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A METHOD FOR REACHING A COMPROMISE BETWEEN ABSOLUTE AND RELATIVE STANDARDS IN EXAMINATIONS
Author(s) -
BEUK CEES H.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
journal of educational measurement
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.917
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1745-3984
pISSN - 0022-0655
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-3984.1984.tb00226.x
Subject(s) - compromise , intersection (aeronautics) , function (biology) , statistics , computer science , mathematics , engineering , law , aerospace engineering , evolutionary biology , political science , biology
Examining committees often need to reach a compromise between absolute and relative standards. Unfortunately, the way in which the compromise is achieved is usually unclear. This paper proposes a systematic method for reaching a compromise. In this method, the estimated passing score (level of minimum knowledge) is assumed to be related to the expected pass rate (percentage of successful candidates) through a simple linear function. The examination results define a function relating the percentage of candidates who would be successful given a specified passing score to the passing score. The intersection of both functions gives the required compromise.