Final answer:
Criterion-referenced tests focus on assessing specific standards or criteria, determining whether a test-taker knows certain material or can perform specific tasks, rather than comparing scores to those of a normative sample.
Step-by-step explanation:
The difference between the Norm-Referenced Instrument and the Criterion-Referenced Test is that criterion-referenced tests focus more directly on the regularities in the object being measured. Whereas norm-referenced tests compare individual performance to a statistical average of a population (norms), criterion-referenced tests assess whether the test-taker has met a specific standard or criterion without comparing their score to others. In education, this distinction affects how tests are designed, administered, scored, and how interpretation of results is consistent with the aims of the tests.
Criterion-referenced tests are concerned with whether test-takers know certain material or can perform certain tasks, not how they perform relative to others. This contrasts with norm-referenced instruments like the historically significant Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale, which compare an individual's performance against a normative sample. Current educational movements, often in response to legislation like the No Child Left Behind Act, have discussed the implications of both types of tests on educational goals, such as content mastery versus problem-solving skills.