In the spirit of recursive feedback—where learning is iterative, reflective, and responsive—I’d like to spotlight criterion-referenced assessment as a transformative tool for equity and growth. Unlike norm-referenced assessment, which ranks learners against each other, criterion-referenced assessment evaluates performance against clearly defined standards or learning outcomes. This shift from competition to competence fosters a recursive feedback loop where learners revise and resubmit work based on targeted feedback until mastery is achieved.

In my own teaching, I’ve used criterion-referenced rubrics aligned with thePPST standards to guide multimodal student projects. For instance, students creating digital portfolios receive feedback on specific indicators like Standard 3.4 (Select and use resources). They revise based on this feedback, resubmit, and reflect—creating a recursive cycle of growth.