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Educational Measurement and Evaluation

Notes specific population. While standard possesses a desirable objective, which can be less or more
than the obtained norm.
To prepare norms, we administer a test on a large population in order to change the scores into
percentiles or standard scores. Norms are used as the central tendency of scores of a certain
group.
Some common definitions of norm are as follows :
1. Norms are quantitative criterion for different levels.
2. Norms are averages determined under prevailing conditions.
3. Psychological test norms represent the test standardization.

11.2 Need for Establishing Norms

Norms have to be established for the following causes :
1. To formulate raw scores such that they can be added with other scores.
2. To make raw scores capable of being compared.
3. To make raw scores more meaningful.
The group of individuals on whom these norms are prepared, are called reference group, that is,
norms indicate standard performance of reference group. Generally, norms help us to answer the
following queries :
1. The obtained scores of an individual are whether less or more than the scores he has scored
in another test measuring the same trait. On the basis of this type of comparison, an
individual’s strength or weakness can be found out.
2. How can future success be predicted for an individual ?
3. What is the place of an individual in a test as compared to other individuals in the test.
4. How can the individual’s success be studied conveniently and successfully.

11.3 Types of Norms

Norms are of two types depending on the group of students or individuals for which they have
been established. Chiefly, there are four types of norms :
1. Age norms.
2. Grade norms.
In view of the scale or unit of expression, norms can be of two types :
3. Percentile norms.
4. Standard score norms.
l. Age Norms : This type of norms were used in Binet’s intelligence tests. The basic assumption
in this type of norms is that variable should increase with the age. The variable must
increase with the age.
By age norms is meant the average scores of students of different ages. Age norms find out
only those variables which increase with age, such as height, weight, intelligence, reading
ability, vocabulary, mental age etc. Supposing, we have to find out height age norm. for
this, a test is administered on a group of students of different age groups, and the scores are
written down on the test. The average of scores obtained by students of different age groups
is called the norm for that age group. For example, if we want to know the height norm for
students of 12-year age group. For this, we shall choose some students of 12 years of age

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