Norm-Referenced Assessment

• Norm-referenced tests compare a student's score against a group of students who have already taken the test. This group is called the "norming group."
• All norm-referenced tests are formal and standardized.
• Norm-referenced tests are useful for determining the overall developmental level of a student compared to the developmental level of other students.
• Scores are usually reported in percentile ranks. If a student scores in the 79 percentile, that means he or she scored higher than 79% of the test-takers in the norming group
• Most achievement norm-referenced tests are multiple-choice tests. The questions mainly reflect the content of nationally used test books not local (state or district-level) mandated curriculum.

Click on the link below for examples of norm-referenced tests.

http://www.sedl.org/reading/rad/chart.html#norm