NORMS
people deemed to be representative
Norm-referenced testing and assessment:
method of evaluation and a way of deriving
meaning from test scores by evaluating an
individual testtaker’s score and comparing it
to scores of a group of testtakers
- Yield information on a testtaker’s
standing or ranking relative to some
comparison group of testtakers
Norm: test performance data of a particular
group of testtakers that are designed for
use as a reference when evaluating or
interpreting individual test scores
Normative sample: group of people whose
performance on a particular test is analyzed
for reference in evaluating the performance
of individual testtakers
Norming: process of deriving norms
- Race norming: controversial practice
of norming on the basis of race or
ethnic background
User norms/program norms: consist of
descriptive statistics based on a group of
testtakers in a given period of time rather
than norms obtained by formal sampling
methods
Sampling to Develop Norms
Standardization: process of administering a
test to a representative sample of testtakers
for the purpose of establishing norms
Sampling
- In the process of developing a test, a
test developer has targeted some
defined group as the population for
which the test is designed. This
population is the complete universe
or set of individuals with at least one
common, observable characteristic
- Sample: portion of the universe of
of the whole population
- Sampling: process of selecting the
portion of the universe deemed to
be representative of the whole
population
- Differences should be
proportionately represented in the
sample
- Stratified sampling: dividing the
population into separate groups,
called strata. Then, a probability
sample is drawn from each group
o Stratified-random sampling:
every member of the
population had the same
chance of being included in
the sample
- Purposive sampling: arbitrarily
selecting some sample because we
believe it to be representative of the
population
- Incidental sampling/convenience
sampling: one that is convenient or
available for use
Developing Norms for Standardized Test
- Test developer administers the test
according to the standard set of
instructions that will be used with
the test
- Establishing a standard set of
instructions and conditions under
which the test is given makes the
test scores of the normative sample
more comparable with the scores of
future testtakers
Types of Norms
Percentiles
- Expression of the percentage of
people whose score on a test or
 measure falls below a particular raw
score
- Percentage correct: distribution of
raw scores, or the number of items
that were answered correctly
multiplied by 100 and divided by the
total number of items
o Real differences between
raw scores may be minimized
near the ends of the
distribution and exaggerated
in the middle of the
distribution
- Popular way of organizing all test-
related data
Age Norms
- Age-equivalent scores
- Average performance of different
samples of testtakers who were at
various ages at the time the test was
administered
- Mental age; although mental age is
too broad and too inappropriately
generalized
Grade Norms
- Indicates the average test
performance of testtakers in a given
school grade; developed by
administering the test to
representative samples of children
over a range of consecutive grade
levels
- Grade norms do not provide
information as to the content or
type of items that a student could or
could not answer correctly
- Developmental norms: norms
developed on the basis of any trait,
ability, skill, or other characteristic
that is presumed to develop,
deteriorate, or otherwise be
affected by chronological age, school
grade, or stage of life.
o Age and grade norms
National Norms
- Derived from a normative sample
that was nationally representative of
the population at the time the
norming study was conducted
- May be obtained by testing large
numbers of people representative of
different variables of interest
- Close scrutiny of the description of
the sample employed may reveal
that the sample differs in many
important respects from similar
tests also claiming to be based on a
nationally representative sample
National Anchor Norms
- Equivalency table for scores on the
two tests provide the tool for such a
comparison
- Begins with equipercentile method:
equivalency of scores on different
tests is calculated with reference to
corresponding percentile scores
Subgroup Norms
- Result from segmentation of any of
the criteria initially used in selecting
subjects for the sample
Local Norms
- Provide normative information with
respect to the local population’s
performance on some test
Fixed Reference Group Scoring Systems
- Distribution of scores obtained on
the test from one group of
testtakers (fixed reference group) is
used as the basis for the calculation
 of test scores for future
administrations of the test
Norm-Referenced Testing
- deriving meaning from a test score is
to evaluate the test score in relation
to other scores on the same test

Criterion-referenced Testing and

Assessment
- Method of evaluation and a way of
deriving meaning from test scores
by evaluating an individual’s score
with reference to a set standard
- Criterion is typically derived from
the values or standards of an
individual or organization
- Also called domain or content-
referenced testing and assessment
- In this assessment, a usual area of
focus is the testtaker’s performance
- Sometimes referred as mastery test,
since it is frequently used to gauge
achievement or mastery
- If strictly followed, potentially
important information about an
individual’s performance relative to
other testtakers is lost
- It has little or no meaningful
application at the upper end of the
knowledge/skill continuum