Norm-Referenced Tests

Norm-referenced tests compare an individual's score to a representative sample of scores obtained from the same measure. The norm group is typically drawn from the general population. Tests are normed by selecting a group that is drawn from the general population and may be matched on variables such as gender, age, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, type of school, grade level, and others. An individual's score is then directly compared to the individual's norm group. The standardization of a norm-referenced test creates a scale in which an individual's score results in a ranking within the scores obtained from the norm group (Sattler, 2001). The score is determined to be high or low based on the scores obtained from the norm group.

In educational and school psychology, normreferenced tests ...