responses to
it. This item analysis is usually designed to answer questions such as the following:

(i) Did the item function as intended?

(ii) Did the norm-referenced test items adequately discriminate between high and low
achievers?

(iii) Did criterion-referenced test items adequately measure the effects of the instruction?

(iv) Were the test items of appropriate difficulty?

(v) Were the test items free of irrelevant clues and other defects?

(vi) Were each of the distracters effective (in multiple choice items)?

Other important benefits of item analysis to classroom teachers are:

(i) Item analysis data provide a basis for efficient class discussion of the test results.

(ii) Item analysis data provide a basis for remedial work.

(iii) Item analysis data provide a basis for general improvement of classroom instruction.

(iv) Item analysis procedures provide a basis for increased skill in test construction.

Item Analysis Procedures for Norm-Referenced Tests

Terminology

Item Difficulty – percent of test takers who answered item correctly. Too easy or too difficult
items provide no useful information to the teacher.

Item Discrimination – difference between the number of students in the upper (test takers with
the highest scores) and lower groups (those with the lowest scores) who got the item correct.

1
 Item Analysis Procedures for Norm-Referenced Tests

Method of Item Analysis:

For large classes, say over 40 students identify 25% of test takers with the lowest total test score
and 25% with the highest score. For small classes under 40 students identify 10 of test takers
with the lowest total test score and 10 with the highest total score, for example:

In a class of 32, rank the 32 test papers in order from the highest to the lowest score.

Select the 10 papers with the highest total scores and the 10 papers with the lowest total
scores.

Put aside the middle 12 papers as they will not be used in the analysis.

For each test item, tabulate the number of students in the upper and lower groups who selected
each alternative.

Calculate the difficulty of each item (percentage of students who got the item correct).

Compute the discriminating power of each item (difference between the number of students in
the upper and lower groups who got the item correct).

Item Analysis Procedures for Norm-Referenced Tests

Computing Item Difficulty

The difficulty of a test item is indicated by the percentage of students who got the item right.

Item Difficulty = x 100

Where R = the number of students who got the

item right and T = the total number of students
who tried the item.

[Example: If 10 students in the upper group and 4 in the lower group selected the correct alternative,
indicating that the item has a fairly low level of difficulty. Because more students in the upper group
than in the lower group got the item right, it is discriminating positively].

Computing Item Difficulty

Applying the formula to the item analysis data, our index of item difficulty (P) is 70 percent, as
follows:

P= x 100

P = 70%

2
Computing Item Discriminating Power

An item discriminates in a positive direction if more students in the upper group than the lower
group get the item right. Positive discrimination indicates that the item is discriminating in the
same direction as the total test score.

The discriminating power of an achievement test item refers to the degree to which it
discriminates between students with high and low achievement.

Item discriminating power can be obtained by subtracting the number of students in the lower
group who got the item right (RL) from the number of students in the upper group who get the
item right (RU) and dividing by one half of the total number of students included in the item
analysis (½T)

Item Discriminating Power = RU -RL

½T
Applying the Formula to the item analysis data, we obtain an index of discriminating power (D)
of .60, as follows:

D = 10 – 4 = .60
10

This indicates approximately average discriminating power. An item with maximum positive
discriminating power is one in which all students in the upper group get an item right and all
students in the lower group get the item wrong. The results in a index of 1.00 as follows:

D = 10 – 0 = 1.00

10

An item with no discriminating power is one in which an equal number of students in both the
upper and lower groups get the item right. This results in an index of .00, as follows:

D = 10 – 10 = .00

10

*Estimates of time needed to complete various types of items (secondary school students)

True-False questions 15-30 seconds per question

Multiple choice (recall questions that are brief) 30-60 seconds

More complex multiple choice questions 60-90 seconds

Multiple choice problems with calculations 2-5 minutes

3
 Short answer (one word) 30-60 seconds

Short answer (longer than one word) 1-4 minutes

*Estimates of time needed to complete various types of items Cont’d

Matching (5 premises, 6 responses) 2-4 minutes

Short essays 15-20 minutes

Data analyses/graphing 15-25 minutes

Drawing models/labeling 20-30 minutes

Extended essays 35-50 minutes

*[Source: Nitko, A. J. (2001). Educational assessment of students. (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Prentice-Hall, Inc.]

END OF UNIT 8: LESSON 8