Teachers evaluate students with criterion-referenced tests rather than norm-referenced tests.
Tests that set goals for students based on the average student's performance are norm-referenced tests.
Many college entrance exams and nationally used school tests use norm-referenced tests.
With a norm-referenced test, grade level was traditionally set at the level set by the middle 50 percent of scores.
The second were scores on norm-referenced tests, which rank students based on how they compare to others who took the test across the nation.
A norm-referenced test would report primarily whether this student correctly answered more questions compared to other students in the group.
A "norm-referenced" test is concerned with placing individuals in rank order of attainment.
A norm-referenced test can provide little information to assist in the teaching and learning of low attainers.
There are no cut scores for norm-referenced tests.
So the designs of criteria- and norm-referenced tests actually differ very little.
