FTCE Professional Education Practice Exam

What is a characteristic of norm-referenced tests?

1. They emphasize mastery.

2. They limit high scores among students.

3. They can provide detailed feedback.

4. They compare students based on the same set of criteria.

The correct answer is: They limit high scores among students.

Norm-referenced tests are designed to rank students against one another rather than measure their absolute performance. One of the main characteristics of these tests is that they establish a distribution of scores that allows for comparisons among students. This means that in a norm-referenced framework, scores are designed in such a way that only a limited number of students can achieve high scores. By design, a set percentage of students will fall into each category of performance, which effectively creates a "norm" or standard against which all students are compared. Therefore, the characteristic that norm-referenced tests limit high scores among students aligns with their purpose of evaluating relative performance rather than providing a comprehensive assessment of each individual’s mastery of specific content or skills. This approach stands in contrast to criterion-referenced tests, which focus on whether students have mastered specific learning objectives.