Norm-referenced assessment
Definition
The term norm-referenced assessment is used for an assessment where the performance of the individual or group being assessed is compared to that of other individuals or groups. These other individuals or groups form the "norm".
The "norm" may be a cohort of test-takers all taking the assessment simultaneously, or it may be a historical average of test-takers from the past.
Examples
- Norm-referenced assessments are typical for selection tests used to select a limited number of positions from a larger pool of candidates. For instance, entrance examinations to some schools and colleges as well as professions and bureaucracies use norm-referenced assessments.
- Many school and college courses follow a policy of grading on a curve which can be thought of as a form of norm-referenced assessment -- the learners taking the course are compared with each other and grades are determined so that the fraction of learners getting a specific grade is (approximately or exactly) fixed.
Interchangeability with criterion-referenced assessment
The same assessment instrument could be used as a criterion-referenced assessment or as a norm-referenced assessment. However, some instruments are better as criterion-referenced assessments, whereas others are better as norm-referenced assessments.
It is also common for a norm-referenced assessment to be done by combining the results of several criterion-referenced assessments; for instance, some schools and colleges, instead of conducting their own entrance examination, have an application process in which applicants submit details on their past performance -- that is then compared against the norm of other applicants.