With support from the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB), a community of biochemistry and molecular biology (BMB) scientist-educators has developed and administered an assessment instrument designed to evaluate student competence across four core concept and skill areas fundamental to BMB. The four areas encompass…

The consequences associated with the uses and interpretations of scores for many credentialing testing programs have important implications for a range of stakeholders. Within licensure settings specifically, results from examination programs are often one of the final steps in the process of assessing whether individuals will be allowed to enter…

Standard setting practices in states using the NTE (formerly the National Teacher Examinations) were examined for 1987. The NTE is composed of two segments: (1) a Core Battery covering the communication skills and general knowledge skills; and (2) a test of professional knowledge about teaching. The processes used to establish passing scores for…

Possible sources of intrajudge inconsistency in standard setting are reviewed, and approaches are presented to improve the accuracy of rating. Procedures for providing judges with feedback through discussion or computerized communication are discussed. Monitoring and maintaining judges' consistency throughout the rating process are essential. (SLD)

An approach is presented to the definition of minimal competence for judges to use in standard setting. Panelists in standard setting must receive training to ensure that differences in rating result from differences in perceptions of item difficulty, not in differences of opinion about the definition of minimal competence. (SLD)

Training judges to generate item ratings in standard setting once the reference group has been defined is discussed. It is proposed that sensitivity to the factors that determine difficulty can be improved through training. Three criteria for determining when training is sufficient are offered. (SLD)

Number-correct scoring was compared to empirical option weighting for estimating domain scores and making pass/fail decisions that are typical of certification, licensing, competency, and proficiency testing. The usefulness of the option-total correlation option-weighting method was illustrated with a sample of 1,000 high school students. (SLD)

The effects of feedback about the ratings of other judges on subsequent ratings using the Nedelsky method and the ability of judges to retain or eliminate options in a manner consistent with the judgments of minimally competent examinees were studied using data from a basic algebra examination administered to 227 college students in 1987. The…

This paper compares descriptive information based on analyses of the pilot and live administrations of the Alabama High School Graduation Examination (AHSGE). The AHSGE, a product of decisions made in 1977 and 1984 by the Alabama State Board of Education, is composed of subject tests in reading, mathematics, and language. The pass score for each…

Results of the administration of the Nevada Proficiency Examination Program in 1988-89 are presented. The program, established by legislation in 1977 and amended in 1983 and 1987, provided for the administration of examinations of proficiency and achievement in reading, writing, and mathematics before the completion of grades 3, 6, 9, and 12. It…

Procedures for establishing the cutoff scores for the occupational competency exams administered to individuals graduating from Pennsylvania vocational teacher education programs were reviewed. A total of 595 National Occupational Competency Testing Institute (NOCTI) Exams administered in 43 occupations or trades at three colleges between the…