What type of assessment measures a student's understanding of specific content areas?

A criterion-referenced assessment is designed to evaluate a student's understanding of specific content areas against a predetermined set of criteria or learning standards. This type of assessment determines whether students have mastered the knowledge and skills outlined in the curriculum. Rather than comparing a student's performance to that of a larger group (which is characteristic of norm-referenced assessments), criterion-referenced assessments focus on whether individual students have met specific learning objectives.

For example, a test that assesses students' ability to solve algebra problems based on state standards is a criterion-referenced assessment. It measures what students know and can do in relation to the established benchmarks rather than how they perform in comparison to their peers. This aligns directly with understanding the specific content areas targeted by the educational program.