Standards Based Assessment - A Validity Quandary

Standards-based performance assessment is misunderstood and understandably so.  We have all been thoroughly steeped in the model of traditional education that includes 'Standards' as a laundry list of information and skills to which students are exposed as they move through the system.  Beyond generating requisite course grades, university-level faculty have little time, energy, or inclination to explore the unfamiliar Standards-based assessment process.  Many believe that since both processes involve numeric scores, they must be the same process.  At many universities course grades are equated with judgments of quality related to expert skills.  Unfortunately, the two are not the same.  (see Scores vs. Grades)  

Standards-based performance assessment uses particular types of data that drive particular processes. The content and processes are the same, no matter who has set up or is using the system.  (see Competency Assessment - a Systems Approach)  There is also a set of commonly-held misconceptions that threaten the accuracy of scores in performance assessment.  These misconceptions fall into several categories: Language, Scope, Scoring, Reliability, Authenticity, Purpose, Feedback, and Support.  

Language
It is extremely important for content validity, that you develop a common assessment language.