Criterion Referencing and the Meaning of National Curriculum Assessment

Bibliographic Data

ID8405565
AuthorsSteve Sizmur (0000-0001-9776-8531, National Foundation for Educational Research), Marian Sainsbury (National Foundation for Educational Research)
Year1997
Volume45
Issue2
Pages123-140
Publication date1997-06-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueBritish Journal of Educational Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0007-1005 • E-ISSN: 1467-8527
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/1467-8527.00041
OpenAlexW2066677708
LanguageEN
References cited6

Criterion-referenced assessment has made promises that it is unable to keep. The idea that a criterion-referenced test may afford a clear and direct interpretation in terms of exactly which tasks an examinee can perform is unattainable for the kinds of learning promoted in complex curricula, such as the National Curriculum in England and Wales. However, examining more carefully the origin of these claims suggests that they reflect a particularly narrow view of criterion referencing, founded on some dubious assumptions. A reanalysis of the notion of criterion referencing shows that there are advantages to adopting an approach that references assessment outcomes to an underlying educational construct, not only in clarifying how those outcomes should be interpreted, but also in terms of manageability. The introduction of level descriptions for National Curriculum assessment is discussed in relation to this approach

Construct (python library) · Criterion-referenced test · Curriculum · Data mining · Epistemology · Interpretation (philosophy) · Mathematics education · Meaning (existential) · National curriculum · Pedagogy · Relation (database) · Sociology · Standardized test · Test (biology) · Computer Science · Educational Assessment and Pedagogy · Educational Theory and Curriculum Studies · Psychology · Student Assessment and Feedback

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