Setting Standards in the Assessment of Complex Performances: The Optimized Extended-Response Standard Setting Method

Abstract

The historical evidence available on the long tradition of assessment programs and methods, takes us back to Biblical accounts and to the early Chinese civil service exams of approximately 200 B.C. (Cizek, 2001). Since then, socio-political and educational theories and beliefs have had determining impact on the definitions used to implement assessment programs and the use of the information derived from them. The determination of standards is a central aspect of this process. Over time, these standards have been defined in numerous ways, including the setting of arbitrary numbers for passing, the unquestioned establishment of criteria by a ruling board, the performance of individuals in relation to a reference group (not always the “same” group or a “fair” group to compare with), and many other criteria. More recently, changes in the understanding of social and educational phenomena have inspired a movement to make assessments more relevant and better adjusted to the educational goals and the personal advancement of those being tested. Simultaneously, the exponential increase of information and the demanding higher levels of complexity involved in contemporary life, require the determination of complex levels of performance for many current assessment needs. The emergence of new techniques and modalities of assessment has made it possible to address some of these issues. These new methods have also introduced new