Why are norms essential for standardized assessments?

Norms are fundamentally important for standardized assessments because they provide a benchmark for evaluating individual performance against a broad and representative sample of the population. When an assessment is standardized, it has undergone testing with a large group of individuals to establish what is considered typical or average performance. These norms enable practitioners to interpret an individual's scores relative to this average, thereby contextualizing their abilities or challenges.

For instance, if a child scores in the 75th percentile on a developmental assessment, this indicates they performed better than 75% of their peers, allowing for a more meaningful understanding of their abilities compared to a normative sample. This comparison helps therapists tailor interventions and evaluate progress effectively. In contrast, while validity, reliability, and time considerations are important aspects of assessments, they do not directly provide a framework for understanding individual performance in context as norms do.