Characteristics Which Differentiate Criterion-Referenced from Norm-Referenced Tests [electronic resource] / Thomas W. Klein.

Characteristics that distinguish criterion-referenced tests from their norm-referenced counterparts are discussed, including: the purposes that they are designed to serve; the characteristics of the types of items that they contain; and the manner in which they are developed. More specifically, the...

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Bibliographic Details
Online Access: Full Text (via ERIC)
Main Author: Klein, Thomas W.
Corporate Author: Nevada. State Department of Education. Planning, Research & Evaluation Branch
Format: Electronic eBook
Language:English
Published: [S.l.] : Distributed by ERIC Clearinghouse, 1990.
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Summary:Characteristics that distinguish criterion-referenced tests from their norm-referenced counterparts are discussed, including: the purposes that they are designed to serve; the characteristics of the types of items that they contain; and the manner in which they are developed. More specifically, the distinguishing characteristics include: reference for measurement; information obtained; homogeneity of item difficulty; standards of performance; distribution of outcomes; and item format. A critical difference is the reference for measurement. For criterion-referenced tests, the reference of measurement is the existence of the behavior of interest. The criterion-referenced test assesses whether or not the individual possesses the skill. The qualitative distinction about performance is optimal for assessing specific or minimum competencies. The reference for measurement for norm-referenced tests is the distribution of outcomes in a representative normative sample. The question asked is how the individual performs relative to others from the reference population. Performance standards are arbitrarily imposed on the norm-referenced measure. Normative tests are optimal when the entire range of knowledge or skill is of interest. These differences are summarized in a table. (SLD)
Item Description:ERIC Document Number: ED324327.
Physical Description:13 p.