Item Analysis Report

I can use the report builder to create a custom report, including visual charts of my students progress on the standards. I can then use this data during collaboration meetings to help guide instruction.

Report Builder provides a teacher an opportunity to observe scores once a test window has closed. Educators can create reports that focus on particular parts of a test to which they can analyze data to guide instruction. Examples of tests are standards summary, strand summary, items summary, and standard based reports. Each report has particular purpose for teacher. Examples include they can observe test questions that students performed particularly well or poorly. One caution is to pay attention to questions that can skew data, such as having one test question that covers only one standard.

Analysis reports are great to ...

• see which students need intervention
• spot specific questions and possible misconceptions
• identify how students did on a specific strand
• to use in a PLC meeting to have discussions on Best Practice teaching methods.
• identify needs to reteach concepts

One option is to look at a standards based report.  You can look to see if there was an item (or standard, domain, item, etc) that, for example, that a majority of your students missed.  You can look at the specific item and find out why the students didn't answer the question correctly (type of question, how it's asked, etc) and make decisions as to whether or not you need to reteach that skill or teach it in a different way.  It's important that you are not judging this information based on one question.  Sometimes it's best to look if students missed the same skill on several questions or just one.  

There are many ways that the item analysis in EDAMS can be used to drive instruction.  A teacher can view each specific item and see how his/her whole class did and to see if they need re-teaching.  You can also use these results at PLC’s.  If one teacher did exceptionally well, they can share strategies or lessons that are using.  PLC’s would also be a great place to brainstorm ideas if all students scored low in a certain area. If a teacher would like to run specific small groups or interventions, this information can also help make those groups.  The information in the item analysis is a good tool that provides feedback to drive instruction.

This type of report is helpful in several ways. First, analyzing items helps me identify whether or not a distractor in the question needs to be reviewed or changed. Second, analyzing an item that is marked as incorrect by a large number of students results in reflection. Specifically, I reflect on how to modify the instruction in a way that the students make stronger connections with the concept they are learning. Item analysis also provides me with information about the question type. In the past, students have struggled with the format a question is in, not necessarily the content. This has given me insight as to what types of questions are more challenging for my students (constructed response, inline, multiple select).

EADMS offers multiple ways to investigate test results. A teacher can go to Report Builder to see general scores for an overall picture of success, but she can also dig in and look at more specific results in the Standards Based Report. Here, she can view the student results specific to each item or standard. This is helpful for an individual teacher to clarify questions, answers, and teaching practices. It would be even more useful to a team of teachers who gave a common assessment. They can use the report to research whether a particular question or bank of answers was faulty, whether students overall did not understand the question or how to answer it, and, perhaps most importantly, albeit sometimes a bit humbling and uncomfortable, look at results in different classrooms and share best teaching practices so that all students may benefit from what worked for one teacher. One important thing to keep in mind is that multiple questions on one standard will offer a clearer picture, minimizing the possibility of unclear questions or confusing answer banks. The end results of the investigation should be not only improved test questions, but, more importantly, improved classroom practices to best address common core standards in a concrete, detailed fashion. 

The data from item analysis in EADMS can help inform PLC groups.  Being able to see where there may have been significant data that indicates areas of weakness in the teaching strategies can be a good collaboration topic.  Conversely, if a teacher has significantly better data on a common assessment, they may be able to share their strategies with the rest of the group.  Using the data collectively and collaboratively with the PLC team helps digest it with the "grain of salt" that Julie spoke of.  The data can also be a driving force for differentiation and or remediation of the content.  
-Randy Kirschman

Item analysis reports can be used to drive instruction in several ways:

1. can determine student overall achievement on an assessment
2. can determine specific strand, concept or standard mastery by using sort tools
3. can troubleshoot issues with a particular question or provide feedback so teachers can spend more time on a concept
4. gives teachers an idea of things they are doing well
5. provides granulated pieces of information so teachers can get an idea of what is working, what is not and allow them to modify or continue with instruction according to their data.

It allows us to reevaluate how our kids are understanding the material and to see if other teachers are having more success and discuss what they may be doing differently to obtain that success.

The Item Analysis helps you review how students did on a particular test. you can view by standard, item summary, item detail. You can view the student performance by pie chart graph and score. This will help you determine what instruction should be completed or reviewed. Granted if there was one question and everyone bombed maybe you need to search a little more, was the question bad? 

Having these types of reports can help evaluate strengths and weakness of the topic being taught.  Low scores can show the teacher areas of weakness the students have, encouraging them to reflect on why that is and how the content was taught.  However, like Julie said, excessive high or low scores are not always a good way to evaluate the content being taught, its just one aspect of evaluating and reflecting.  Data can be very useful but its important to not just focus on a singular aspect of it, the holistic approach is much more beneficial.