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NAEP Analysis and Scaling → Estimation of NAEP Scale Scores → Treatment of Items to Avoid Violations of Assumptions → Results of NAEP Differential Item Functioning (DIF) Analyses → Results of Differential Item Functioning (DIF) for the U.S. History National Main Assessment in 2006

NAEP Technical DocumentationResults of Differential Item Functioning (DIF) for the U.S. History National Main Assessment in 2006

For dichotomously scored items, NAEP categorizes each item into one of three categories: "A" (items exhibiting no DIF), "B" (items exhibiting a weak indication of DIF), or "C" (items exhibiting a strong indication of DIF). A plus sign (+) indicates that items are differentially easier for the focal group (female, Black, or Hispanic students) than for the reference group (male or White students) after making an adjustment for the overall level of proficiency in the two groups; a minus sign (-) indicates that items are differentially more difficult for the focal group than for the reference group. For polytomously scored items, NAEP categorizes items into "AA," "BB," or "CC" categories and the plus or minus sign has the same interpretation as dichotomously scored items. After reviewing "C" and "CC" items, subject area specialists decided that no items were biased, so none were deleted from the scales for this reason.

Number of dichotomously scored items, U.S. history national main assessment, by differential item functioning (DIF) category and grade: 2006

Grade	DIF category	Male-female	White-Black	White-Hispanic
4	C-	1	0	0
	B-	0	1	3
	A	64	62	63
	B+	2	3	0
	C+	0	1	1
8	C-	2	0	2
	B-	5	6	4
	A	106	101	104
	B+	5	9	8
	C+	1	3	1
12	C-	3	0	0
	B-	5	9	6
	A	98	91	96
	B+	3	8	7
	C+	0	1	0
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2006 U.S. History Assessment.

Number of polytomously scored items, U.S. history national main assessment, by differential item functioning (DIF) category and grade: 2006

Grade	DIF category	Male-female	White-Black	White-Hispanic
4	CC-	0	1	0
	BB-	1	2	1
	AA	26	24	25
	BB+	2	1	3
	CC+	0	1	0
8	CC-	2	2	1
	BB-	5	5	3
	AA	33	35	39
	BB+	4	1	1
	CC+	0	1	0
12	CC-	3	1	1
	BB-	1	1	0
	AA	33	40	42
	BB+	6	2	1
	CC+	1	0	0
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2006 U.S. History Assessment.

Items identified as 'C' or 'CC' items in at least one comparison, U.S. history national main assessment, by block and grade: 2006

Grade	Block	Item	Scale	Category	Comparison	Group favored
4	H3	H065601	Cultures	C	White-Hispanic	Hispanic
	H4	H055201	Technology	C	Male-female	Male
	H6	H068101	Democracy	C	White-Black	Black
	H7	H058601	Democracy	CC	White-Black	Black
	H8	H034101	World role	CC	White-Black	White
8	H4	H059001	Democracy	CC	Male-female	Male
	H4	H059601	Technology	C	White-Hispanic	White
	H4	H060101	Cultures	C	White-Black	Black
	H5	H038001	Democracy	C	Male-female	Male
	H5	H038901	Cultures	C	White-Black	Black
	H6	H069601	Technology	CC	White-Black	White
	H7	H057901	Cultures	C	White-Black	Black
	H7	H058601	Democracy	CC	White-Black	Black
	H8	H034401	Technology	C	Male-female	Female
	H8	H035001	Technology	CC	White-Black	White
	H8	H035201	World role	C	Male-female	Male
	H9	H061801	World role	CC	White-Hispanic	White
	H10	H042801	Democracy	C	White-Hispanic	White
	H10	H0429CL	World role	CC	Male-female	Male
	H11	H071701	Technology	C	White-Hispanic	Hispanic
12	H3	H075101	Cultures	CC	Male-female	Female
	H4	H046801	World role	C	Male-female	Male
	H5	H062301	World role	C	White-Black	Black
	H6	H049601	World role	CC	Male-female	Male
	H6	H049801	World role	C	Male-female	Male
	H8	H052501	World role	CC	Male-female	Male
	H9	H061801	World role	CC	White-Black, White-Hispanic	White
	H11	H063901	World role	C	Male-female	Male
	H11	H0642CL	Technology	CC	Male-female	Male
NOTE: Cultures = The Gathering of Interactions of Peoples, Cultures, and Ideas; Technology = Economic and Technological Changes and Their Relation to Society, Ideas, and the Environment; Democracy = Change and Continuity in American Democracy: Ideas, Institutions, Practices, and Controversies; and World role = The Changing Role of America in the World. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2006 U.S. History Assessment.

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