USAID/Rwanda Pilot of Angoff Benchmarking Method

USAID and its partners have used many different methods to set performance benchmarks for primary school students over the years, with the vast majority of benchmarking exercises relying on student reading assessment data to identify proficiency levels. However, this is not best practice in developed countries, which typically use a method sometimes referred to as policy linking. Recently, in Rwanda, this method was piloted in the USAID Soma Umenye project. 

Policy linking requires that experts select the best method for setting cut scores based on the type of assessment a country uses. In Rwanda, experts selected the Angoff Method to help test creators determine the percentage, or “cut score,” necessary for passing a test. The method relies on subject-matter experts who examine the content of each test question and then predict how many minimally-qualified candidates would answer correctly.