Standard-Setting Methods for Diagnostic Interpretation of Results From a Developmental Assessment: Thurstonian Threshold-Based Cut Scores

• In Event: Rasch Modeling Methodologies

Abstract

This paper focuses on the use of diagnostic assessments and methods for generating cut scores within a construct mapping (Wilson & Draney, 2002) standard setting framework. First, we present a method for generating cut scores using Thurstonian thresholds that supports intuitive diagnostic interpretation of the results from a developmental assessment. Second, we reverse engineer cut scores into item parameters and show that this method may provide useful information about the probability that an examinee is within each of a set of ordered diagnostic categories. We focus on communication with stakeholders: communication strategies based on this new information may support more nuanced and more psychometrically accurate interpretation of student performance that may be of use to teachers, families, and applied researchers.

Authors

• Joshua Sussman, University of California - Berkeley

• Perman Gochyyev, University of California, Berkeley