FTCE Professional Education Practice Exam

Which of the following assessments would be best for comparing a student's knowledge with that of other students in the same grade level?

1. Criterion-referenced

2. Norm-referenced

3. Formative

4. Summative

The correct answer is: Norm-referenced

The best assessment for comparing a student's knowledge with that of other students in the same grade level is a norm-referenced assessment. This type of assessment is designed to evaluate a student's performance in relation to a norm group, which consists of a representative sample of students from the same age or grade level. Norm-referenced tests rank students based on their performance and can provide insights into how an individual student is performing relative to their peers. This is particularly useful for identifying where a student stands in comparison to others, enabling educators to identify not only average performance but also potential areas for enrichment or support. In contrast, criterion-referenced assessments measure a student's performance against a specific set of criteria or standards, rather than comparing them to other students. Formative assessments focus on monitoring student learning to provide ongoing feedback that can be used by instructors to improve teaching and learning, typically not comparing students directly. Summative assessments evaluate student learning at the end of an instructional period against a set of standards but do not provide the same level of comparison to peers that norm-referenced assessments do.