A general model along with four illustrations is presented for the consideration of budgetary constraints in the setting of passing scores in instructional programs involving remedial action for poor test performers. Budgetary constraints normally put an upper limit on any choice of passing score. Given relevant information, this limit may be…

False positive and false negative error rates were studied for competency testing when failing examinees are permitted to retake the test. Formulas are provided for the beta-binomial and Rasch models. Estimates based on these models are compared for six data sets from the South Carolina Basic Skills Assessment Program. (SLD)

An ignored aspect of standard setting, namely the possibility that Angoff or Nedelsky judges specify inconsistent probabilities (e.g., low probabilities for easy items but large probabilities for hard items) is explored. A latent trait method is proposed to estimate such misspecifications, and an index of consistency is defined. (Author/PN)

Procedures based on latent trait models and the Rasch model are described for computation and asymptotic statistical inference for two decision consistency indexes often used in mastery or competence testing. Simulations were conducted for typical mastery testing situations to illustrate the procedures. (SLD)

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of log-linear models in detecting test item bias. The evaluation of the log-linear approach in this regard will focussed on the following: (1) the stability of the procedure across replications--the effect of sampling error across random samples of ethnic groups; (2) the amount of artifactual…

The 1986 scores from the Statewide Student Assessment Test-II, a minimum-competency test required for high school graduation in Florida, were placed on the scale of the 1984 scores from that test using five different equating procedures: (1) linear method; (2) Rasch model; (3) three-parameter item response theory (IRT)--concurrent method; (4)…

New legislation in 1972 shifted the emphasis of the California Assessment Program (CAP) from traditional every pupil achievement testing to a more efficient multiple-matrix testing design, under which a broad spectrum of skills could be surveyed without undue expenditure of educational resources. Scale score reporting was introduced to the grade 6…

Cut-off scores from two approaches for setting standards are examined. Standards determined from judgments about groups and from inspection of test content are compared. Results indicate that there was neither consistency nor pattern to cut-off scores set from the two procedures. (Author/RD)

This study investigated the feasibility of the use of the three-parameter item response theory (IRT) model in Florida's minimum competency testing program. The paper includes the following sections: (1) a description of the procedures currently being used by the assessment program, with an emphasis on procedures currently involving the Rasch…

A study involving 103 male and 117 female students entering a major urban university assessed the interaction between test anxiety and skill deficits. The effects of prior achievement and test anxiety on performance on two competency exams were also examined. Instruments consisted of minimum competency tests for reading comprehension and…

Alternative mathematical models for scoring and decision making with criterion referenced tests are described, especially as they concern appropriate test length and methods of establishing statistically valid cutting scores. Several of these approaches are reviewed and compared on formal-analytic and empirical grounds: (1) Block's approach to…

This study investigated the feasibility of using the three-parameter model in Florida's minimum competency testing program. LOGIST 4 was used to analyze 1984 Statewide Student Assessment Tests (SSAT)-II data, exploring possibilities that easiness of the test would cause problems in the estimation of the a and c parameters. These problems and…

The effectiveness of a model for determining a minimal cut-off score for criterion-referenced tests was examined. The model, based upon techniques presented originally by Nedelsky and by Angoff, was first used in conjunction with a multiple choice test developed for use in certifying school counselors in Georgia. A "knowledge estimation panel" was…

The logical and psychological bases for setting cutting scores for criterion-referenced tests are examined; they are found to be intrinsically arbitrary and are often examples of misdirected precision and axiomatization. The term, criterion referenced, originally referred to a technique for making test scores meaningful by controlling the test…

In order to compose equivalent certification tests in the basic skills in reading, mathematics calculations and applications, and writing for high school graduation requirements, the San Jose Unified School District, California, used the Rasch computer program to arrive at the scaled difficulty level of test items. The procedure for achieving a…