Although the Angoff procedure is among the most widely used standard setting procedures for tests comprising multiple-choice items, research has shown that subject matter experts have considerable difficulty accurately making the required judgments in the absence of examinee performance data. Some authors have viewed the need to provide…

This report documents a standard-setting study to determine recommended minimum scores (cut scores) needed on the Core and Advanced iSkills[TM] assessments for examinees to be considered at a foundational level of ICT literacy skill. Two foundational levels--one for each iSkills assessment--had been specified previously by the National ICT…

This study examined the relationships between the evaluations obtained from standard setting panelists and changes in ratings between different rounds of a standard setting study that involved setting standards on different language versions of an exam. We investigated panelists' evaluations to determine if their perceptions of the standard…

Throughout classrooms in the United States there appears to have been a general watering down of academic standards. The percentages of "A" and "B" grades have risen, and at some schools, the percentage of grades of "C" or lower has plummeted. Numerous scholarly articles about grade inflation discuss the extent,…

This article examines three typical approaches to alternate assessment for students with significant cognitive disabilities--portfolios, performance assessments, and rating scales. A detailed analysis of common and unique design features of these approaches is provided, including features of each approach that influence the psychometric quality of…

This article reviews the empirical literature on 9 topics about the modified Angoff standard-setting method that have been studied repeatedly in the literature, while taking into consideration the methodological warrant for the findings on the topics. It concludes that we can be reasonably confident about selecting the appropriate number of judges…

In the Angoff standard setting procedure, subject matter experts (SMEs) estimate the probability that a hypothetical randomly selected minimally competent candidate will answer correctly each item comprising the test. In many cases, these item performance estimates are made twice, with information shared with SMEs between estimates. This…

Uses several thought experiments to explore the potential impact of the choice of criterion on the results of examinee-centered studies. Conclusions from these experiments are then used to examine the different cutting scores from several contrasting groups studies on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. (SLD)

Psychometricians continue to introduce new approaches to setting cut scores for educational assessments in an attempt to improve on current methods. In this paper we describe the Item-Descriptor (ID) Matching method, a method based on IRT item mapping. In ID Matching, test content area experts match items (i.e., their judgments about the knowledge…

Many approaches to standard-setting use item calibration and student score estimation results to structure panelists' tasks. However, this requires collecting standard-setting judgments after the item analysis results are available. The Scoring Guide Alignment approach collects standard-setting judgments during the scoring sessions from teachers…

In an Angoff standard setting procedure, judges estimate the probability that a hypothetical randomly selected minimally competent candidate will answer correctly each item in the test. In many cases, these item performance estimates are made twice, with information shared with the panelists between estimates. Especially for long tests, this…

In the traditional Angoff Standard Setting Method, experts are instructed to predict the possibility that a randomly selected, hypothetical minimally competent candidate will be able to answer each multiple choice question in the test correctly. These item performance estimates are averaged across panelists and aggregated to determine the minimum…

Standard-setting research has yielded a rich array of more than 50 standard-setting procedures, but practitioners are likely to be confused about which to use. By synthesizing the accumulated research on standard setting and progress monitoring, this study developed a three-dimensional taxonomy for conceptualizing and operationalizing the various…

An analysis was made of the cognitive processes that support the judgments made in standard setting activities. These processes were conceived as having two components: forming the domain needed to pass the test and identifying the criterion level of performance to pass the test. In fact, these processes are interactive, and were separated for the…

Problems inherent in setting standards/passing scores for criterion-referenced tests are discussed; and traditional methods of setting standards are reviewed. Three acceptable methods based on judgments of questions are discussed; their authors include, respectively: (1) W. H. Angoff (1971); (2) R. L. Ebel (1972); and (3) L. Nedelsky (1954). (SLD)