When a student's program is substantially modified, evaluation may be referenced to individual goals. A classroom does not provide a large enough reference group for a norm-referenced evaluation system. Norm-referenced evaluation compares student achievement to that of others, rather than comparing how well a student meets the criteria of a specified set of learning outcomes. In criterion-referenced evaluation, a student's performance is compared to established criteria rather than to the performance of other students. Evaluation referenced to prescribed curriculum requires that criteria are established based on the learning outcomes listed under the curriculum organizers for grade 11 and 12 mathematics courses.
Criteria are the basis of evaluating student progress.
They identify the critical aspects of a performance or product that describe, in specific terms, what is involved in meeting the learning outcomes. Criteria can be used to evaluate student performance in relation to learning outcomes. Samples of student performance should reflect learning outcomes and identified criteria. The samples clarify and make explicit the link between evaluation and learning outcomes, criteria, and assessment. Where a student's performance is not a product, and therefore not reproducible, a description of the performance sample should be provided.