A device (written, oral, or manipulative) that measures the degree of proficiency already attained in some specific skill or ability (intellectual, social, emotional, or manual).
A type of educational test that measures how much knowledge or what level of skills a student has gained, often after specific instruction, as opposed to an aptitude test or intelligence test. Test scores are often given in comparative terms, relating a student’s score to widely established norms, the result being an educational age. Among the achievement tests commonly used in schools are the California Achievement Tests, Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, Metropolitan Achievement Tests, SRA Achievement Series, Stanford Achievement Tests, and Wide Range Achievement Test—Revised. Some achievement tests are also readiness tests, designed to see whether a child has learned information basic to planned new learning, such as reading.