Norm-referenced test
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A norm-referenced test compares a student's score with the scores of a large group of same-age or same-grade students who took the test earlier.
Topic: Evaluation and assessment
In plain terms
The comparison group is called the norm sample. Results are reported as standard scores, percentile ranks or similar scores that show where the student falls relative to peers. These tests are standardized: everyone gets the same items, directions and time. They are useful for eligibility decisions but are not designed to be given often or to show small changes.
How it shows up in an IEP
Norm-referenced scores usually appear in the evaluation summary and present levels. They are rarely good goal measures, because they cannot be repeated weekly. A goal is better measured with a skill probe or curriculum-based measure that matches the instruction.
Example
A student earns a standard score of 82 on a norm-referenced reading test, meaning the student scored below most same-age peers, so the teacher writes the goal using weekly fluency probes instead.
Not the same as Criterion-referenced test
A norm-referenced test compares the student with other students. A criterion-referenced test compares the student with a fixed standard of skill. Read the definition of Criterion-referenced test.
Related terms
- Standard scoreA standard score shows how far a student's test result is from the average of the norm group, usually on a scale where 100 is average.
- Percentile rankA percentile rank tells the percent of students in the norm group who scored at or below a student's score.
- Criterion-referenced testA criterion-referenced test measures whether a student has learned specific skills against a fixed standard, rather than comparing the student with others.
- Evaluation (special education)A special education evaluation is the set of assessments a school uses to decide whether a child has a disability and what services the child needs.
- Grade equivalentA grade equivalent is a score that matches a student's raw score to the grade level at which an average student earned the same raw score.
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