Assessment Chapter 7 – Improving of Classroom-Based Assessment

Test
in
Lesson 17: Item Analysis
Learning 1
At the end of this lesson, students should be able to:
• recognize procedure in conducting an item analysis of a test result;
• compute and interpret index of difficulty and discrimination; and
Objectives • give decision to each test item.

The teacher normally prepares a draft of the test. Such a draft is subjected
to item analysis in order to ensure that the final version of the test would be
useful and functional. First, the teacher tries out the draft test to a group of
Introduction students of similar characteristics as the intended test takers (try-out phase).
From the try-out group, each item will be analysed in terms of its ability to
discriminate between those who know and those who do not know and also its
level of difficulty (item analysis phase). The item analysis will provide
information that will allow the teacher to decide whether to revise or replace
an item (item revision phase).

Item analysis
Item analysis is applicable to test formats that require students to
Discussion choose the correct or best answer from the given choices. Therefore, the
multiple choice test is most amenable to item analysis. Examinations that
greatly influence the students’ course grades, like midterms and final
examinations, or serve other important decision-making functions should be
free from deceptive, ambiguous items as much as possible. Unfortunately, it is
often difficult to recognize problems before the test has been administered.
Item analysis procedures allow teachers to discover items that are
ambiguous, irrelevant, too easy or too difficult, and non-discriminating. The
same procedures can also enhance the technical quality of an examination by
pointing out options that are non-functional and should be improved or
eliminated. Another purpose of item analysis is to facilitate classroom
instruction. In diagnostic testing, for example, item analysis identifies the areas
of a student’s weaknesses, providing information for specific remediation.

Procedures in Item analysis

Test items must be evaluated thoroughly to determine its merits before
it can be classified as good.
In computerized procedures, values come out in a matter of seconds but
take a longer time to compute when done manually. Nonetheless, in the event
that computers are not available, hence are the guidelines in doing item analysis
manually:
1. Check and score the answer sheets
2. Arrange the papers from highest to lowest

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 3. Remove 27% highest and 27% lowest of the papers, leaving the
remaining 46% intact (Sax, 1989). Select the top third and bottom third
for comparison (Bergman, n.d.). Divide the papers into two groups
using the median as reference. In case of a tie between the papers in the
median, assign each paper into lower and higher groups by chance
(Downie, 1984).
4. Count the number of students in the upper 27% who responded to each
option. Enter the data in the third column. Do the same for the lower
27%.
5. Subtract the number of students in the lower group who selected the
correct alternatives (marked with asterisk) from the number of students
who responded correctly in the upper 27%. Place the value in the fifth
column.
6. Divide the difference found in the fifth column by the number of the
students in the upper 27% or lower 27%. The value obtained is the
index of discrimination and is entered in the sixth column.
7. Count the number of the students in the middle 46% who made the
correct responses and place the value in the seventh column.
8. Add the number of individuals who responded correctly to the item
(upper 27%, lower 27%, and middle 46%) and enter the data in the
eight column.
9. Divide the value in column 8 by N, the total number of examinees, and
enter the value in the last column. This is the proportion of students
who responded correctly. The quotient is the index of discrimination.

Below is an example of an item analysis for item number one with five
options. Letter b was the correct answer, and 75 students took the
examination.

Item Options Upper Lower Difference D Middle R P

27% 27% Value 46% Value
1 A 2 3 3
B* 13 7 25 45
C 3 9 2
D 1 0 4
E 1 1 1

TABLE FOR INTERPRETING INDEX OF DISCRIMINATION

(D TABULAR VALUES)
D value range Interpretation
-1.00 – -0.60 Questionable Item

-0.59 - -0.20 Not Discriminating

-0.21 – 0.20 Moderately discriminating

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 0.20 – 0.59 Discriminating

0.60 – 1.00 Very Discriminating

TABLE FOR INTERPRETING INDEX OF DIFFICULTY

(P TABULAR VALUES)
P value range Interpretation
0.00 – 0.20 Very Difficult Item
0.21 – 0.40 Difficult Item
0.41 – 0.60 Moderately Difficult Item
0.61 – 0.80 Easy Item
0.81 and above Very Easy item

Computation of the D Value (Index of Discrimination)

1. Determine the difference between the number of students who got the
correct answer from the upper 27% and the number of the students
who got the correct answer from the lower 27%.
2. Divide the difference from the 27% of the total number of examinees
𝐷𝑖𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒
𝐷 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒 = where N is the total number of examinees
27% 𝑜𝑓 𝑁
13−7
= 20
6
= 20
= 0.3
The computed D value is 0.3, which is interpreted as a
discriminating item.
Computation of the P Value (Index of Difficulty)
1. Determine the total number of students who got the correct answer on
the item from the UPPER and LOWER 27% and from the MIDDLE
46%.
2. Divide the sum of the total number of students who got the correct
answer from the total number of students who took the examination
𝑅
𝐷 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒 = 𝑁 where R is the total number of students who got
the right answer.
13−7
= where N is the total number of students who
20
took the examination
6
= 20
= 0.3
The computed P value is 0.6, which is interpreted as an
average item.

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Items are Retained if:
• Difficulty Index : within .26 - .75
• Discrimination Index: .20 and above

Items need to be Revised if:

• Difficulty Index : within .26 - .75
• Discrimination Index: .19 and below
Or
• Difficulty Index : NOT within .26 - .75
• Discrimination Index: .20 and above

Items need to be Discarded/Rejected if:

• Difficulty Index : NOT within .26 - .75
• Discrimination Index: .19 and below

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 Exercise 1: Item Analysis
Directions: Conduct an item analysis using the data below.

Exercise/s ITEMS
Students
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35
Student1 A B C A A D C A B A D C A B D A A C D A B A B C A D B A C C A B A D D
Student2 D A C C A D C C B A D C A C C A D C A D B A B C D C C A C C A B A C D
Student3 C C C C A D A A B C D C A B D D A D D A C A B C A D B A C A A C D D C
Student4 B D C C A D C D C D A D D C C D D D A D C A C C D C C D C A A B C C C
Student5 B D A B A C A A C C D D D B A C C B D C C D C D A D D D B D A C B B B
Student6 C D A B C C C D D B A B C C D C D C C D D A C D D C C C C A C B C C B
Student7 D C D B C C B A D C D B C D A B C B D C D D D D C D D A B D C C B B C
Student8 A C C D C C C D A B C A B C D B D C C D D A D A D A C D C A C B C C C
Student9 A A B D D A B B A C C A B D C C B B D B B D D A C D A A B B D D B B A
Student
A A B D D A C B D A C D A C B B C A B C B A A A D A A D B C D D D C A
10
Student
C B B D D A B B A A B D A A C C B D C B B C A D C D D A B B D A C A A
11
Student1
D B B A B B A B D A B C D A B B C A B C C A D A B A A C D C B A D A A
2
Student1
B B A A B C D C A D B C C A B D B D C B C C A D C D D A D D B A C A D
3
Student1
B D A A B B A B C D A A D B B A C A A C A A D A B A A B D D B D D A D
4
Student1
D C C A A C C C A D B A C B B D B C B D A D A D B D C C D D B A B D C
5
Student1
A A C A A B A B C C A A D B A A B D A C D B D A C B B B A A B D D D D
6
Student1
A A D A D C D C B C B A C A A D A B C D D C A C C C C C A D C C B C C
7
Student1
B B D A D B A D C C C A B A A A A C D C A B D C C B B B A A B D D C B
8
Student1
B B D B C A C A C B C B C B D C D B C B D B A C C C C B A D C C A B B
9
Student2
C C C C C D B C B B C B B C D D A C B C A B D B B B B B D C B D D C C
0
Student2
C C C D C A C A B C B B C A D C D C A B C C C B C B C B D C C B A B B
1
Student2
A D C A B D B C B B B B A C C B A C D B A C A B B D C C A B C B C C A
2
Student2
D D C A B A A A A C D B B A C A D B C B C C C B C D C C D C C C D A B
3
Student2
C B C A B A D B A B D D A C B B A B A A A B A C B A C D A B A B A A A
4
Student2
B B C A A B A A A A B D B D B A B B B A B D C C C D B D D C A C D A B
5
Student2
B A B A A B C B A D B D A B A B B A C A A A A C A A B A A C A B A D A
6
Student2
D A B B A D D B A A D C A D A A C A D A B A C A A D B A C B A C D D B
7
Student2
C A B B A D C B A A D C B B A C C A A A B A D D D A D A D A B B A B D
8
Student2
A B A B A C D B A A A C B D D D B A D A B A C A D D D D C A B B C B C
9
Student3
D B A D A C C C A A A D D B B C B A C A B C B D D A A A D A D D B B D
0

Answer Key:
1. B 11. C 21. A 31. A
2. A 12. D 22. C 32. C
3. D 13. A 23. D 33. D
4. A 14. B 24. A 34. B
5. B 15. D 25. B 35. A
6. C 16. A 26. C
7. D 17. C 27. A
8. A 18. B 28. D
9. A 19. A 29. B
10. D 20. B 30. A

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 Item Analysis Table
Upper Lower D Middle P
Item Options Difference R Decision
27% 27% Value 46% Value
1 A
B
C
D
2 A
B
C
D
3 A
B
C
D
4 A
B
C
D
5 A
B
C
D
6 A
B
C
D
7 A
B
C
D
8 A
B
C
D
9 A
B
C
D
10 A
B
C
D
11 A
B
C
D
12 A
B
C
D
13 A
B
C
D
14 A
B
C
D
15 A
B
C
D
16 A
B
C
D

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17 A
B
C
D
18 A
B
C
D
19 A
B
C
D
20 A
B
C
D
21 A
B
C
D
22 A
B
C
D
23 A
B
C
D
24 A
B
C
D
25 A
B
C
D
26 A
B
C
D
27 A
B
C
D
28 A
B
C
D
29 A
B
C
D
30 A
B
C
D

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