Criterion-Referenced Standard-Setting in Certification and Licensure: Defining the Minimally Competent Candidate.

Discrepancies among the standards produced by different criterion-referenced standard-setting techniques may be the result of a failure to adequately define the minimally competent candidate. Current research in this area is reviewed in terms of three categories: studies in which no formal assistance in conceptualization is given to judges, studies in which conceptualization is accomplished through discussion including the review of relevant materials, and studies in which empirical information about test items or test performance is used. Two standard-setting studies using a combination of these techniques are discussed in detail. (Author)