Criterion-referenced test

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A criterion-referenced test is one that provides for translating the test score into a statement about the behavior to be expected of a person with that score or their relationship to a specified subject matter. By contrast, with a norm-referenced test, the translated score tells where the person stands in some population of persons who have taken the test. The same test can be used in both ways, as the ACT provides both a ranking, and indication of what level is considered necessary to likely success in college.[1] Robert Glaser originally coined both terms.[2] Therefore, the term "criterion-referenced test" is somewhat of a misnomer, as it more accurately refers to the interpretation that is made of the score and not the test itself.[3]

A common misunderstanding regarding the term is the meaning of criterion. Many, if not most, criterion-referenced tests involve a cutscore, where the examinee passes if their score exceeds the cutscore and fails if it does not (often called a mastery test). The criterion is not the cutscore; it is the domain of subject matter that the test is designed to assess. The criterion-referenced interpretation of a test score identifies the relationship to the subject matter. In the case of a mastery test, this does mean identifying whether the examinee has "mastered" a specified level of the subject matter by comparing their score to the cutscore. However, not all criterion-referenced tests have a cutscore, and the score can simply refer to a person's standing on the subject domain. [4] Again, the ACT is an example of this; there is no cutscore, it simply is an assessment of the student's knowledge of high-school level subject matter.

Criterion-referenced testing was a major focus of psychometric research in the 1970s [5].

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[edit] Alternative views

Many criterion-referenced tests are high-stakes tests, where the results of the test have important implications for the individual examinee. This can also be described as, "you lose a lot if you fail to pass."[6] Examples of this include high school graduation examinations or a Certificate of Initial Mastery, and licensure testing where the test must be passed to work in a profession.

Criterion referenced tests have been referred to as standards-based assessments by some education agencies,[7] where students are assessed with regards to standards that define what they "should" know, as defined by the state.[8] Some tests set a standard that have failed 50 to 80 percent of students at the outset,[9] a higher, not lower failure rate than is possible with standard definition of 50 percent falling below average.

[edit] Notes and references

  1. ^ Cronbach, L. J. (1970). Essentials of psychological testing (3rd ed.). New York: Harper & Row.
  2. ^ Glaser, R. (1963). Instructional technology and the measurement of learning outcomes. American Psychologist, 18, 510-522.
  3. ^ Haertel, E. (1985). Construct validity and criterion-referenced testing. Review of Educational Research, 55(1), 23-46.
  4. ^ [1] QuestionMark Glossary
  5. ^ Weiss, D.J. and Davison, M.L. (1981). Test Theory and Methods. Annual Review of Psychology, 32,1.
  6. ^ Homeschool World: "The Education Standards Movement Spells Trouble for Private and Home Schools"
  7. ^ Assessing the Assessment of Outcomes Based Education by Dr Malcolm Venter. Cape Town, South Africa. "OBE advocates a criterion-based system, which means getting rid of the bell curve, phasing out grade point averages and comparative grading".
  8. ^ Homeschool World: "The Education Standards Movement Spells Trouble for Private and Home Schools"
  9. ^ http://www.goldwaterinstitute.org/article.php?/696.html] AIMS 2005: Everyone's Passing, but Is Anyone Learning? by Vicki Murray Goldwater Institute Today's News July 14, 2005 "Every year since 1999, the state has lowered AIMS passing scores or made content easier. Despite those efforts, about 60 percent of high school students taking AIMS for the first time failed in 2002, 2003, and 2004."

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

  • A webpage about instruction that discusses assessment
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