FTCE Professional Education Practice Exam

What type of assessment measures each student against uniform objectives or criteria?

1. Norm-referenced assessment

2. Criterion-referenced assessment

3. Formative assessment

4. Summative assessment

The correct answer is: Criterion-referenced assessment

Criterion-referenced assessment is designed to evaluate each student's performance based on specific, predetermined criteria or learning objectives rather than comparing them to the performance of other students. This type of assessment focuses on whether students have achieved a specific level of understanding or skill in a particular area. For instance, in a criterion-referenced assessment, a teacher may have a set of learning objectives for a math unit, and the assessment will directly measure whether students can demonstrate mastery of those objectives, such as solving specific types of problems. It provides clear expectations for both the students and educators, allowing for targeted feedback and instructional adjustments based on individual student results. In contrast, norm-referenced assessments measure a student's performance in relation to the performance of a group of peers, which can make it less focused on individual mastery of specific objectives. Formative assessments are typically used to monitor student learning during the instructional process, while summative assessments evaluate learning after instruction has been delivered. Thus, the emphasis on uniform objectives in criterion-referenced assessments is what sets it apart from the other types.