Norm-referenced assessment characteristics include which of the following?

• A. They compare an individual's abilities to peers using statistical/psychometric properties.
• B. They are often organized in a developmental sequence.
• C. They are often completed by eliciting or observing skills rather than presenting stimuli.
• D. They provide a 'snapshot' of a child's abilities at a point in time but can easily be repeated for progress monitoring.

Answer: (A)

Norm-referenced assessments are built to place an individual’s performance in the context of a larger group. They use standardized administration and normative data, so scores are interpreted with statistical properties like percentile ranks or standard scores. That comparison to peers is the defining feature, which is exactly what the correct statement describes.

Developmental sequencing isn’t the defining hallmark of norm-referenced tests—some may align with development, but the key element is the peer comparison. Eliciting or observing skills rather than presenting stimuli points more to performance-based or authentic assessments. And a test that’s designed to give a single snapshot but easily repeated for progress monitoring fits criteria more typical of criterion-based or progress-monitoring measures, not standard norm-referenced tests.