The "Evaluation of the National Assessment of Educational Progress: Study Reports" describes the special studies that comprised the design of the evaluation. In the Final Report, the authors presented a practical discussion of the evaluation studies to its primary, intended audience, namely policymakers. On this accompanying CD, readers…

The concept of due process provides an analogy for the process of standard setting that emphasizes many of the procedural and substantive elements of the process over technical and statistical concerns. Surely such concerns can and should continue to be addressed. However, a sound rationale for standard setting does not rest on this foundation.…

Standard setting on licensure and certification tests is difficult both to execute and to defend. There may, however, be certain minimum standards for standard setting on which most will be able to agree. One such standard is logical consistency. M. T. Kane (1984, 1986) has suggested an approach to evaluating the logical consistency of one widely…

A group-process approach to standard setting was compared to an independent approach for a medical specialty certification examination. Both approaches used the Angoff (1971) standard-setting method. In the group-process method, reviewers discussed items and their ratings during the rating process; in the independent condition, reviewers provided…

This report presents the experiences and outcomes of accounting standards-setters who have, in many cases, been successful in establishing a national, uniform system of certification for public accountants. An executive summary appears first. The report begins with two sections that examine the evolution of accounting into a 20th-century…

Standard setting is a fairly widespread activity in educational and psychological measurement, but there is no formal psychometric theory to guide the development of standard setting methodology. This paper presents a conceptual framework for such a psychometric theory and uses the conceptual framework to analyze a number of methods for setting…

This handbook, one of five local handbooks developed to support specialized implementation of the National Career Development Guidelines, presents guidelines for developing comprehensive programs for students in high schools. Part I describes the need for guidelines and standards in career development, defines career development programs within…

This handbook, one of five local handbooks developed to support specialized implementation of the National Career Development Guidelines, presents guidelines for developing comprehensive programs for students in elementary schools. Part I describes the need for guidelines and standards in career development, defines career development programs…

Specific steps for applying the Angoff method are described. In the Angoff method, judges are asked to estimate the probabilities of minimally competent candidates' answering multiple choice test items correctly. Initial information must be obtained for designing the standard-setting process, beginning with the purpose of the examination and any…

Traditionally, judgmental standard setting methods have been used exclusively at the test item level. In this study, the Ebel and Angoff methods of standard setting were utilized to determine minimum competency standards on a list of 175 identified competency statements for vocational evaluators. The following research questions were addressed:…

Exams which are periodically updated and revised also require a revision of the cut score to ensure that examinees who take the original form of the test, and those taking the revised form, are scored on an equivalent basis. This paper discusses available standard setting procedures as applied to establishing minimum passing scores for licensing…

Numerous techniques are available for determining cutoff scores for distinguishing between proficient and non-proficient examinees. One of the more commonly cited techniques for standard setting is the Nedelsky Method. In response to criticism of this method, Gross (1985) presented a revised Nedelsky technique. However, no research beyond that…

The problem of standard setting on language proficiency tests is often approached by the use of norms derived from the group being tested, a process commonly known as "grading on the curve." One particular problem with this ad hoc method of standard setting is that it will usually result in a fluctuating standard dependent on the particular group…

This booklet outlines a specific set of strategies that campuses with negative Greek behavioral issues can use to close the gap between what fraternities and sororities espouse and what their chapters do. Specifically, six recommendations are proposed that are designed to eliminate negative collegiate fraternity and sorority behaviors involving…

This paper focuses on the formulation and adoption of content standards in California. The standards-setting process is examined through the theoretical lens of deliberative democracy in order to develop a better understanding of the process and to assess the extent to which the institutions charged with deciding what students should learn can act…