ATP Item Development & Banking 2

Question 1

What is differential item functioning (DIF) analysis primarily used to detect?

Accepted Answer

Items that perform differently for subgroups with equal ability levels

Answer

DIF analysis identifies items where examinees of equal ability but different demographic subgroups (e.g., gender, ethnicity) have systematically different probabilities of answering correctly, flagging potential bias.

Question 2

In item response theory (IRT), what does the 'b' parameter represent?

Accepted Answer

Item difficulty or location on the ability scale

Answer

In IRT, the b parameter (difficulty or location parameter) indicates the point on the ability scale where an examinee has a 50% probability of answering the item correctly.

Question 3

Which item bank management practice helps maintain test security when many test forms are needed over time?

Accepted Answer

Tracking item exposure rates and retiring overexposed items

Answer

Monitoring and controlling item exposure rates prevents frequently seen items from becoming known to future examinees, protecting the integrity and validity of the test.

Question 4

What is the purpose of anchor items (common items) when equating scores across test forms?

Accepted Answer

To provide a set of identical items across forms that link the forms to a common scale

Answer

Anchor items appear on multiple test forms and allow scores to be placed on a common scale, compensating for differences in form difficulty during equating.

Question 5

Which index is commonly used in classical test theory to assess how well an item separates higher-ability examinees from lower-ability examinees?

Accepted Answer

Point-biserial correlation (item-total correlation)

Answer

The point-biserial correlation measures the relationship between performance on a single item and total test score, indicating how well the item discriminates between high and low performers.

ATP - Association of Test Publishers Practice Test

ATP - Association of Test Publishers Practice Test

ATP Item Development & Banking 2