The logic of test analysis: An evaluation of test theory and a proposed logic for test analysis

Despite the rich and abundant body of test theoretic results that have accumulated over the past 100 years, little work has been done on the development of a coherentfiamezuork for the carrying out of test analyses, resulting in a general state of test analytic practice which is unsystematic, unreasoned, and piecemeal. The current work was guided by two primary aims: 1) to document the apparent gulf that exists between the advances that have been made in test theory, and the seemingly calamitous and unmethodical state of current test analytic practice, and 2) to rescue applied test analytic practice from its ill-defined state by deriving a logical, sequential framework for the carrying out of test analyses within which the tools of test theory can be used to full advantage. To serve these aims, the historical landmarks of 100 years of test theory were documented. The mathematical foundations of two relatively distinct theoretical test theoretic perspectives, viz., classical test theoy and modern test theo y, were summarized in axiomatic fashion. Articles from five peerreviewed journals were examined with the aim of gaining further insight into the current state of test analytic practices. Finally, the components of the proposed framework for analyzing tests were fully explicated, and certain current test analytic practices critiqued in light of the proposed framework.