Criterion-referenced assessment characteristics focus on comparing performance to what?

• A. A prespecified standard or a specific skill
• B. A normative group
• C. A randomized set of stimuli
• D. A global ability score

Answer: (A)

Criterion-referenced assessments determine whether an individual has met a defined standard or mastered a specific skill, rather than how they compare to others. This means you set a target or criterion—such as achieving a certain accuracy level or demonstrating a particular speech skill—and the score shows whether that target has been reached. That is why the option describing comparison to a prespecified standard or a specific skill is the best fit: it captures the purpose of criterion-referenced measures to document mastery and guide goal-driven instruction. By contrast, comparing to a normative group would be norm-referenced, a global ability score summarizes overall cognitive performance rather than discrete skills, and randomized stimuli relate to study design rather than criterion-based performance. Criterion-referenced data are especially useful for tracking progress toward therapy goals and making targeted instructional decisions.