What is a benchmark?
A benchmark is a point on the earth’s surface that has had its elevation above sea level measured. This point is permanently marked, usually with a metal disk, but it can also be any object that serves as an elevation reference point-anything from a large rock to a rusting iron rod. Sometimes benchmarks are easy for a surveyor to find. In fact, you’ve probably walked over one in a busy town square. But many times, benchmarks can be tricky to find, so much so that benchmark hunting is a hobby for some of the more adventurous. It’s not uncommon for a rural benchmark to be located several miles away from the nearest road, and only accessible via a long hike through thick woods. In comparison, the more frequently used benchmarks in metropolitan areas are easier to find, although the surveyor may still need a shovel to dig them out.
The benchmark is a nationally agreed description of the minimum skills required to make progress. Students below the benchmark are deemed to be at risk of not making adequate progress in literacy and numeracy. The benchmarks are a key to the National Plan that involves: • early identification of students at risk and in need of early intervention, and • provision of clear information about literacy and numeracy outcomes to parents.
A benchmark is “a standard of measurement or evaluation” (Webster’s II Dictionary). A computer benchmark is typically a computer program that performs a strictly defined set of operations – a workload – and returns some form of result – a metric – describing how the tested computer performed. Computer benchmark metrics usually measure speed: how fast was the workload completed; or throughput: how many workload units per unit time were completed. Running the same computer benchmark on multiple computers allows a comparison to be made.
The definition from Webster’s II Dictionary states that a benchmark is “A standard of measurement or evaluation.” A computer benchmark is typically a computer program that performs a strictly defined set of operations (a workload) and returns some form of result (a metric) describing how the tested computer performed. Computer benchmark metrics usually measure speed (how fast was the workload completed) or throughput (how many workloads per unit time were measured). Running the same computer benchmark on multiple computers allows a comparison to be made.
