A norm-referenced test would be most appropriate for which purpose?

• A. Determining where a student stands in relation to her peers.
• B. Tracking a student's improvement over time in a specific area.
• C. Measuring a student's ability to perform a specific academic task.
• D. Assessing a student's mastery of an academic concept.

Answer: (A)

Norm-referenced tests compare a student’s performance to a normative sample of peers, producing information about relative standing (like percentile ranks or standard scores). This makes them ideal for determining where a student stands in relation to her peers. They aren’t designed to track improvement over time, which relies on comparing progress against fixed criteria or prior scores. They also aren’t the best fit for measuring performance on a specific task or mastery of a concept, which are better assessed with criterion-referenced or performance-based methods that evaluate achievement against defined standards. For example, a percentile score shows how a student compares to peers, such as being at the 75th percentile, indicating above-average relative performance.