1. Group 5: Standardized testing Standardized tests are designed to give a common measure of students' performance–Kidsource on line- Standardized testing is a reality in most learning environments in kindergarten through high school and often college and the professional world.

2. Norm Referenced Testing • Norm-referenced tests (NRT) compare a person’s score against the scores of a group of people who have already taken the same exam, called the “norming group.”

3. Norm Referenced continued… • NRTs are made to compare test takers to each other. • Most achievement NRTs are multiple-choice tests • NRTs are designed to “rank-order” test takers –that is, to compare students’ scores • Scores are usually reported as percentile ranks.

4. Norm Referenced continued… • One more question right or wrong can cause a big change in the student’s score. • Tests can be biased • NRTs usually have to be completed in a time limit.

5. CriterionReferenced Tests • Are intended to measure how well a person has learned a specific body of knowledge and skills.

6. Criterion Referenced continued… • CRTs usually are made to determine whether a student has learned the material taught in a specific grade or course.

7. ExamplesYou can visit this site to see different test examples by grade level and subject • http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sr/css05rtq.asp

8. Examples: • For example, if the criterion is "Students should be able to correctly add two single-digit numbers," then reasonable test questions might look like "2 + 3 = ?" or "9 + 5 = ?" A criterion-referenced test would report the student's performance strictly according to whether or not the individual student correctly answered these questions. A norm-referenced test would report primarily whether this student correctly answered more questions compared to other students in the group.

9. Conclusion If standardized tests are used, CRTs make more sense for schools than do NRTs, as they are based on a smaller demographic. For example, this could include a specific classroom, school or district. Additionally, the hope is that they will be based on relevant, high-quality standards and curriculum. The tests should make the least possible use of multiple-choice and short-answer questions.

10. “As with all tests, CRTs and NRTs, no matter what they are called, should not control curriculum and instruction, and important decisions about students, teachers or schools should not be based solely or automatically on test scores.” -The National Center for Fair and Open Testing-

11. References • http://www.fairtest.org/facts/csrtests.html • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criterion-referenced_test • http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content/standardized.testing.html • http://www.standardizedtesting.net/ • http://pareonline.net/getvn.asp?v=5&n=2