item discriminability

item discriminability

a statistical measure of how well an item on a test differentiates among subgroups of test takers, typically those individuals who possess a high degree of some ability versus those who possess a low degree of the ability. Item discriminabilities typically are given as correlation coefficients ranging from −1 to +1 in value, with the latter indicating a perfect discriminator. Interitem correlations also may be used in determining item discriminability. See item analysis.