An alternative statistical framework for measuring proficiency

Item Response Theory, a class of statistical methods used prominently in educational testing, can be used to measure LPE proficiency in annual tests or research studies, while simultaneously accounting for varying difficulty among comparisons. Using black box studies in latent prints, we illustrate the strengths of an IRT-based analysis over traditional “percent correct” scoring, focusing on inferences about individual comparisons and how inconclusives can be treated outside of the error rate framework.