This paper explores common concerns about competency testing as they relate to the certification of high school graduates seeking a diploma in the United States. Competency testing is widespread in the United States, with 40 states engaged in competency testing in at least one grade. In general, and particularly for graduation requirements, the…

Examination of the development of the standards documents of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) points to constructivism as the central view of learning that underlies the reform movement in mathematics education. Constructivism is a theory of how learning occurs. It assumes that knowledge is not passively received, but rather…

The use of formal written standards as a way to improve a product or service is discussed and illustrated by an analysis of the planned development of standards for educational data reporting. The Cooperative Educational Data Collection and Reporting Standards (CEDCARS) project is intended to apply to a wide range of educational data collection…

The determination of appropriate cut scores is a critical step in the development of licensing and certification examinations. Passing point methodologies based on the estimation of item difficulties are underlain by the estimation of the probability of a correct response to items by a hypothetically minimally competent candidate. The Angoff…

Standard setting practices in states using the NTE (formerly the National Teacher Examinations) were examined for 1987. The NTE is composed of two segments: (1) a Core Battery covering the communication skills and general knowledge skills; and (2) a test of professional knowledge about teaching. The processes used to establish passing scores for…

The sources of variability in the Angoff standard-setting procedure, when applied to the Alabama High School Graduation Examination (AHSGE), were examined. The sources of variability examined are judges, rounds (replications), competencies (items), and interactions among these three sources. After training, the judges were given a statement of a…

Four different systematic methods for selecting passing scores which differ primarily in the types of judgment they require were compared. The borderline group method and the contrasting groups method were each compared with the Nedelsky method at four schools and the Angoff method at another four schools. The Basic Skills Assessment Tests in…

The implicit definition of competence and the inferential chain that links the standard-setting process to the decision outcomes of the method are considered for two classes of standard-setting procedures: those involving data-free judgments of items and those involving data-based judgment of items. The major underlying assumptions of competence…

This paper reports on the promises and pitfalls of the recently legislated basic skills testing requirement for teaching or service credential applicants in California. The California Basic Education Skills Test (CBEST), developed by Educational Testing Service from specifications set by Advisory Board to the State Department of Education, tests…

Presents the history and an overview of how generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) are established and by what process the standards are created. School business officials are invited to participate in the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB), established as the standard setting body for state and local governments. (MLF)

Judgmental standard setting approaches rely on the perceptions of experts about examinee performance on a test. Traditional standard setting methods ask panelists to predict the probability that a randomly selected, hypothetical minimally competent candidate (MCC) will correctly answer test questions. Item performance predictions are difficult for…

Numerous ideas regarding school reform have been in evidence of late. One idea that has received increased attention is standards-driven education reform, which is the subject of this book. The text features an outline of a CD version, which is included. The volume is intended for interested laymen and professionals and features an eight-step plan…

It is now seen as an economic and political necessity for countries to produce higher levels of performance across the spectrum of ability of all their students. This paper describes one example of the influence of political conditions on the process of developing assessment instruments and on measuring standards. In England, the trend is toward…

This paper describes the feedback included in operational achievement level setting (ALS) procedures for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). It does not describe the feedback form field trials, pilot studies, or other research studies related to the NAEP. The NAEP ALS process includes three rounds of item-by-item ratings, and…

Survey research establishes that beardedness correlates with many desired outcomes and supports that a minimal level of beardedness be set as a prerequisite for high school graduation. Research problems of concept clarification, domain-definition, instrument development, and standard setting methods are discussed. The political considerations of…