Final answer:
A standardized test is designed to compare students within the same age group and is used to develop curricula and identify necessary interventions. The process of norming and standardization ensures that the test is reliable, using a representative sample. 'Teaching to the test' is a practice that focuses on preparing students to score well on these tests, sometimes at the cost of broader learning objectives.
Step-by-step explanation:
The formal tool referred to as a standardized test is used for comparing a student's performance to peers within the same age group. This comparison is particularly useful for developing curricula and identifying necessary interventions. The process of achieving this involves norming and standardization of the test, ensuring that scoring, administration, and interpretation of results are consistent across different populations. An example of a test that has undergone this process is the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale.
In the context of norming, the correct answer to the question about who a test must be tested on to be normed and standardized is b. a representative sample. This ensures that the test accurately reflects the abilities and knowledge of the population it's intended to measure. The data collected from this process provide norms, or referential scores, for interpreting future test results. These norms represent what the tested group does know, rather than what they are expected to know.
The concept of "teaching to the test" is associated with the No Child Left Behind Act and references the practice of designing a curriculum primarily to improve students' scores on standardized tests. This can lead to a narrowed focus on test preparation often at the expense of broader educational goals and the development of problem-solving abilities and learning skills.