What Is a Non-Standardized Test?

By Contributor

Non-standardized assessment looks at an individual's performance, and does not produce scores
that allow us to compare that performance to another's. It allows us to obtain specific information
about the student, and this can be in different formats.

Non-Standardized Testing is Informal Testing

Another term for non-standardized testing is informal testing. These tests are classroom tests and
are usually developed by the teacher as opposed to some group of outside testers. These
classroom tests assess students' learning over a period of time or after a particular unit of study.
A score of 80% on a multiple choice test after reading a short story is a non-standardized score
because it does not tell us how the student did in relation to his peers.

Criterion-Referenced Measurement

This is also a form of non-standardized testing. The desired level of achievement is the criterion.
The criterion-referenced measurements are used to measure learning for a particular student.
This way the teacher can document whether or not learning is taking place. Evidence of learning,
or not, is readily apparent, and the focus here is on the performance of an individual student as
opposed to the norm-referenced tests. Domain-referenced tests are similar to criterion-
referenced. Performance is measured against a well-defined body (domain) of knowledge or
tasks, and the focus is on the individual.

orms of Non-Standardized Testing

Forms include portfolios, interviews, informal questioning, group discussions, oral tests, quick
pop quizzes, exhibitions of work, projects and performance exams.

With portfolios the student gathers his work over a period of time, and the teacher will evaluate
the work based on a scoring guideline. The student is encouraged to reflect on his work, which
enhances the learning process. Performance exams are tests given to all students and are based
on students performing some task, like writing an essay, or giving an oral presentation. These
tasks are created by the teachers who teach the students, and so the exams drive the curriculum.
It makes more sense for those doing the teaching to create the tests.

Accountability and Non-Standardized Tests

Parents and the community have a right to know how students are doing; therefore, non-
standardized tests need to show how well schools and students are doing. Teachers are constantly
assessing their students, and by doing so they are constantly adjusting and changing their
teaching to meet individual students' needs. There can still be accountability with non-
standardized assessment that provides parents, local officials, and state officials with the
information needed. Teachers can be in constant touch with parents through the Internet, by
calling, by parent conferences and by sending home progress reports and samples of work.

Success With Non-Standardized Testing

The key questions to ask with any kind of assessment is, "What is the purpose of this
assessment?" and "Is this purpose meaningful and worthwhile?" If these questions are constantly
referred to and constantly addressed then the assessment in itself is important, and this helps
teachers address what is important to learn. It's a kind of backwards design. Ultimately the goal
is to help students to learn, and to help them to learn the information and the skills that are
important.

There are two sides of Standardized Tests:

(1) It is considered as an economical, reliable, and valid assessment in determining whether
someone could enter, continue or exit institutions such as school, university, business, and
government. The tests usually use multiple-choice format tests.
(2) According to Psychometrics such test covers only a narrow band of specialized intelligence.
Examples of Standardized Tests: TOEFL (Test of English as Foreign Language, TOEIC (Test of
English for International Communication), IELTS (International English Language Testing
System), GMAT (Graduate Management Admission System), etc.

Differences between Standardized Test and Teacher Made Test

Standard Test
1. generally prepared by specialists who know very well the principles of test construction;
2. prepared very carefully following principles of test construction;
3. given to a large proportion of the population for which they are intended for the computation
of
norms;
4. generally correlated with other tests of known validity and reliability or with measures such as
school marks to determine their validity and reliability;
5. generally are high objective;
6. have their norms computed for purposes of comparison and interpretation;
7. measure innate capacities and characteristics as achievement;
8. intended to be used for a long period of time and for all people of the same class in the culture
where
they are validated.
9. accompanied by manuals of instructions on how to administer and score the tests and how to
interpret the results;
10. generally copyrighted.

Teacher-made test
1. made by teachers who may not know very well the principles of test construction;
2. Often prepared hurriedly and haphazardly to be able to meet the deadline for administration;
3. Usually given only to a class or classes for which the tests are intended; usually, no norms are
computed;
4. Teacher-made tests are not subjected to any statistical procedures to determine their validity
and
reliability;
5. May be objective and may essay in which case scoring is subjective;
6. Have no norms unless the teacher computes the median, mean, and other measures for
comparison
and interpretation;
7. Generally measure subject achievement only;
8. Intended to be used only once or twice to measure achievement of students in a subject matter
studied during a certain period;
9. Do not have manuals of instructions, only the directions for the different types of tests which
may be
given orally or in writing.
10. Not copyrighted.

● TOEFL (Test of English As Foreign Language)

TOEFL evaluates the potential success of an individual to use and understand standard American
English at a college level. TOEFL is required for non-native applicants at many US and other
English-speaking colleges and universities.
There are 2 types TOEFL test;
(1) Computer Based (CB); A traditional Paper-Based (PB);
(2) iBT (TOEFL) administered by internet.

TOEFL test consists of four sections outlined as follow:

(1) Listening Section
The listening section measures the examinee’s ability to understand English as it is spoken in
North
America.
(2) Structure Section.
The structure section measures an examinee’s ability recognize language that is appropriate for
standard written English.
(3) Reading Section
The reading section measures the ability to read and understand short passages similar in topic
and
style to academic tests used in North America colleges and universities.
(4) The writing section measures the ability to write in English, including the ability to generate,
organize, and develop ideas, to support those ideas with examples or evidence, and to compose a
response to one assigned topic in standard written English.