Final answer:
Standardized tests are those with uniform administration and scoring procedures that enable comparison based on age, grade level, and established norms, evolved from early intelligence testing efforts and are essential for reliable evaluation.
Step-by-step explanation:
Tests that have uniform procedures for administration and scoring, allow comparative analysis of student scores by age, grade level, and norms are known as c) Standardized tests. These assessments are designed to ensure that the manner of administration, scoring, and interpretation of results are consistent across different test-takers, making the results reliable and valid by adhering to established norms. Norming of these tests involves administering the test to a representative sample of the population to establish a benchmark for interpreting scores. This process sets the norms without expecting what a group should know but rather records what they do know.
Historically, the concept of normed and standardized testing dates back to the early 1900s with researchers like Alfred Binet and Lewis Terman. The latter revised Binet's work to create the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale. Moreover, widely recognized standardized tests such as the SAT and ACT are used as benchmarks in college admissions. Over time, these tests have evolved with contributions from researchers to improve accuracy and fairness among various groups.
Standardization is crucial to maintaining a reliable measure of abilities that comparison across different times, locations, and populations is possible. As such, standardized tests are valuable tools in educational settings and professional fields, offering a structured assessment method.