In norm-referenced assessment, the word norm refers to:

In norm-referenced assessment, the word norm refers to:

• A. The group of individuals who took the instrument
• B. The group of professionals who interpret it
• C. The average score of the group
• D. The group of individuals who took the instrument, to which others' scores are compared

Answer: (D)

In norm-referenced assessment, norms come from a specific reference group of people who took the same instrument. This group provides the distribution of scores (mean, standard deviation, percentiles) that others are compared to. When you score, you’re seeing where you stand relative to that group, not against a fixed standard. That reference group is defined to represent the population for whom the test is intended, and sometimes norms are broken out by age, grade, or other demographic factors to make fair comparisons. So the norm is the group of individuals who took the test, used as the basis for interpreting everyone’s score by comparing it to the distribution of that group's scores.

In norm-referenced assessment, norms come from a specific reference group of people who took the same instrument. This group provides the distribution of scores (mean, standard deviation, percentiles) that others are compared to. When you score, you’re seeing where you stand relative to that group, not against a fixed standard. That reference group is defined to represent the population for whom the test is intended, and sometimes norms are broken out by age, grade, or other demographic factors to make fair comparisons. So the norm is the group of individuals who took the test, used as the basis for interpreting everyone’s score by comparing it to the distribution of that group's scores.