Q:  What determines the percent correct required to pass a secondary CTE assessment?

A:   Because the assessments used to measure CTE program effectiveness are selected from among existing assessments developed for different purposes, they may differ in the percent correct that may be expected of a secondary CTE student. Often, the cut score is set at a level to reflect what a job candidate would be expected to know upon entering the occupational field. Other assessments, such as licensing or certification examinations may have cut scores set at a level required to protect the public from harm. Usually cut scores are based on the judgments of experts regarding how well a test-taker at the specified level of competence would do on the assessment.