Multiple matrix sampling is applied to a variation of Angoff's standard setting method. Thirty-six experts (internists) and 190 items were divided into five groups, and borderline examinee performance was estimated. There was some variability in the cutting scores produced by the individual groups, but various components were well estimated. (SLD)

This paper discusses how certain recent technical advances might be extended to examine proficiency tests which are conceptualized as representing a variety of skills with one or more items per skill. In contrast to previous analyses, errors in the item level are included. (Author/BW)

In 1979-80, the Arkansas minimum competency tests were administered to a sample of 5,000 students in grades 3, 6, and 8. To determine how well test objectives matched the curriculum, their teachers estimated how many of the four items per objective a randomly selected student would answer correctly. Because chi square test comparisons of teacher…

A high school district employed multiple matrix sampling to establish cutting scores on reading and mathematics competency tests. Entry-level job holders in the working community were tested with subtests of the intact test. Generalizations were made from the results; performances of the high school and the community groups were compared.…

This paper examined the status of assessment of writing as it is currently performed in the United States. All fifty states and the District of Columbia responded to a survey requesting information on their testing programs. Twenty-six states and the District of Columbia were found to assess writing on the statewide level, and eight states were in…

Standards, passing scores, or cut scores have been seen as an element of criterion-referenced tests since their introduction. This paper discusses at least two issues surrounding the establishment of cut scores which appear to need clarification: (1) the theoretical definition of a cut score; and (2) decisions which must be made in selecting a…

A profile of state-wide educational assessment programs is constructed, and the means by which such programs have changed over time and may change in the future are discussed. Data for the study were taken from biennial surveys by the Association of State Assessment Programs, first conducted in 1977. This study covers data on time of survey…

Field tests of test items are useful in developing cutting scores for important tests, such as teacher certification examinations and high school graduation tests, because they indicate test item quality and estimate future examinee performance. However, field test data may provide a faulty indication of examinee performance on the real test.…

The merits and hazards of minimum competency testing for the individual student or for student groups are discussed. Types of groups which lend themselves to group application and some important factors in determining the parameters of a group are discussed. Ten critical issues related to minimum competency testing are identified: (1) scope of…

This paper contains a comparison of descriptive information based on analyses of pilot and live administrations of the Alabama High School Graduation Examination (AHSGE). The test is composed of three subject tests: Reading, Mathematics, and Language. The study was intended to validate the test development procedure by comparing difficulty levels…