What type of assessment is the Phonological Awareness Test (PAT)?

The Phonological Awareness Test (PAT) is characterized as a norm-referenced assessment. This type of assessment evaluates an individual's performance in comparison to a larger, statistically representative sample of peers. It is designed to provide insights into how an individual's skills in phonological awareness align with those of other students typically of the same age or grade level.

The PAT yields scores that can be interpreted through norms, which allows educators and specialists to determine the level of phonological awareness skills demonstrated by the individual and whether they are below, at, or above the expected performance level. As a result, it helps inform instruction and interventions by placing the individual’s performance in a broader context.

Other classifications of assessments, such as criterion-referenced, formative, or summative assessments, serve different purposes and contexts. Criterion-referenced assessments measure a student's performance against a specific set of criteria or learning objectives rather than comparing them to others. Formative assessments are conducted during the learning process to inform instruction and provide feedback, while summative assessments typically evaluate student learning at the end of an instructional unit.