Definition
Test questions designed to measure a student's performance against a fixed standard or specific learning objective, rather than against the performance of other students. Each item checks whether the student has met a defined criterion — for example, the ability to correctly identify airspace classes or calculate a weight and balance.
Plain English
Test questions that check whether a student can do a specific thing to a set standard. The question is 'Did they meet the standard?' — not 'How did they score compared to everyone else?'
Context Anchor
Seen in aviation instructor training when choosing assessment methods and writing questions or tasks for student pilots.
Derivation
From the Greek 'kriterion,' meaning a standard for judging. A criterion-referenced item judges the student against that fixed standard.
Why Pilots Care
Ensures training and checking focus on whether required safety and performance standards have been met.
Analogy
It is like checking whether a tire has the required air pressure. The tire either meets the stated number or it does not; it is not judged by whether it has more air than another tire.
Intuition Check
Do not read “referenced” as meaning the test item merely mentions a topic. Here it means the item is judged against a specific standard. Do not read it as ranking students against each other; that is not the purpose of criterion-referenced test items.
Example Sentence 1
The instructor wrote criterion-referenced test items tied directly to each task in the Airman Certification Standards.
Example Sentence 2
Ground instruction often includes criterion-referenced test items to verify understanding before the next lesson.