ERIC Number: EJ990687
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012-Oct
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1531-7714
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Evaluating the Appropriateness and Use of Domain Critical Errors
Buckendahl, Chad W.; Davis-Becker, Susan L.
Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, v17 n13 Oct 2012
The consequences associated with the uses and interpretations of scores for many credentialing testing programs have important implications for a range of stakeholders. Within licensure settings specifically, results from examination programs are often one of the final steps in the process of assessing whether individuals will be allowed to enter practice. This article focuses on the concept of domain critical errors and suggests a framework for considering their use in practice. Domain critical errors are defined here as knowledge, skills, abilities, or judgments that are essential to the definition of minimum qualifications in a testing program's pass-fail decision-making process. Using domain critical errors has psychometric and policy implications, particularly for licensure programs that are mandatory for entry-level practice. Because these errors greatly influence pass-fail decisions, the measurement community faces an ongoing challenge to promote defensible practices while concurrently providing assessment literacy development about the appropriate design and use of testing methods like domain critical errors. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)
Descriptors: Licensing Examinations (Professions), Test Items, Dentistry, Minimum Competency Testing, Standard Setting, Scoring, Test Construction, Test Reliability
Center for Educational Assessment. 813 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA 01002. e-mail: pare@umass.edu; Tel: 413-577-2180; Web site: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/pare
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A