An Evaluation of Conjunctive and Compensatory Standard-Setting Strategies for Test Decisions

States are increasingly using test scores as part of the requirements for high school graduation or certification. In these circumstances, a battery of tests or, with writing, analytic traits are considered that usually cover different aspects of the state's content standards. Because pass or fail decisions are made affecting students' futures, the validity of standard-setting procedures and strategies is a major concern. Policymakers and legislators must decide which of these 2 standard-setting strategies to use for making pass or fail decisions for students seeking certification or for meeting a high school graduation requirement. The compensatory strategy focuses on total performance, summing scores across all tests in the battery. The conjunctive strategy requires passing performance for each test in the battery. This article reviews and evaluates compensatory and conjunctive standard-setting strategies. The rationales for each type are presented and discussed. Results from a study comparing the compensatory and conjunctive strategies for a state high school certification writing test provide insight into the problem of choosing either strategy. This article concludes with a set of recommendations for those who must decide which type of standard-setting strategy to use.