Standardsetting

Standard setting is the process used to determine performance standards or cut scores for assessments and programs. It defines what level of performance constitutes mastery of a given domain, aligning scores with explicit criteria, competencies, or learning outcomes rather than raw item difficulty alone.

Core applications occur in education, professional licensing, certification, and accreditation. Standard setting determines pass/fail decisions, eligibility for advancement, or credentialing, and supports fairness by articulating minimum competency across domains.

Common approaches rely on structured expert judgment. The Angoff method asks judges to estimate the probability that a minimally competent examinee would answer each item correctly. The Ebel method considers item difficulty together with the importance and relevance of content. The Bookmark method uses the ordered difficulty of items to identify a passing point, often through a running bookmark standard.

Process steps typically include defining the construct and performance levels, selecting and training a standard-setting panel, reviewing item content, collecting judgments, aggregating results, and documenting the rationale for the cut score. Iterative review and possible revisions are common to maintain alignment with current standards and curricula.

Challenges include ensuring reliability and validity of judgments, avoiding bias, supporting cross-cultural fairness, and maintaining transparency. Defensible documentation and stakeholder communication are important to sustain trust in the process.

Outcomes are cut scores or performance thresholds that guide scoring rules, reporting, and interpretation, with ongoing review to reflect changes in curricula, standards, or demographics.