Criterion-Referenced Tests

Criterion-referenced tests are designed to yield test scores whose interpretations are linked to specified performance criteria. To attain such meaning, the original responses on the test (raw scores) must be transformed into a scale-score system that provides for interpretations directly related to the criterion domain. For achievement tests, the criterion may represent operational definitions of established standards of achievement, and the scale scores reflect ordered levels of proficiency, each level specifically defined in terms of the skills students should be able to exhibit. For psychological tests, the scale scores may yield classifications related to such areas as personality and psychopathology.