https://www.studyusa.com/en/a/1284/what-is-a-standardized-test

A standardized test is a test that is given to students in a very consistent manner; meaning that the questions on the test are all the same, the time given to each student is the same, and the way in which the test is scored is the same for all students.

https://fairtest.org/whats-wrong-standardized-tests-infographic#

Pro # 1. Standardized testing is a metric for learning

Pro # 2. Standardized testing helps pinpoint areas for improvement
Pro # 3. Standardized tests can help schools evaluate progress
Con #1. Test scores can impact confidence
Con #2. There’s pressure to “teach to the test”
Con #3. Scores don’t provide a true picture of a student’s ability

Criterion-referenced tests compare a person’s knowledge or skills against a predetermined standard, learning goal, performance level, or other criterion. With criterion-referenced tests, each person’s performance is compared directly to the standard, without considering how other students perform on the test. Criterion-referenced tests often use “cut scores” to place students into categories such as “basic,” “proficient,” and “advanced.”

[Description: Camila Ruler]

Criterion-referenced assessments work similarly: An individual’s score, and how that score is categorized, is not affected by the performance of other students. In the charts below, you can see the student’s score and performance category (“below proficient”) do not change, regardless of whether they are a top-performing student, in the middle, or a low-performing student.

[Description: Criterion-referenced Test] [Description: Criterion-referenced Test] [Description: Criterion-referenced Test]

This means knowing a student’s score for a criterion-referenced test will only tell you how that specific student compared in relation to the criterion, but not whether they performed below-average, above-average, or average when compared to their peers.

Norm-referenced measures compare a person’s knowledge or skills to the knowledge or skills of the norm group. The composition of the norm group depends on the assessment. For student assessments, the norm group is often a nationally representative sample of several thousand students in the same grade (and sometimes, at the same point in the school year). Norm groups may also be further narrowed by age, English Language Learner (ELL) status, socioeconomic level, race/ethnicity, or many other characteristics.

[Description: Teen Student Benchmarks]

An individual student’s percentile rank describes their performance in comparison to the performance of students in the norm group, but does not indicate whether or not they met or exceed a specific standard or criterion.

https://www.renaissance.com/2018/07/11/blog-criterion-referenced-tests-norm-referenced-tests/