Standard-Setting Study

A standard-setting study is a formal research study, conducted by an organization that administers a test, used to determine the cutscore, or passing threshold, for that test. In the United States, a legally defensible cutscore for a high-stakes assessment cannot be set arbitrarily and must instead be empirically justified to meet the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing; an organization cannot simply decide, for example, that the cutscore will be seventy percent correct. Instead, a study is conducted to determine what score actually distinguishes between classifications of test-takers, such as competent versus incompetent. Because such studies require substantial resources and a number of professionals with a psychometric background, they are impractical for an ordinary classroom, even though some form of standard setting takes place at every level of education using a range of available methods. A standard-setting study is typically carried out using a focus group of five to fifteen subject-matter experts who represent the test's key stakeholders, such as instructors familiar with the capabilities of the population being tested.