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Activity Number: 156
Type: Topic Contributed
Date/Time: Monday, August 3, 2009 : 10:30 AM to 12:20 PM
Sponsor: Social Statistics Section
Abstract - #304567
Title: Application of Multidimensional Item Response Theory Models to Report Diagnostic Scores in Educational Testing
Author(s): Sandip Sinharay*+ and Shelby J. Haberman
Companies: Educational Testing Service and Educational Testing Service
Address: 9 Cliveden Ct, Lawrenceville, NJ, 08648,
Keywords: classical test theory ; item response theory ; educational testing
Abstract:

Recently, there is an increasing interest in reporting diagnostic scores due to their potential remedial and instructional benefits. For example, if diagnostic scores from a mathematics test reveal that a student is relatively weak in algebra, she can focus more on algebra. We examine reporting of diagnostic scores using multidimensional item response theory (MIRT) models. A MIRT model is fitted using a Newton-Raphson algorithm with adaptive quadrature. A new approach is proposed to assess when MIRT-based diagnostic scores have added value over (i) the total score or (ii) diagnostic scores based on classical test theory (Haberman, 2008). In several real applications, the MIRT-based diagnostic scores were found to be slightly more accurate than those derived by classical test theory. However, the diagnostic scores were often found to not have any added value over the total score.

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