The Power of Compromise: The Who, What, When, Why, and How of Using a Compromise Standard Setting Method

Description: Passing standards are often set using the traditional Angoff Standard Setting method. However, for multiple reasons, the standard setting panelists may end up with a recommended passing standard that is not acceptable to all relevant stakeholders. Then, what?

The purpose of this session is to review some well-known compromise methods, such as the Hofstee (1983) and Beuk (1984) methods, and explore how they can be modified from their original intention to apply them to a credentialing exam.

With the understanding of the origin of these methods, this session will consider the following questions:

• Why would an organization consider a compromise method?
• Who should be involved when applying a compromise method?
• What questions should be asked?
• When and to whom should the questions be asked and the answers revealed?
• How do you apply/modify a compromise method so that it is the most effective for an organization?

Our session will consist of three panelists, all of whom are psychometricians. One panelist will discuss the who, what, when, and why questions listed above. A second panelist will present a case study of how compromise methods have been successfully applied in their organization. The third panelist will discuss innovative ways to modify traditional compromise methods to improve their effectiveness when setting passing scores for both initial certification and recertification exams. The last 15 minutes of the session will be reserved for audience questions.