So Much Has Changed

The purpose of this chapter is to provide an historical overview of setting cut scores ² during the last 30 years or so. Some brief discussions of earlier periods are included as background for more recent changes. I begin by discussing the important issues and historical contexts that have shaped and continue to shape the setting of cut scores. ³ Next, I briefly describe some of the major methods of setting cut scores and show how the methods have evolved. Because controversy has been an ongoing aspect of setting cut scores, I provide an overview of the major disagreements. Next, I trace changes in the flow of information about cut scores. I close with a discussion of what cut score setters have learned about the fundamental nature of cut scores.