Benjamin D. Wright: A Higher Standard

In 1992, I approached Ben Wright about the vexing problem facing the testing organization with whom I worked. The establishment of effective criterion-referenced standards that could be used without inevitable adjustment seemed out of reach when employing most traditional models. Soon Ben would become my professor, mentor and friend. With his irrepressible energy, he quickly produced a wealth of published and, more importantly, unpublished thought on the matter. During the next 4 years I was fortunate enough to work with Ben in the development of what is now called the Objective Standard Setting model. His vision helped assessment to define a new pathway to equity and meaningful measurement. As he had done for so many others before me including my father, his wisdom and inspiration would help me to find a new and passionate career, and to share that experience with new generations. This paper presents the development of criterion-referenced standard setting and the vital role Benjamin Wright would play in this important pursuit.