CRITERION REFERENCE TEST

1. When we teach for mastery learning we teach with the end in mind

2. The teacher explains to the student, up front, what the student should perform or master at the end of the course or assignment.

3. “Education is not a process of putting the learner under our control. Rather education is the process of putting the student in absolute control of his or her own learning.”

4. Criteria- Ways to describe criteria

a. What are you trying to accomplish?

b. What do you want the student to learn?

c. Other terms for criteria – objectives, and specifications

d. It is what the student is responsible for learning.

5. A criterion reference test is a test in which every single question refers back to pre-stated criteria (objectives).

6. How to write a criterion reference test?

a. The teacher reads the first criteria or objective and then writes two or more questions specifically directed to criteria number 1.

b. If the teacher has more than one criteria or objective, then the process is repeated until all criteria or objectives have some type of assessment.

c. While writing the questions remember to use Bloom’s taxonomy and all the levels of higher order thinking skills.

7. Mastery/Results

a. Can a teacher show mastery of a criteria or objective? YES

b. If the student answers the assessment correctly, then the student shows mastery of that criteria or objective.

c. Students answering the assessment incorrectly tell the teacher that the student has not demonstrated mastery of that criteria or objective. (Remediate)

d. To demand results of a student, the teacher must share the results of the lesson with the student. And, then teach the student to perform to those results.

8. What do criteria govern?

a. What questions you will write on the test?

b. How many questions you will write on the test.

A “winning” classroom occurs when students are learning, and the teachers are teaching toward identical criteria or objectives.