Standard Setting Lessons Learned in the South African Context: Implications for International Implementation

Abstract

Criterion-referenced assessments have become more common around the world, with performance standards being set to differentiate different levels of student performance. However, use of standard setting methods developed in the United States may be complicated by factors related to the political and educational contexts within another country. In this article, experience gained from conducting several standard setting studies in South Africa is shared. The legacy of the apartheid era, in which segregation and discrimination were institutionalized, affects the attitudes of South Africans toward assessment and placing students into performance levels. These issues played out as panelists were asked to make judgments related to students’ likely performance in higher education. Although the instantiation of panelists’ reluctance to label students may be different in South Africa compared to the United States or other countries, lessons can be learned about how the effects of these beliefs and anxieties may be addressed during standard setting activities.

Keywords:

• South Africa
• standard setting
• validity

Notes

The term Coloured is used in South Africa to refer to an ethnic group of mixed-race people who possess some African ancestry but not enough to be considered Black under the law of South Africa. The use of “race-based” categories is strictly guided by the need to provide redress for historical discrimination, and for equity employment purposes.

The term Indian is used to refer to people of Indian descent living in South Africa, with India referring to the South Asian country.