What does criterion-referenced assessment rely on to determine competence?

What does criterion-referenced assessment rely on to determine competence?

• A. It relies on determining a minimum acceptable level of competence based on past experience with the exam related to observed job performance.
• B. It compares candidates against each other to rank performance.
• C. It uses only formal education and degrees as a measure of ability.
• D. It relies on standardized test scores alone.

Answer: (A)

Criterion-referenced assessment determines competence by checking whether a person can meet a defined standard of performance. The standard is anchored to job-related criteria—the specific tasks, behaviors, and outcomes that competent performance requires—so evaluators judge each candidate against that benchmark rather than against how other candidates perform. This creates a clear minimum level of competence that must be reached, which is useful for making pass/fail determinations and for identifying exactly where a performer meets or falls short of the required standards. This approach differs from norm-referenced methods, which rank people relative to one another, and from measures that rely only on formal education or on standardized test scores without tying results to job-specific performance criteria.

Criterion-referenced assessment determines competence by checking whether a person can meet a defined standard of performance. The standard is anchored to job-related criteria—the specific tasks, behaviors, and outcomes that competent performance requires—so evaluators judge each candidate against that benchmark rather than against how other candidates perform. This creates a clear minimum level of competence that must be reached, which is useful for making pass/fail determinations and for identifying exactly where a performer meets or falls short of the required standards.

This approach differs from norm-referenced methods, which rank people relative to one another, and from measures that rely only on formal education or on standardized test scores without tying results to job-specific performance criteria.