What is Criterion-Referenced Assessment?
Criterion-referenced assessment (CRA) is a method of evaluating a student’s learning by comparing it to pre-specified criteria, rather than comparing the student’s performance to other students (norm-referenced assessment). CRA is important for engaging students in the learning process, as it helps them to understand what is expected of them and how they can improve their performance.
How to Create a Criterion-Referenced Assessment
There are several steps involved in creating a criterion-referenced assessment.
- Identify learning goals: The first step is to identify the learning goals that you want to assess. These goals should be aligned with your curriculum and should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART).
- Develop criteria: Once you have identified our learning goals, you need to develop criteria for how you will assess whether students have achieved those goals. These criteria should be clear, concise, and observable.
- Develop assessment tasks: The next step is to develop assessment tasks that will allow students to demonstrate their understanding of the learning goals. These tasks can take a variety of forms, such as essays, projects, presentations, or speaking tasks.
- Assess student performance: Once students have completed the assessment tasks, you need to assess their performance against the criteria. This can be done using binary or non-binary evaluation methods.
| Mastery Learning Criterion Referencing (Binary Evaluation) | Continuum Criterion Referencing (Non-binary Evaluation) |
| Outcomes: Pass or fail. Grading Scale: Simple two-point scale. Focus: Whether or not the student meets a specific standard. | Outcomes: A range of outcomes, such as “exceeds expectations,” “meets expectations,” “needs improvement,” or “far below expectations.” Grading Scale: More complex scale with multiple levels. Focus: How well the student meets the standard. |
Binary evaluation is a more black-and-white approach, focusing solely on whether a student meets the standard whereas non-binary evaluation provides a more nuanced assessment, allowing for a wider range of outcomes and more detailed feedback.
- Provide feedback: After you have assessed student performance, you need to provide feedback to students. This feedback should be specific, actionable, and timely. It should help students to understand their strengths and weaknesses and how they can improve their performance.
- Moderation: Moderation is a quality control process in education that ensures fairness and consistency in student assessment. Its primary goal is to make sure that teachers are applying the same standards when grading student work, regardless of who is doing the assessment.
Example of a Criterion-Referenced Assessment
“My Last Vacation”
1. Learning Goals
- Students will be able to write a coherent and engaging narrative about a personal experience.
- Students will be able to use descriptive language to create imagery.
- Students will be able to organize their writing into a clear beginning, middle, and end.
- Students will be able to demonstrate correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
- Students will be able to complete the task by the end of week three.
2. Criteria
- Content: The narrative is clear, focused, and detailed.
- Organization: The narrative has a clear beginning, middle, and end.
- Language: The narrative uses descriptive language and descriptive details.
- Conventions: The narrative demonstrates correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
Table 1 provides examples of expected grammar for the task.
Table 1. Task Grammar
| Grammar Point | Function | Example |
| Past Simple | Describes completed actions in the past | I visited Paris last summer. |
| Past Continuous | Describes actions in progress at a specific time in the past | While I was walking along the beach, I saw a dolphin. |
| Prepositions of Time | Indicate time | I stayed in a hotel for a week. |
| Prepositions of Place | Indicate location | I went to the beach with my friends. |
| Adjectives | Describe nouns | The food was delicious. |
| Adverbs | Describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs | You walked slowly through the park. |
| Coordinating Conjunctions | Join equal elements | I went to the market and bought some souvenirs. |
| Simple Sentence | One independent clause | I enjoyed my vacation. |
| Compound Sentence | Two or more independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction | I visited the Eiffel Tower, and I ate croissants. |
3. Assessment Task
- Students will write a personal narrative about their last vacation. The narrative should be at least one hundred (100) words in length.
4. Rubric
| Binary Evaluation | |
| Personal Narrative Task | |
| Pass / Fail Criteria | Narrative is engaging and detailed, with a focus on the vacation experience. Organization is clear, with a beginning, middle, and end. Language is descriptive, creating good imagery. Writing is free of errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. |
| Non-Binary Evaluation | ||||
| Personal Narrative Task Criteria | Exceeds Expectations (4 points) | Meets Expectations (3 points) | Approaching Expectations (2 points) | Below Expectations (1 point) |
| Content | Narrative is highly engaging and detailed, with a clear focus on the vacation experience. | Narrative is clear and focused, with some details about the vacation experience. | Narrative is somewhat vague and lacks detail, with limited focus on the vacation experience. | Narrative is unclear and lacks focus, with little to no detail about the vacation experience. |
| Organization | Organization is excellent, with a strong beginning, middle, and end. | Organization is generally clear, with a recognizable beginning, middle, and end. | Organization is unclear, with a weak beginning, middle, or end. | Organization is absent, with no clear beginning, middle, or end. |
| Language | Language is vivid and descriptive, creating strong imagery. | Language is adequate, with some use of descriptive language. | Language is simple and lacks descriptive detail. | Language is minimal and lacks descriptive detail. |
| Conventions | Writing is free of errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. | Writing contains a few minor errors in grammar, punctuation, or spelling. | Writing contains several errors in grammar, punctuation, or spelling. | Writing contains numerous errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. |
5. Example Feedback
| Focusing on Strengths | |
| Content: | “Your story is interesting and tells us a lot about your vacation.” |
| Organization: | “You told your story in a good order. It was easy to follow.” |
| Language: | “You used good words to describe your vacation. Your story helps us picture what it was like.” |
| Conventions: | “You wrote your story correctly. Your spelling, grammar, and punctuation are good.” |
| Offering Specific and Helpful Advice | |
| Content: | “Your story is good, but you can tell us more about how you felt during your vacation.” |
| Organization: | “Your story has a good beginning and ending. You can make the middle part even stronger.” |
| Language: | “You used some good words, but you can use even more interesting words to describe your vacation.” |
| Conventions: | “You made a few small mistakes in your writing. Let us look at them together.” |
6. Key aspects of moderation
Moderation in assessment involves several key aspects to ensure fairness and accuracy. First, it checks validity to confirm that assessments accurately measure the intended knowledge or skills and evaluates reliability to guarantee that different teachers would assign similar grades to the same work. A strong focus on consistency is maintained by applying clear standards across all achievement levels. The moderation process includes reviewing assessment tasks and criteria to ensure alignment with the intended learning outcomes, comparing and analyzing grades assigned by different teachers to identify discrepancies, and resolving grading inconsistencies through collaborative discussions. Additionally, it involves providing teacher training and offering professional development on assessment standards and best practices.
Conclusion
Criterion-referenced assessment offers a strong framework for evaluating student learning by focusing on predetermined standards rather than peer comparison. By clearly defining learning objectives and establishing specific assessment criteria, this approach provides transparency and direction for both teaching and learning. Students benefit from clear expectations and actionable feedback, which promote engagement and a sense of ownership over their progress.
Additionally, criterion-referenced assessments build a positive learning environment by encouraging students to focus on their individual growth and development. This method not only supports continuous improvement but also enhances the overall educational experience, making it an effective tool for guiding students toward achieving their full potential. Ultimately, criterion-referenced assessment serves as a valuable strategy for cultivating meaningful and lasting learning outcomes.