Which type of assessment is designed to indicate mastery of predefined objectives, independent of peers' performance?

Which type of assessment is designed to indicate mastery of predefined objectives, independent of peers' performance?

• A. Norm-Referenced
• B. Self-Referenced
• C. Criterion-Referenced
• D. Transfer & Generalization

Answer: (C)

This type of assessment measures whether a learner has achieved predefined objectives by checking performance against fixed criteria. The focus is on mastery of the specific skills or knowledge the objectives specify, not on how others perform. Items are tied directly to the standards or objectives, so a student who meets the criteria is considered to have mastered that objective, regardless of peers’ results. This is different from assessments that compare students to one another, look at growth relative to a student’s own past performance, or evaluate whether knowledge can be transferred to new situations. In practice, you’ll see fixed standards, rubrics, or mastery thresholds—pass/fail or scaled scores that indicate whether each objective has been met. That makes it ideal for determining if a learner has achieved the targeted competencies, independent of how the rest of the class performs. So, when the goal is to show mastery of specific predefined objectives, this approach is the best fit.

This type of assessment measures whether a learner has achieved predefined objectives by checking performance against fixed criteria. The focus is on mastery of the specific skills or knowledge the objectives specify, not on how others perform. Items are tied directly to the standards or objectives, so a student who meets the criteria is considered to have mastered that objective, regardless of peers’ results. This is different from assessments that compare students to one another, look at growth relative to a student’s own past performance, or evaluate whether knowledge can be transferred to new situations.

In practice, you’ll see fixed standards, rubrics, or mastery thresholds—pass/fail or scaled scores that indicate whether each objective has been met. That makes it ideal for determining if a learner has achieved the targeted competencies, independent of how the rest of the class performs.

So, when the goal is to show mastery of specific predefined objectives, this approach is the best fit.