A Study of Criteria Used in Equating

One aspect of the equating process that does not seem to be developed, or applied, as fully as it might be is the area of criteria. Although there are many options from which to choose, in terms of a data collection design, and the specific methodology to use, there is not much guidance in how to evaluate the options and select the best one for current needs. Thus, an investigation of the criteria proposed in the literature for a variety of situations seems useful. In the steps that need to be followed in conducting an equating, one is rarely asked to explicitly state which definition of equating will be used or how it will be determined if the methodology chosen results in an equating of adequate accuracy for one's purpose. It would seem that a good place to begin in developing equating criteria would be with the definition of equating. Thus, in addition to a section reviewing how equating criteria have been used in the equating literature, this article first approaches the topic of equating criteria from the perspective of how equating is defined. The final section contains a general discussion and some recommendations.