The three standard-setting approaches described in this special issue are summarized and contrasted: (1) judgmental policy capturing; (2) the extended Angoff method; and (3) the dominant profile method. An integrative summary of findings is followed by recommendations for modifying the methods. (SLD)

Scores from four samples each of 250 and 1,000 physicians demonstrated that a linear procedure for equating scores and rescaling judges' standards for a certification test could be applied to individual item data gathered through the Angoff standard-setting method. Equated and rescaled values were close to those actually assigned. (SLD)

An agenda for research on standards for professional licensure and certification examinations is outlined. The relationship between scores and standards is explored, and major classes of standards are described. Topics for future research are discussed in the areas of judgment basis, process efficiency, group effects, and content and expertise…

Reflects on the process of standards writing conducted by the National of Council of Teachers of English and the International Reading Association, from both an insider and an outsider perspective. Reflects on the larger forces at play and the deeper issues which derailed the standards effort and which "produced standards that no one has much…

Interviews with 45 key informants involved in development of Britain's National Vocational Qualifications attributed failure to achieve better implementation to institutional constraints: political imperative to manage high youth unemployment, inadequate accountability and supervision, lack of mechanisms to compel implementation, and weakness of…

Reviews and evaluates compensatory and conjunctive standard-setting strategies, presenting and discussing the rationales for each approach. Results of a comparison of the two approaches for a state high school certification writing test provide insight into the problem of choosing either strategy. (SLD)

In a coherent educational assessment system, the relation between the cut scores across the grades of a content area should reflect the goals of the educational system moderated by the state of the standards within that system. In this article, we discuss the need for consistent cut scores across the grades of a content area; we present and…

This article introduces a new test-centered standard-setting method as well as a procedure to detect intrajudge inconsistency of the method. The standard-setting method that is based on interdependent evaluations of alternative responses has judges closely evaluate the process that examinees use to solve multiple-choice items. The new method is…

The "Science Assessment and Item Specifications for the 2009 NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress)" (the "Specifications") translates the "Science Framework for the 2009 NAEP" (the "Framework") into guidelines for developing items and for developing the assessment as a whole. The primary purpose of the "Specifications" is to provide…

The link between strong academic preparation in high school and success in college and careers is clearer than it has ever been. Recognizing that the standards students have to meet in the "real world" have become more demanding, governors and policymakers in a growing number of states are taking action to increase the requirements for earning a…

Self-help initiatives stand as a classic context for organizational studies in community psychology. Behavior setting theory stands as a classic conception of organizations and the environment. This study explores both, applying behavior setting theory to consumer-run organizations (CROs). Analysis of multiple data sets from all CROs in Kansas…

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to construct a description and interpretation of the standards development process of the Early Childhood/Generalist Standards documents, both first edition and second edition, using an analysis of the actions of and interactions between committee members, professional organization representatives,…

There is a growing ideological divide in the field of family literacy between programs that are striving to colonize families with middle-class European-American literacy practices, and those based on Freire's philosophy which works toward affirming diverse family literacy practices. The Freirean alternative includes "culture circles" for the…

Although the primary use of the speaking section of the Test of English as a Foreign Language™ Internet-based test (TOEFL® iBT Speaking test) is to inform admissions decisions at English medium universities, it may also be useful as an initial screening measure for international teaching assistants (ITAs). This study provides criterion-related…

A non-arbitrary method for the identification and scale setting of latent variables in general structural equation modeling is introduced. This particular technique provides identical model fit as traditional methods (e.g., the marker variable method), but it allows one to estimate the latent parameters in a nonarbitrary metric that reflects the…