Seven guidelines for setting minimum competency standards for high school graduation are presented: (1) Competency standards for the diploma should be developed by a process that gives major attention to the needs of students yet recognizes an institutions's responsibility to societal needs. (2) Competency standards should be developed using good…

The cognitive components standard setting method, recently introduced by D. McGinty and J. Neel (1996), asks judges to specify minimum levels of performance not for the test items, but for smaller portions of items, the component skills and concepts required to answer each item correctly. Items are decomposed into these components before judges…

Many school districts are developing assessments that incorporate both selected response and constructed response formats. Scores on these assessments can be used for a variety of purposes ranging from subject remediation to promotion decisions. These policy decisions are informed by recommendations for Minimum Passing Scores (MPSs) from standard…

Reliability, validity, and standards-setting procedure for a criterion-referenced test (Test of Metric Skills) were examined for use in science curricula. Results indicate a number of factors influencing test reliability/validity and that science teachers need to be aware of these factors to enhance accuracy of their judgments. (Author/JN)

Setting motor performance standards has long been an important process to physical educators. However, theoretical advances appropriate for standard-setting have been made only in the last decade. Issues in standard setting are discussed, procedures are reviewed, and gender differences in motor performance are considered. (Author/JN)

Whether cutting score equivalents (CSEs) based on examinee performance are the same as CSEs based on expert judgment was examined using data from 3,262 examinees taking an internal medicine certification examination. CSEs produced by 40 physicians/experts were closer to the criteria than were standards derived from examinee performance. (SLD)

Test results and employer complaints indicate that the average high school graduate hasn't learned enough and that he brings that deficit with him to college. As remedy, Chester Finn argues for uniform educational standards and measurements in a transparent reporting system that gives families the information necessary to scrutinize and accept or…

It was hypothesized that, when compared to the Angoff method (W. H. Angoff, 1971), the Nedelsky method (L. Nedelsky, 1954) for standard setting had lower intrajudge inconsistency, lower cutscores, and lower cutscores especially for items presenting challenges to the judges. These hypotheses were tested and supported in a sample of 22 graduate…

This paper presents and evaluates a new procedure to classify examinees into meaningful categories based on their responses to (performance on) items comprising a test instrument. The proposed procedure uses the data analytic technique of cluster analysis to partition the examinee population into homogeneous groupings. This procedure was applied…

The International Language Testing Association has some 250 members in 15 countries. Most are specialists in the testing of second language skills, with a special interest in performance assessment because of the testing of speaking and writing performance that is critical to second language skills assessment. The association believes that certain…

Focusing on the experiences of five southern states using teacher testing policies, this survey provides evidence of shared experiences and lessons learned despite the existence of five different sets of certification requirements. The first section of the report concentrates on the national context for the movement toward teacher testing.…

The procedures projected to be used in the spring and summer of 1982 to establish passing standards for the Maryland Functional Mathematics Test are described. The development of the test as a prerequisite for high school graduation to be implemented in 1987 is described. The maximum involvement of diverse constituencies and multiple informed…

A process for setting standards that may be adapted by educators in a variety of settings for educational decision making is presented. In this process, which was used to set minimum standards in English for admission to a teacher education program at a large university, a number of trial standards were initially set utilizing a variety of…

A comparison of four frequently used standard setting methods for deriving cut-off scores with respect to the expected performance of minimally competent students, is presented in this paper. Ten Kansas Competency Based Tests, in reading and mathematics, were administered across five grade levels in a state-wide minimal competency testing program.…

The most popular methods for setting passing scores and other standards on educational tests rely heavily on subjective judgment. This paper presents and evaluates a new procedure for setting and evaluating standards on tests based on cluster analysis of test data. The clustering procedure was applied to a statewide mathematics proficiency test…