Leveling the Field in Performance Assessment: A Deviation Model for Adjusting Rater Biases

• In Event: Rating and Scoring Issues in Assessment

Abstract

The use of performance assessments is widespread in high-stakes certification examinations. As these assessments are attached to such important outcomes for individuals and the public, it becomes critical to ensure that the examination process is as fair as possible. As many performance assessments utilize human raters for these high-stakes decisions, it becomes important to attempt to mitigate the effects of rater biases. Previous research has demonstrated the utility of adjusting ratings in performance assessment. The purpose of the current research is to present a deviation model for adjusting rater biases to mitigate the effects of rater leniency in performance assessment. The deviation method showed promise as a simple method to reduce rater bias in performance assessments.

Author

• Andrew Jones, American Board of Surgery