ABSTRACT
Item writing frequently is referred to as an art (Cantor, 1987), the principles of which may be passed down from teacher to student (Downing & Haladyna, 1997). Item editing is an essential but often-neglected aspect of item development. Significant attention generally is focused on test content, administration, and scoring, all of which have clearly recognized links to test validity. Skilled editing improves the appearance, readability, and fairness of test items. Moreover, poor editing poses a threat to a test’s validity. Items that are inaccurate, confusing to examinees, or otherwise flawed should not be included in scoring. They also generate bad feelings among examinees. Downing and Haladyna discuss important qualitative evidence for item editing and its implications for validity. They encourage a team approach: the item writer and professional editor working together to achieve high-quality questions. All too often, editing is seen as a final hurdle over which items and item writers must jump. This places the editor in an adversarial position, and the test items potentially suffer.
