Assessing the feasibility of using item response theory to analyse British Columbia's foundation skills assessment 2000
Date
2001
Authors
Goodman, Dean Palmi
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Abstract
This study assessed the feasibility of using item response theory (IRT) to analyse British Columbia's Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA) 2000, a recent addition to the BC Ministry of Education's provincial learning assessment program. The purposes of this study were to determine the extent to which data from the Grade 7 FSA 2000 tests met the assumptions and properties of IRT and which of several popular item response models best fit Grade 7 FSA 2000 data. The results of this study suggested the reading comprehension and numeracy data sets of FSA 2000 did not meet key assumptions and properties of IRT. Evidence was obtained to suggest the two -parameter logistic model and generalized partial credit model fit the data sets better than other IRT models; however neither fit the data well. Given the discouraging and limited results, further research into the feasibility of using IRT on FSA data was recommended.