CASAS Test Design & Development 2

Question 1

What does the item difficulty index (p-value) represent in CASAS test development?

Accepted Answer

The proportion of test-takers who answered the item correctly

Answer

The p-value (item difficulty) is the proportion of test-takers who answered correctly, where higher values indicate easier items.

Question 2

An item discrimination index of 0.40 or higher generally indicates:

Accepted Answer

A well-functioning item that differentiates ability levels

Answer

An item discrimination index of 0.40 or above is considered acceptable and shows the item distinguishes between higher- and lower-performing test-takers.

Question 3

In classical test theory, a negative item discrimination index indicates:

Accepted Answer

Lower-performing students answered correctly more often than higher-performing students

Answer

A negative discrimination index means lower scorers outperformed higher scorers on that item, signaling a flawed or misleading question.

Question 4

What is the purpose of a distractor analysis in CASAS item development?

Accepted Answer

To evaluate whether incorrect answer options attract test-takers as intended

Answer

Distractor analysis checks that wrong answer choices are plausible enough to attract lower-ability test-takers, confirming each option is functioning correctly.

Question 5

What is the primary purpose of piloting test items before placing them in the operational CASAS test bank?

Accepted Answer

To collect statistical data on item performance with real test-takers

Answer

Piloting exposes items to a representative sample so developers can analyze difficulty, discrimination, and distractor effectiveness before operational use.

CASAS (Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System) Practice Test

CASAS (Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System) Practice Test

CASAS Test Design & Development 2