Educational Psychology / Unit 12 EDP 1132 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Norm- and Criterion-Referenced Scores
The idea
Standardized tests are developed by teams and administered and scored uniformly, and their scores are interpreted in one of two ways. A criterion-referenced interpretation compares performance with a standard, telling what a student can do: for example, reads grade-level text with 90 percent accuracy. A norm-referenced interpretation compares performance with a norm group, telling how the student ranks, usually as a percentile rank: for example, scored higher than 70 percent of fourth graders nationally.
In practice
Worked example: a teacher planning next week's lessons needs to know which skills each student has mastered; criterion-referenced information fits. A district choosing students for a program with limited places needs to rank applicants; norm-referenced information fits.
Where people slip
A percentile rank is not a percentage correct: the 70th percentile means scoring higher than 70 percent of the norm group, not answering 70 percent of items correctly. Classroom planning usually needs criterion-referenced information.
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