Our emphasis on accountability overlooks children's differences. Half of all individuals who take a norm-referenced test will be below average. Should such students be pushed, mauled, and remediated or squeezed into a common learning mold? Holding teachers accountable for humane treatment of "whole children" is a worthier pursuit. (MLH)

Describes a criterion-referenced testing program in the elementary schools of Evanston, Illinois. (IRT)

A comparison was made between scores and grades of college students taking a development and learning course, using either a modified mastery grading system (MMGS) or a modified norm-referenced grading system (MNRGS). Under the MMGS, students could take each unit exam up to three times to meet minimum or higher criteria levels. Under the MNRGS,…

Criterion-referenced testing is designed to determine the student's ability to perform a specified skill within a comprehensive task. To measure the student's degree of development or growth, a teacher-made test is used. This test is used as criterion-referenced in the measuring of a student's degree of achievement of specified behaviors within a…

Differences in design between norm referenced measures (NRM) and criterion referenced measures (CRM) are reviewed, and some of the procedures proposed on designing and evaluating CRM are examined. Differences in design of NRM and CRM are said to arise from the different purposes that underlie each measure. In addition, there are differences among…

This study compared a domain referenced approach with a traditional psychometric approach in the construction of a test. Results of the December, 1975 Quarterly Profile Exam (QPE) administered to 400 examinees at a university were the source of data. The 400 item QPE is a five alternative multiple choice test of information a "safe"…

Describes the weakness of norm-referenced standardized tests and encourages teachers to use criterion-referenced tests in their place. (DD)

Seventeen handicapped and nonhandicapped preschool children were given both the norm referenced Gesell Developmental Schedules and the criterion based HICOMP progress measure on a quarterly (10 week) basis. (Author/SBH)

This paper looks at some of the problems arising from the procedures used by the Queensland, Australia, Board of Secondary School Studies to compile percentile scores known as Tertiary Entrance Scores. Although efforts to equate across schools and across subjects are being challenged, at present there is no alternative. (LMO)

Results of the comparison of 34 learning disabled and 37 low achieving fifth grade students on curriculum based assessment of reading, spelling, and written expression found significant differences between the two groups suggesting that norm-referenced tests which find no differences may reflect an inefficient procedure for confirming teacher…

Examines the extent to which grades derived from a conventional norm-referenced examination can be interpreted in terms of criterion-referenced performance assessments of different abilities and skills. Results suggest that performance is more affected by test format and subject matter than by the intellectual abilities tested by them. (JOW)

Three separate studies were designed to provide information on the alignment of norm-referenced achievement test items in language arts to Nebraska's content standards at grades 4, 8, and 11. The information was used to evaluate the alignment of the tests to the standards as well as compare that alignment across the five tests. There were 20…

Argues that measurement issues are largely ignored by proponents of competency-based teacher education who focus on administrative and operational considerations. Discusses some of these measurement issues. (Author/JF)

While the normative frame of reference is adequate for diagnosis, a behavioral approach may be more suited to the prescriptive phase of assessment. The behavioral frame of reference is described and its relevance to prescriptive assessment is discussed. (Author)

Examines seven criticisms of standardized achievement tests, including their failure to promote student learning, predict individual students' performance, and match test content with curriculum content. However, a teacher's insights into her students' learning, combined with properly interpreted standardized test results, can provide a balanced…