Correct Answer: a test in which performance is related to educational objectives.
a criterion-referenced test is a type of educational assessment designed to measure a student's performance against a specific set of objectives or criteria, rather than against the performance of other students. these tests are aligned with the curriculum and the specific learning goals they aim to assess. each test item is directly linked to an objective, and the primary goal is to determine whether each student has achieved the intended learning outcomes.
in contrast to norm-referenced tests, which aim to rank students and create a distribution of scores across a population (such as a bell curve), criterion-referenced tests do not compare students to each other. instead, they focus solely on whether a student has learned what was expected according to the curriculum standards. a student's score is typically reported as a percentage or as a mastery level (e.g., "meets expectations," "exceeds expectations"), indicating how well they have mastered the material.
criterion-referenced tests are used in various educational settings, from elementary schools to professional certification programs. they are particularly valuable for informing teachers about individual student's strengths and weaknesses with respect to specific educational goals. this information can be used to tailor instruction to meet the needs of each student, helping to ensure that all students reach the minimum level of proficiency required by the curriculum.
moreover, these tests are helpful for accountability purposes, as they provide a clear picture of what students have learned and whether an educational program is meeting its goals. they are also used for decisions related to student promotion, graduation, and placement in specific courses or programs.
while criterion-referenced tests are powerful tools for measuring specific learning outcomes, they are not without limitations. designing effective criterion-referenced tests requires a clear and detailed understanding of the learning objectives they are intended to measure. furthermore, these tests are not typically designed to measure a student's potential or ability to learn material beyond the defined curriculum, nor are they intended to compare a student's performance to that of their peers on a broader scale.
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