Cutoff Scores

Cutoff scores are generally associated with scales of various types; some of them are basic while others are complex. One type of scale associated with cutoff scores is raw scores on a continuous scale. Generally, the characteristics of this scale include a bell-shaped curve with normal [Page 326]distribution. A conceptual example of this might include an assessment of students’ performances in an academic subject. The mean at the center of the bell curve might represent the value that a student is competent in the subject at hand. Scores that fall farther from the mean might indicate less competency in the subject matter. Another type of scale is a two-category ordinal scale; one category might be labeled “pass” while the other “did not pass.” A further ...