Cut Scores

It is often necessary to take the scores from a test and create two or more groups of examinees. For example, in licensure testing, a threshold score on a test is [Page 379]necessary (although there may be additional requirements) to be allowed to practice a particular profession. For a state educational test required to meet federal accountability laws, some scores might lead a student to be classified as below basic, basic, proficient, or advanced in a particular discipline such as mathematics. Cut scores are the numeric value representing the test score that separates one category of examinees from another. The process by which cut scores are set, also referred to as standard setting, is done when stakeholders and policy makers, usually facilitated by measurement experts, ...