The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: a treasure hunt in the fields of standard setting and test equating
The fundamental difference between standard setting and test equating is in their nature: standard setting is a judgmental process, while test equating is a statistical process. Another distinction between the two processes is that standard setting is an integral part of any test development and test score interpretations while test equation is limited only to linking parallel forms of the same test. As far as it concerns linking language examinations to the Common European Framework of Reference other types of linking (calibrating, projection, statistical moderation and social moderation) are usually more appropriated, but irrespective of the approach adopted in the particular concrete situation, the linkage always requires standard setting at a certain point. In other words, standard setting is at the core of the linkage process. Bearing in mind the importance and the complexity of these issues this presentation will focus on the quality criteria for evaluating the processes of standard setting and linking assessments and will illustrate these criteria with examples of good and bad practice in the field of language testing in Europe.

Dr. Felianka Kaftandjieva
Associate Professor in Educational Measurement & Evaluation at Sofia University, a member of the EALTA Expert Membership Committee, with interests in the field of test calibration, validation and standard setting.