PSYCHOMETRIC QUALITY OF AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL MATHEMATICS TEST: A CLASSICAL TEST THEORY ANALYSIS OF ITEM DIFFICULTY, DISCRIMINATION, AND DISTRACTOR FUNCTIONING

This study evaluated the psychometric functioning of a 25-item multiple-choice mathematics test on perimeter
and area administered to 35 fifth-grade students. Although item analysis is widely used, evidence from routine
elementary classroom assessments remains limited, particularly studies that integrate difficulty,
discrimination, and option-level response patterns into actionable item-revision decisions. Using a descriptive
Classical Test Theory design, all 35 students represented in the archived item summaries were included. Item
difficulty (P) was calculated from the proportion of correct responses, discrimination (D) from the difference
between the upper and lower approximately 27% groups (n = 10 per group), and distractor functioning from
option-selection frequencies. Twenty-three items were easy (P = 0.71-0.91), while only two were moderately
difficult (P = 0.69). Discrimination ranged from -0.10 to 0.60; six items showed good or very good
discrimination, three had D = 0.00, and two had negative values. Distractor functioning was uneven, especially
for items with concentrated response patterns. The findings indicate that the test was suitable for checking
basic mastery but insufficiently balanced for differentiating students across a broader ability range. The study
contributes a decision-oriented framework for retaining, revising, or reviewing classroom test items. Because
the archived dataset did not contain the complete person-by-item matrix, internal-consistency reliability could
not be estimated. Larger multi-school samples, repeated administrations, and Item Response Theory analyses
are recommended.