Assessment - a standard reference approach

What is a standard approach? And what are its characteristics?

Assessment in a standards-referenced model has
these characteristics:
o A syllabus that provides a clear sense of the
syllabus standards through its aims, objectives,
outcomes and content;
o Tasks designed to produce an image of what
students have achieved at that point in the
teaching and learning process relative to the
outcomes;
o A report that gives marks referenced to predetermined
standards.