                                                              
| 2002 - Norm-Referenced vs. Criterion-Referenced Tests |
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| Written by Maryellen Rogusky |
| Thursday, 05 January 2006 02:42 |
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UNDERSTANDING HOW THE TESTS ARE USED A “test wise” educator or policymaker should understand somethingabout the ways in which tests are used, particularly how they can be used in test-based accountability systems. For example, as explained in Chapter Two, standardized test scores are commonly reported in “norm-referenced” terms that indicate the relative standing of students with respect to a larger group. This type of score is familiar to many people, easy to interpret, and widely used in other areas of endeavor. However, in the context of accountability, where tests are used to determine student status with respect to specific content standards, “criterion-referenced” score reports may have more meaning. A criterion-referenced score indicates the degree to which a student has mastered a specific body of knowledge and is directly interpretable in these terms. Moreover, criterion-referenced scores can also be used to assign performance levels, such as “proficient” or “advanced,” to help users interpret performance. The important thing to understand is that each reporting option has advantages and disadvantages, and the best option may be to report scores in multiple ways. People Involved: Test makers, policymakers, and the tested students Comments: One of the central themes of this era of reform is the tension between large- Scale testing and real accountability for student learning. References: Laura S. Hamilton, Brian M. Stecher, and Stephen P. Klein (eds.), (2002), Making Sense of Test-Based Accountability in Education. Order Now $20.00, (paperback, 181 pp.) ISBN: 0-8330-3161-9 MR-1554-EDU, © 2002 http://www.rand.org/publications/MR/MR1554/ |