A primer on standardized testing: History, measurement, classical test theory, item response theory, and equating

Abstract

This article presents health science educators and researchers with an overview of standardized testing in educational measurement. The history, theoretical frameworks of classical test theory, item response theory (IRT), and the most common IRT models used in modern testing are presented. A narrative overview of the history, theoretical concepts, test theory, and IRT is provided to familiarize the reader with these concepts of modern testing. Examples of data analyses using different models are shown using 2 simulated data sets. One set consisted of a sample of 2000 item responses to 40 multiple-choice, dichotomously scored items. This set was used to fit 1-parameter logistic (PL) model, 2PL, and 3PL IRT models. Another data set was a sample of 1500 item responses to 10 polytomously scored items. The second data set was used to fit a graded response model. Model-based item parameter estimates for 1PL, 2PL, 3PL, and graded response are presented, evaluated, and explained. This study provides health science educators and education researchers with an introduction to educational measurement. The history of standardized testing, the frameworks of classical test theory and IRT, and the logic of scaling and equating are presented. This introductory article will aid readers in understanding these concepts.