Programmatic assessment: Can we provide evidence for saturation of information?

PURPOSE: According to the principles of programmatic assessment, a valid high-stakes assessment of the students' performance should amongst others, be based on a multiple data points, supposedly leading to saturation of information. Saturation of information is generated when a data point does not add important information to the assessor. In establishing saturation of information, institutions often set minimum requirements for the number of assessment data points to be included in the portfolio.

METHODS: In this study, we aimed to provide validity evidence for saturation of information by investigating the relationship between the number of data points exceeding the minimum requirements in a portfolio and the consensus between two independent assessors. Data were analyzed using a multiple logistic regression model.

RESULTS: The results showed no relation between the number of data points and the consensus. This suggests that either the consensus is predicted by other factors only, or, more likely, that assessors already reached saturation of information. This study took the first step in investigating saturation of information, further research is necessary to gain in-depth insights of this matter in relation to the complex process of decision-making.