The use of item response theory models for analyzing the results of judgmental standard setting studies (the Angoff technique) for establishing minimum pass levels is discussed. A comparison of three methods indicates the traditional approach may not be best. A procedure based on generalizability theory is suggested. (GDC)

Several methods for determining a passing score on an examination from individual raters' estimates of minimal pass levels were compared through simulation. The methods used differed in the weighting estimates for each item received in the aggregation process. Reasons why the simplest procedure is most preferred are discussed. (SLD)