چكيده
The pass-fail criterion in the Criterion-Referenced system is of crucial importance in decision making, which is the very purpose of evaluation. This research aims at investigating the appropriateness of the criterion set for Criterion-referenced test (CRT) in Iran’s educational system Some scholars, such as Cunningham (1998), believe that 70-80% of the total score and others, such as Saif (2003), believe that 85-90% of the total grade is the appropriate cut-off score. In Iran, the criterion is 50%. In this research, to examine the criterion set for the criterion-referenced tests in Iranian high schools, three different methods were utilized: the Anghoff method, interviews, and analysis on students’ grades. The outcome of the research demonstrates that the acceptable range for an appropriate minimum passing grade is 13-16 out of 20. This subject warrants further studies.
