Why Are We Using The Individual Norm References Standardized Test Score To answer These Questions: Did I Teach? Did They Learn?

What comes to my desk is school personnel using individual norm referenced standardized test scores to answer these questions about teachers and children: Did I teach? Did they learn? It may be worthwhile to discuss why this is happening. Individual commercially prepared norm referenced standardized tests (NRST) reported scores contain a Standard Error of Measurement (SEM). We add or subtract this number to the reported NRST score to learn the true score. Further, this true score is within a range. For example, if the child’s reported NRST score is reading at the 45 percentile (45ile), and the SEM is 10, the range for the true score is between the 35ile and 55ile. Further, evidence explains if the group of NRST scores are normally distributed, the NRST test correlates well with an existing NRST. Why then, are we using the individual NRST score? Can we discuss if England’s aristocracy 244 years ago that generated the American Revolution is involved, and if so, has this led us to unintentionally using the individual NRST score to answer these questions about teaching and learning: Did I teach? Did they learn? Or is our economy involved, and if so how