Criterion-referenced and norm-referenced assessments: compatibility and complementarity

Abstract

The tension between criterion-referenced and norm-referenced assessment is examined in the context of curriculum planning and assessment in outcomes-based approaches to higher education. This paper argues the importance of a criterion-referenced assessment approach once an outcomes-based approach has been adopted. It further discusses the implementation of criterion-referenced assessment, considering to what extent the criteria and standards adopted are implicitly norm referenced. It introduces a compatible interpretation of criterion-referenced and norm-referenced assessments in higher education, and illustrates how their combined use can avoid grade inflation and also provide useful information to educators, employers and learners. Instead of seeing criterion referencing and norm referencing as a dichotomy, assessment in higher education benefits from their synthesis through a feedback loop that emphasises alignment between learning and assessment; such feedback and alignment are essential features of quality assurance and enhancement.

Keywords:

• criterion referencing
• norm referencing
• outcomes-based approaches
• grade inflation

Acknowledgements

The use of a synergistic loop to align criterion-referenced and norm-referenced assessment arose out of the development of an assessment policy at The Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2010, in which the second and third authors were involved. Some of the ideas in a rudimentary form are contained in internal documents, for example, Assessment of Student Learning in Taught Programmes, adopted in 2010 and found in http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/policy/assessment/AssessmentofStudentLearning.pdf; Appendix 2 therein contains the loop corresponding to Figure 3 in this paper. This assessment policy is also referenced in the University’s overall Quality Manual, http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/clear/qm/index.html, adopted in 2014. We thank colleagues who engaged in debate and contributed to the development of the ideas.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.