While reporting the result of the assessment a college teacher makes use of percentile ranks in place of scores obtained by his/her students. What kind of evaluation will it be called?
Norm-referenced
Understanding Educational Evaluation and Assessment Reporting
The question describes a situation where a college teacher reports student assessment results using percentile ranks instead of raw scores. This method of reporting results is characteristic of a specific type of evaluation. Let's explore the different types of evaluation mentioned in the options to determine which one applies here.
Types of Educational Evaluation
Educational evaluation refers to the process of gathering and analyzing information to make judgments about student learning. There are different ways to evaluate student performance and report the results, each serving a different purpose.
- Criterion-referenced Evaluation: In this type of evaluation, a student's performance is compared to a predetermined standard, criterion, or level of mastery. The focus is on whether the student has achieved specific learning objectives or skills, regardless of how other students performed. Results are often reported in terms of mastery levels, percentages achieved against a standard, or simply pass/fail based on a cutoff score.
- Norm-referenced Evaluation: This approach compares a student's performance to the performance of a specific group of other students, often referred to as the "norm group." The purpose is to rank students relative to each other. Scores are often reported using measures like percentile ranks, z-scores, t-scores, or stanines. Percentile ranks, specifically, indicate the percentage of students in the norm group who scored at or below a particular student's score.
- Formative Evaluation: This evaluation occurs during the learning process. Its main purpose is to monitor student learning, provide ongoing feedback, and identify areas where students need support or instruction needs adjustment. It is typically low-stakes and aims to improve learning while it is happening.
- Summative Evaluation: This evaluation takes place at the end of a learning period (e.g., end of a unit, semester, or course). Its purpose is to assess overall learning or achievement and to assign grades or certify mastery. It is typically high-stakes and provides a summary of what students have learned.
Analyzing the Use of Percentile Ranks
The college teacher is using percentile ranks to report the results. A percentile rank tells us how a student's score compares to the scores of others in the group. For example, a student at the 80th percentile scored as well as or better than 80% of the students in the group. This is a direct comparison of a student's performance relative to their peers.
Let's relate this back to the evaluation types:
- Criterion-referenced evaluation does not typically use percentile ranks because the focus is on individual mastery of a standard, not comparison to peers.
- Norm-referenced evaluation explicitly compares a student's performance to that of a norm group. Percentile ranks are a standard way to report results in norm-referenced testing.
- Formative evaluation is about ongoing feedback and improvement during learning, not primarily about ranking or comparing students at the end of an assessment period using ranks.
- Summative evaluation is about summarizing achievement, but the *method* of reporting (percentile ranks) points specifically towards a norm-referenced approach to summarize that achievement relative to a group.
Therefore, when a teacher uses percentile ranks to report results, they are placing the student's performance within the context of the group's performance. This relative ranking is the hallmark of norm-referenced evaluation.
| Evaluation Type | Primary Purpose | Comparison Basis | Common Reporting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Criterion-referenced | Assess mastery of standards | Against predetermined standards | Percentage, mastery levels, pass/fail |
| Norm-referenced | Rank students relative to group | Against performance of a norm group | Percentile ranks, standard scores (z, t), stanines |
| Formative | Monitor learning, provide feedback | Against learning goals (for improvement) | Qualitative feedback, low-stakes scores |
| Summative | Assess overall achievement | Against learning goals (for summary) | Grades, final scores, certification |
Based on this comparison, reporting results using percentile ranks is a clear indicator of norm-referenced evaluation.
Revision Table: Key Evaluation Concepts
| Term | Definition | Example Reporting |
|---|---|---|
| Norm-referenced Evaluation | Comparing student performance to a group (norm group). | Percentile ranks, student is in top 10% of the class. |
| Criterion-referenced Evaluation | Comparing student performance to a fixed standard or criterion. | Student scored 90% (met the >=80% standard for mastery). |
| Percentile Ranks | Indicates the percentage of scores in a distribution that are equal to or less than a particular score. | A student at the 75th percentile scored better than 75% of the test-takers. |
Additional Information on Norm-Referenced Assessment
Norm-referenced assessments are useful when the goal is to select students for limited places, rank students for scholarships, or identify students who are significantly above or below the average for their age or grade level. However, they do not tell us exactly what skills a student has mastered, only how they performed compared to others.
Interpreting a percentile rank requires understanding the norm group. A percentile rank of 60 might mean something different in a high-achieving group compared to a low-achieving group.
While percentile ranks are commonly used in norm-referenced testing, raw scores can also be used in norm-referenced ways if they are compared to the distribution of scores within the group (e.g., reporting a score is one standard deviation above the mean).
Important Questions from Types of Evaluation - Teaching
The steps involved in developing a performance test are
A. Develop an observation/rating form.
B. Try out the test items before developing a final form.
C. Conduct a job (task) analysis to determine what abilities are to be tested.
D. Develop an administration format
E. Develop some type of task-sampling plan.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below
When the 'test data' tell us about a student's level of proficiency in a defined area, the procedure of evaluation is called
Match List I with List II
List I List II A. Formative Evaluation I. Percentile rank and standard scores are used for reporting B. Summative Evaluation II. Standards indicative of mastery C. Criterion-referenced test III. The intention of using it is to identify scope and potential for improvement D. Norm-referenced test IV. Its intention is to judge learning standards Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Given below are two statements: One is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other is labelled as Reason (R):
Assertion (A): For ensuring successful teaching-learning systems both Norm-Reference Testing (NRT) and Criterion-Referenced Testing (CRT) procedures for interpretation of scores have to be synthesized.
Reason (R): Parents and educational administrators along with the students themselves need to know the status of accomplishment in terms of laid down criteria and relative positions of the participants vis-a-vis that of others.
In light of the above statements, choose the correct options from the options given below:
Given below are two statements:
Statement I : In norm-referenced testing of students, test data helps us determine a students place or rank.
Statement II : In Criterion-referenced testing, the test data tells us about a student's level of proficiency.
In the light of the above statements, choose the correct answer from the options given below:
