The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School administered identical, simultaneous objective structured clinical examinations to large medical school classes and found the method logistically and psychometrically feasible. Potential for use of the test to make pass-fail grading decisions and proposals for modification of administration and…

A study investigated the clinical preparedness of 144 Stanford University (California) medical school graduates in 11 areas, comparing it with peers from graded medical schools and rating the accuracy of the dean's letter in representing graduates' capabilities. Results indicate that graduates from Stanford's two-interval, pass/fail system…

Performance assessments in education and credentialing are becoming popular. At the same time, there do not exist any well established and validated methods for setting standards on performance assessments. This paper describes several of the new standard-setting methods that are emerging for use with performance assessments and considers their…

This collection contains three studies of the relationship between incentives, learning, and employability. The first study, "Incentives, Learning, and Employability," by John Bishop, models students' choices concerning what to learn and how much effort to spend learning it in terms of the outcome of a comparison of benefits and expected costs and…

In a study of the grading practices at Bridgewater State College, three research projects were conducted: (1) a questionnaire that compared faculty perception of grading in 1976 with their perceptions in a similar questionnaire in 1972; (2) a questionnaire for students adapted from the faculty questionnaire; and (3) a survey of the academic…

Communications to college students about the value of their composition are better expressed in words than in letter grades. Research by Sweet and Seidman suggests that free-style, positive comment on student papers produces a markedly improved attitude toward writing. The author's own research reveals that in the presence of positive, free…

Various procedures and guidelines have been suggested for the development and construction of criterion-referenced tests. The present paper proposes a comprehensive model which allows the user to identify and relate specific components which affect the optimal construction and implementation strategies of criterion-referenced tests. Furthermore,…

This report of the Curriculum Commission at Concordia examines all aspects of the academic program and sets forth recommendations for its improvement and reform. Chapter 1 discusses reasons for a curriculum study, and Chapter 2 looks at the goals of a liberal arts education in a Christian college. Chapter 3 deals with the curriculum itself, and…

The purpose of this project was to help implement the change from traditional instructional programs in teacher education at Jackson State College, Mississippi, to programs which are competency-based, starting with the faculty and interns of Jackson State College-Hinds County Teacher Corps Program. From July 1970 through July 1971, 36 interns…

A discussion of the National Board of Medical Examiners' (NBME) pass-fail grading for Part I and Part II examinations gives background on procedures previously used for setting criterion-based grading standards, gives an overview of research on standard-setting, and outlines NBME plans for determining new standards and incorporating improvements.…

The sources of multidimensionality found in several different forms of a licensure examination were studied. The relationship between one source of multidimensionality, differential item functioning (DIF) (or factors producing DIF), and content characteristics was explored in an attempt to isolate aspects of training or curriculum that could…

The assignment of grades to students is discussed, and a grading process is recommended. The process begins with the separation of minimal and developmental objectives. Minimal objectives represent course outcomes that all students are expected to achieve; developmental objectives are more complex goals toward which students strive, but which few…

As part of the Atlanta Public School System, the Downtown Learning Center (DLC) uses personalized learning contracts to thwart potential dropouts and classroom troublemakers. Voluntary admission, screening by a student/staff committee, and parental approval precede the general agreement which details school attendance and work commitments. In…

The impact on some student behavior of the no pass/no play rule enacted in Texas was studied for the variables of: (1) grades; (2) enrollment in honors courses; and (3) dropping out. Under the rule, enacted in 1985, a student must pass every course (with an average of at least 70) or sit out extracurricular activities in the next 6-week grading…

The purpose of this article is to deal with the following issues as they relate to educational grading policy: (1) to examine the use and misuse of grades in education; (2) to explore the use of performance based grading versus traditional grading and compare institutions using traditional grading versus those using performance based or…