How does standard setting work? New explainer podcasts released
Three bitesize podcasts explaining key issues in standard setting have been released today by the Oxford University Centre for Educational Assessment.
The podcasts give an accessible explanation to teachers, students and everyone interested the different approaches to standard setting in qualifications like GCSEs.
Principal Investigators Dr Michelle Meadows and Professor Jo-Anne Baird said: “Public discussions on standards are often frustrating for all sides because there are different understandings of how things are done. We hope these podcasts bridge the communications gap between the public and assessment industry insiders on how standards are set.”
The first podcast explains the pros and cons of criterion-referencing, the second debunks the myth that GCSEs are norm-referenced and explains how standards are really set, and the third explains why GCSE grade boundaries change from one examination series to the next.
The podcasts are available in English and Welsh (Cymraeg), and the research was funded by Qualification Wales.
