Norm- Referenced Tests Descriptions Criterion-referenced tests make possible the translation of scores in statement form regarding expected behavior of students relating to specific subject matter. A norm-referenced test (NRT) is an assessment method that estimates the position of the assessed individual in a predefined group in regard to the evaluated trait. Purpose of Tests To find out if every student has gained specific skills or concepts. To determine the level of knowledge of the students before

tests (CRTs) and scales vs. norm-Referenced Criterion-referenced tests (CRTs) are often the preferred method of assessing the performance of many practitioners in the healthcare and 'helping' professions such as nursing. An example of a criterion-based objective is that a student mastered 90% of the terms on a particular test (McDonald 2002). The NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination) for nurses is an example of such a test: all nurses that pass

RTI Response to Intervention Response to Intervention (RTI) Over the past decade, rapid changes have occurred in general educational practice to increase the focus on early identification of and intervention for students considered at risk. The aptly named response-to-intervention (RTI) model of service delivery is generally described as a multi-tiered model whereby students receive interventions of increasing intensity, with movement from one level to another based on demonstrated performance and rate of progress

Human relations are vital. Teachers must trust each other, there must be norms that support productive criticism, and there must be techniques in place for combining and resolving disputes. Arrangements need to be in place that generates discussion for problem identification and decision making. These arrangements could be things such as normal team meetings amid teachers at the same grade level or department meetings within high schools and middle

Standardized tests do not do well in measuring the emerging content standards, and over use of this type of assessment often leads to instruction that stresses only basic knowledge and skills. Although basic skills may be important goals in education, they are often overstressed in an effort to raise standardized test scores. Basic skills and minimum competencies become the main goal of schools and teachers as accountability and minimum

Albert Einstein, a famously mediocre student, once commented that "It is little short of a miracle that modern methods of instruction have not completely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry." Many educational theorists and gifted teachers have taken this to heart, and endeavored to create learning environments that reflect innovations that are both intuitive and ingenious. Unfortunately, we often see these same innovations stifled at the High School level. Whereas