Criterion-Referenced Test(CRT) & Norm- Referenced Test(NRT)

                                       Criterion-Referenced Test(CRT)

                                       & Norm- Referenced Test(NRT)

                       Revolutionary changes have taken place in the field of teaching learning process in the last four decades.Individual instruction is emphasised.So desigining of the test should be such as to reflect the changes in what the individual has learned.Again as an individual progress through a programme of instruction educators want to know at various junctures,precisely what the studen knows and whather he knows enough to proceed further.

1.Criterion-Referenced Test

           

Glasser(1963) first used the term CRT to highlight the need for tests that can describe the position of a learner on a performance continuum,rather than the learner’s rank within a group of learners.

The word ‘Criterion’in the CRT refers to a domain of behaviours and in criterion referencing one is interested in referencing of an examinees’s test performance to a well defined domain of behaviour measuring an onjective or skill.

1.1.Definitions of Criterion-Referenced Test

a.      Ivon(1970) defines Criterion-Referenced Test as “ One consisting of items keyed to a set of   behaviour objectives”           

b.      Harris & Stewart(1971) define CRT as “One consisting of a sample of production tasks drawn from well defined population of performance.”

c.       Sex Gilbert(1989) writes, “Criterion-referenced tests relate a student’s score on an achievement test to a domain knowledge rather to another student’s score.”

       

From the above definitions it is concluded that Criterion-Referenced Test is meant to measure the achievement of an examinee on a certain domain to find out his level of achievement in that domain.

1.2.Characterstics of Criterion-Referenced Test

Ø  Its main objective is to measure student’s achievement of curriculum broad skills.

Ø  It is prepared for a particular grade or course level.

Ø  It has balanced representation of goals and objectives.

Ø  It is used to evaluate the curriculum plan instruction progress and group student’s interaction.

Ø  It can be administered before and after instruction.

Ø  It is generally reported in the form of

§  Minimum scores for partial & total mastery of main skill areas.

§  Number of correct items.

§  Percent of correct items.

§  Derived score based on correct items and other factors.

1.3.Uses of Criterion-Referenced Test

Ø  To discover indequacies in learner’s learning and assist the weaker sections of learners to reach the level of other students through a regular programme of remedial instruction.

Ø  To identify the master learners and non-master learners in a class.

Ø  To find out the level of attainment of various objectives of instruction.

Ø  To find out the level at which a particular concept has been learnt.

Ø  To better placement of concepts at different grade levels.

Ø  To make instructional decission of what to do with a learner in individually prescribed instructional programme.

1.4.Limitations of Criterion-Referenced Test

Chase(1974) lists the following limitations of  Criterion-Referenced Test:

Ø  Criterion-referenced tests tell only whather a learner has reached proficiency in a task ares but does not show how good or poor is the learner’s level of ability.

Ø  Tasks included in the Criterion-referenced test may be highly influenced by a agiven teachers’s interests or biases,leading to general validity problem.

Ø  Only some areas readily lend themselves for listing specific behavioural objectives around which Criterion-referenced tests can be built and this may be a constructing element for teachers.

Ø  Criterion-referenced tests are important for only a small fraction of important educational achivements.

1.5. Reliability of Criterion-Referenced Test

Reliability can be increased by the following:

Ø  Paying proper attention to the construction of test items.

Ø  Paying proper attention to the test-setting.

Ø  Paying proper attention to the examinees.

Ø  Making the items simillar.

Ø  Using appropriate wording.

Ø  Increasing the number of items.

Ø  Increasing the number of discriminating items.

Ø  Giving clear directions to the examinees.

Ø  Giving clear directions to the evaluation.

Ø  Motivating students to perform better.

1.6.Interpretation of Criterion-Referenced Test

Ø  Interpratations should be based on what the items actually measure.

Ø  There Should be sufficient items for each type of interpratation.In case of there  are less than 10 items ,they should be combined with other items through lengthening content items.

Ø  The test should contain easy as well as difficult items otherwise it would be difficult to describe what low achievers could do.

1.7.Guidelines for Constructing,Administering and Evaluating Criterion-Referenced Tests

           

Ronald Hambelton and Daniel (1978) have suggested the following guidelines:

1.7.1.Objectives

Ø  The purpose of the test should be stated clearly and concisely.

Ø  Objectives should be wrotten in such a way that each item could be identified with one objective.

Ø  There should be appropriate rationale for the inclusion of each objectives in the test.

Ø  The set of objectives of the test should be a true representative of content domain.

1.7.2.Test items

Ø  The test items should be free from any bias.

Ø  The test items should be free from technical flaws.

Ø  The set of test items should measure an objective for which it gas been included in the test.

Ø  The test items should be valid indicators of the objectives for which they have been prepared.

Ø  A heterogenous sample should be used in the test items.

1.7.3.Administration

Ø  The test manual should specify the role and responsibilities of the examineer.

Ø  The test administrators should have adequate informationrelating to the purpose,time limits,answer sheets and scoring of test.

Ø  The directins of the test should be clear.

Ø  The test should be easy to  score.

1.7.4.Test Layout

Ø  Test booklet should be attractively printed.

Ø  The layout of  test booklet should be convenient for examinees.

1.7.5.Reliability

Ø  The test length should be sufficient enough to find out test score reliabilit.

Ø  The reliability information should be provided in the test for each intend use of the test scoress.

Ø  The sample of examinees should use in finding out reliability should be adequate and representative

1.7.6.Cut Off Scores

Ø  There should be a rationale for the selection of the method for determining cut-off scores.

Ø  There should be evidence for the validity of the choosen cut-off marks.

1.7.7.Validity

Ø  The validity evidence should be adequate for the intended use of the test score.

Ø  The test manual should provide an appropriate discussion on the factor affecting the validity of the scores.

Fig:Flow chart showing various steps in development of criterion-refernced tests.

(Source:Singh,Pritam,Criterion-Referenced Testing:A Monograph,NCERT,New Delhi,1983)

2.Norm- Referenced Test

            This test is used primarily for comparing achievement of an examinee to that of  large representative group of examinees at the same grade level.The representative group is known as ‘Norm Group’.Norm group may be made up of examinees at the local level ,district level,state or national level.Since the development of norm- referenced test is expensive and time consuming.They are produced by commercial test publishers.

           

The following derived scores are generally reported for these published tests.

a)      Percentilr Rank: A number telling the percentage of examinees in a defined group scoring lower than the particular raw score.

b)      Linear Standard Score: A number telling the location of the particular raw score in relation to the mean and standard deviation of a defined group.

c)      Normalized Standard Score :A number telling the location of the particular raw score in relation to a normal distribution defined in terms of particular group.

d)     Grade Equivalent Score: A number telling the grade placement for which the particular raw score is the average for a defined group.

2.1.Definition of Norm- Referenced Test

a.      N.M. Gronlund defines Norm- Referenced Test as “a test designed to provide a measure                       of performance that is interpreatable in terms of an individuals relative standing in some known group.”

b.      Bormuth (1970) writes that a norm- referenced test is designed “to measure the growth in a student’s attainment and to compare his level to attainment with the levels reached by other students and norm group.”

2.2.Characterstics of Norm- Referenced Test

Ø  Its basic purpose is to measure student’s achievement in curriculum based skills.

Ø  It is prapared for a particular grade level.

Ø  It is administered after instruction.

Ø  It is used for formatting homogenous or heterogenous class group.

Ø  It classifies achievement as above average,average or low average for a given grade.

Ø  It is generally reported in the form of percentile rank.Linear Standard Score,Normalized Standard Score and Grade Equivalence Score.

2.3.Process for Developing Norm- Referenced Achievement Test

According to L.M.Carey(1988),the process for developing Norm- Referenced Achievement Test may be devided into the following sages:

2.3.1.Design Stage

·         Curriculum analysis

·         Selecting objectives to be measured.

·         Analysing objectives for determining pre-requsite skills.

·         Developing table of specifications for tests.

·         Determining specifications for items.

2.3.2.Development Stage

·         Wring items according to specifications.

·         Developing needed art work illustrations.

·         Writing response directions and examples.

·         Writing administrative directions.

·         Developing test lay-out.

·         Developing simple test.

2.3.3.Conducting Field Test

·         Selecting reppresentative group.

·         Administering test.

·         Scoring.

·         Analysing information.

·         Analysing data and selecting items.

·         Developing final test form.

2.3.4.Developing Test Norm

Norms of the test developed through:

·         Describing characterstics of population.

·         Selecting representative norm group.

·         Administering test to norm group.

·         Scoring.

·         Converting raw scores to standard scores.

·         Creating norm tables.

2.3.5.Writing Test Manual

The test manual is written through:

·         Describing the design process and skills measured.

·         Describing the field test process.

·         Describing the development process.

·         Describing criteria used to select items.

·         Describing norm group selecting procedure.

2.4.Reliability of Norm- Referenced Test

            Test length affects reliability.Other things being equal ,the reliability of the test can be increased by increasing it’s length.Items of simillar content also increase reliability.Item of moderate difficulty increase reliability over the items which are either too easy or too difficult.Increased range of performance of the examinees being tested tends to increase reliability.

2.5.Validity of Norm- Referenced Test

The validity of a norm- referenced test can be increased by:

·         Constructing items of proper difficulty level.

·         Increasing the test length.

·         Increasing the heterogenity of the group which is being tested.

·         Administering the test under proper condition.

2.6.Limitations of Norm- Referenced Test

·         Test items that are answered correctly by most of the pupils are not included in these tests because of their inadequate contribution to response variance.

·         There is lack of congurence between what the test measures and what is stressed in a local curriculum.

·         Norm-referencing promotes unhealthy competition  and is injurious to self-concepts of low scoring students.

  CRT VS NRT

v  According to Popham ,W.J(1978) a criterion-referenced test is uesed to ascertain an individual’s status with respect to a well defined behaviour domain.

v  By norm-referenced testing is meant the measurement of student’s achievement in terms of a group,a class,a school or a state which is taken as a referent for interpreating student’s scores and for passing judgements.

v  In CRT ,the emphasis is on improvement of student’s achievement and in CRT,emphasisis on measurement of achievement.

Simillarities between CRT nad NRT

·         Validity and reliability  are needed in both.

·         Achievement domain is measured in both.

·         Sample of test items should be relevant and representative in both.

·         Same types of items can be used in both.

·         Same rules are followed for writing items in both excepting the item of difficulty.

Difference between CRT and NRT

NRT                                                                                 CRT

1.	NRT covers a large domain of learning task with just a few items measuring each specific task.	1.	CRT focuses on a delimited domain of learning tasks with a relatively large number of items measuring each specific tasks.
2.	It stresses discrimination among individuals.	2.	It stresses what examinees can de and what they can’t do.
3.	It contains items of average difficulty.	3.	It contains easy as well as difficulty items.
4.	In this test ,interpretation needs a defined group.	4.	Interpretation needs defined as well as delimited achievement domain.

In India Criterion-referencing Testing is yet in the stage of infancy.There seems to be more emphasis on norm-referenced measurement in the evaluation of the students.The terminal examination system which is based on norm-referenced measurement stills holds good.