The objective of the present study was to verify the parameters of items and people by using the Item Response Theory (IRT) in a reading comprehension measurement, including quantitative and qualitative analyses of the items map as well as to investigate the presence of Differential Item Functioning (DIF). The sample consisted of 518 children from the 3rd, 4th and 5th grades, aged from 6 to 16, from private and public schools in the city of Belo Horizonte-MG. The instrument was a text prepared according to Cloze technique. The data confirmed the unidimensionality of the instrument; showed average theta higher than the average of items; and, the presence of DIF was observed in some items in relation to the school grades. The results demonstrated validity evidence for the instrument and are discussed in this paper.
Reading comprehension; Psychometric; elementary school; psychological assessment
