Criterion-referenced assessment measures student performance against a fixed set of learning standards to determine if students have mastered specific skills or knowledge. It has pros like testing students only on defined goals and allowing teachers to reteach unmastered standards, but can be difficult to set standards boundaries. Criterion-referenced assessment differs from norm-referenced assessment in that the former provides information on an individual's performance on objectives, while the latter compares performance to others in a known group.

1. CRITERION-
REFERENCED
ASSESSMENT
Prepared by: Erika
Panganiban

2. Session Goals
At the end of the lesson, the learners should be
able to:
 Define Criterion-Referenced Assessment;
 Determine the pros and cons of using criterion-
referenced assessment; and
 Differentiate Criterion-Referenced Assessment
from Norm-Referenced Assessment.

3. What is Criterion-Referenced
Assessment?
 designed to measure student performance
against a fixed set of predetermined criteria or
learning standards
 used to determined the learners’ mastery of skill,
knowledge, or any subject matter taught to them

4. What are the PROS and
CONS?
PROS
 students are only
tested on their
knowledge of specific
goals or standards
 if students do not
seem to master a
particular standard,
the teacher will be
able to go back and
teach that standard
again until the student
performs better
 focus the instruction
based on the students’
needs
CONS
Some times it’s hard
to know just where to
set boundary
conditions.
Lack of comparison
data with other
students and/or
schools.

5. Criterion-Referenced Assessment
can be measured through:
1. Speed of Performance – number of tasks
completed in a fixed amount of time
2. Percentage – A number telling the
proportions of the maximum points earned by
the student
3. Quality Rankings – the quality level at which
a student performs
4. Expectancy Table – make it possible to
interpret raw scores in terms of expected
performance on some measure other that the
test itself

6. Criterion-Referenced
Assessment
Norm-Referenced
Assessment
Provide information on how the
performance of an individual compares
with that of others.
Provide information on how the
individual preformed on some standard
of objective.
Individual’s standing is compared with
that of a know group.
Allow users to interpret what an
individual can do without considering
the performance of others.
Percentile rank is obtained to determine
the relative standing in a norm group.
Designed to measure the results of
instruction.
Emphasize the discrimination among
individuals.
An individuals performance on a
specific behavioral or instructional
objective. Emphasizes description of
performance.