Item efficiency: an item response theory parameter with applications for improving the reliability of mathematics assessment

ABSTRACT

Many large universities, community colleges and some smaller four-year colleges are turning to hybrid or online instruction for remedial and entry level mathematics courses, often assessed using online exams in a proctored computer lab environment. Faculty face the task of choosing questions from a publisher's text bank with very little, if any, background in test theory and design. We present a new item parameter, item efficiency, that is calculated from the results of an item response theory analysis of a comprehensive college algebra final examination and show that this new parameter may be used to identify items better suited for similar comprehensive final assessments. Further, by relating Item Efficiency to classical test theory item statistics, we propose guidelines that can be used to identify suitable items prior to testing with little or no background in psychometric theory.

Keywords:

• Mathematics assessment
• test reliability
• test bank
• item response theory
• college algebra

ORCID

Mary Maxwell  http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9247-3133

Jim Gleason  http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9116-5166