WVDE is charged with determining and approving rigorous yet reasonable cut scores to ensure an accurate representation of student performance in English language arts (ELA), math, and science as mandated by state and federal law.
Standard Setting Process
To set cut scores and establish achievement levels for both the West Virginia General Summative Assessment in Grades 3-8 and the SAT School Day in Grade 11, the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE), in collaboration with its testing contractors, conducted standard setting meetings during the summer of 2018. Standard setting is the technical process in which panels of content experts participate in a federally approved process to determine cut scores per grade level, per content area. The panelists, which included West Virginia educators, business representatives, parents, and higher education faculty, set cut scores to determine four achievement levels – Exceeds Standard, Meets Standard, Partially Meets Standard, and Does Not Meet Standard.