FTCE Professional Education Practice Exam

What type of standardized test would be best for a social studies teacher wanting to compare her students' knowledge with that of students nationwide?

1. Criterion-referenced test

2. Formative assessment

3. Norm-referenced achievement test

4. Diagnostic test

The correct answer is: Norm-referenced achievement test

A norm-referenced achievement test is designed to compare a student's performance against a national sample of students. This type of standardized test provides insight into how an individual student's scores relate to the average performance of other students nationwide, making it an effective tool for a social studies teacher who wants to gauge her students' knowledge in comparison to their peers across the country. By utilizing a norm-referenced achievement test, the teacher can identify not only how well her students understand social studies content but also how they measure up against a broader population. This can inform her teaching strategies, allowing her to address areas where her students may be lacking compared to national standards. In contrast, other types of assessments, such as criterion-referenced tests, assess students against a fixed set of criteria or learning objectives, rather than against a national peer group. Formative assessments focus on monitoring student learning to provide ongoing feedback, while diagnostic tests are used to identify students' strengths and weaknesses before instruction. None of these options provide the comparative national perspective that the norm-referenced achievement test offers, making it the most suitable choice for the teacher's intention.