What is a curriculum-referenced test primarily intended to measure?

A curriculum-referenced test is designed specifically to assess a student's understanding and knowledge of the material that has been taught within a particular curriculum. This type of test gauges how well students grasp the concepts and skills set out in the curriculum objectives. It focuses on evaluating the extent to which students can demonstrate their comprehension and application of the subject matter they have been exposed to during their courses.

Unlike a general intelligence test, which aims to assess cognitive abilities across various domains without focusing on specific educational content, a curriculum-referenced test is directly aligned with the learning goals and objectives established by educators. Similarly, while prior knowledge may play a role in how well a student performs on such a test, the primary focus remains on their mastery of the taught material rather than on what they knew before instruction commenced. Additionally, the intent is not to rank students against their peers, which would be more appropriate for norm-referenced tests. Thus, the core purpose of a curriculum-referenced test aligns specifically with measuring the knowledge of the curriculum that has been taught.