Stakeholders’ Perceptions of the Cut-off Score in Admission Examinations

Abstract

The cutoff score is an essential construct of the theory of educational assessment and a subject of discussions and clashes among the stakeholders in educational practice: politicians, executive bodies, non-profit organisations, school managers, teachers, students and their parents. This paper presents the theoretical concept of the cutoff score and its application in the admission procedure of secondary schools completed by the schoolleaving examination. It presents selected stakeholders' views on its use to reduce the failure of pupils to complete secondary school studies. The text presents the results of empirical research among 409 school managers and teachers randomly selected in four regions of the Czech Republic. Respondents expressed their opinion on the usefulness of introducing the cutoff score into educational practice and commented on its proposed boundary. Their opinions were differentiated according to their engagement at the level of the educational system, the length of teaching practice and gender. At the same time, respondents expressed their opinion on the newly introduced uniform entrance examination for secondary schools and its potential to increase the objectivity and fairness of the admission procedure. The main finding of the research is that almost two-thirds of respondents accept the cutoff score procedure. The main aim of the study was to reflect upon the utility of the cutoff score as an essential construct of the theory of educational assessment as well as a subject of professional and public discussions with regards to a search for consensus on the cutoff score implementation in the uniform entrance examination for secondary schools completed by the school-leaving examination in the Czech Republic.

Unveiling fairness in scoring: a thorough method for precise cutoff score calculation in education assessment

“…The determination of these needs by educational institutions is influenced by factors such as their educational philosophy, external standards established by accrediting agencies, the competence of faculty members and the alignment with desired learning Unveiling fairness in scoring objectives (Malach and Vicherkov a, 2019). The investigation conducted by Malach and Vicherkov a (2019) examined the procedure of establishing cutoff scores and emphasized the significance of engaging subject matter experts in the standard-setting process. The research underscored the need to promote openness and foster cooperation among faculty members to preserve cutoff scores' integrity and impartiality.…”

“…Implementing cutoff scores in higher education requires meticulous deliberation of several issues. The determination of these needs by educational institutions is influenced by factors such as their educational philosophy, external standards established by accrediting agencies, the competence of faculty members and the alignment with desired learning objectives (Malach and Vicherková, 2019). The investigation conducted by Malach and Vicherková (2019) examined the procedure of establishing cutoff scores and emphasized the significance of engaging subject matter experts in the standard-setting process.…”