Criteria vs. Standard Discussion What

Criteria vs. Standard Discussion

What is the difference between criteria and standard?

Criteria and standards are often used as synonyms in everyday conversation, although they can also be interpreted as possessing different 'shades' of meaning. One way to think of 'criteria' in a more specific fashion is to see it as a kind of a list of certain proficiencies that an individual must fulfill to enter a grade or to assume a position. For example, one criterion all teachers in a public educational setting must meet is that they must have the necessary certification required by the particular state where the school is located, to show that they have the desired educational background to impart knowledge to their students. A criteria is, according to the Free Dictionary (2009) a "rule, or test on which a judgment or decision can be based," in a clear and discernable fashion. However, criteria often stretch above and beyond the basic requirements for a student or teacher: for example, one criterion teachers may be asked to meet is showing that they can elicit critical and creative thinking from their students. The teachers at a school may do this to differing degrees, and perhaps some candidates for a teaching position may not be able to do this at all. However, one of the criteria that administrators for a particular school may be looking for in new hires is if they meet this desired criterion and to what degree they can meet this criterion. Existing teachers will be judged by how they meet this criterion when their performances are evaluated. Criteria can thus embrace both a sense of a standard, but also a list of ideals by which someone is judged.