Reading the report about your child’s test results doesn’t have to be another test itself!

As a parent, you want to do everything you can to help your child succeed.  So, when important annual standardized tests come around, you do what you can to help him or her be prepared to perform well.  You follow the school’s suggestions and make sure your child gets plenty of rest the night before and a good breakfast the morning of the test.

But several months later, your child brings home a report of his or her test results.  He or she is not sure what it means, and you quickly conclude that you aren’t sure either.  Standardized test companies provide a great deal of information on test results by individual student, school, grade level, and district. Here are some tips on how to interpret your child’s data-laden report:

Percentile Rank:  A percentile rank is a score that tells the percent of students in a group with a lower score on the test than your child.  This score shows your child’s rank in that group.  Percentile ranks range from 1 to 99.   A National Percentile Rank (NPR) indicates your child’s rank with other students in the nation, while an Iowa Percentile Rank (IPR) indicates your child’s rank with other students in Iowa. 

Stanine:  A Stanine (S) is a rough grouping of percentile ranks that indicates your child’s relative position in a group.  Stanines range from 1 to 9 and can be interpreted using the following table:   

Grade Equivalent:  A Grade Equivalent (GE) is a score that describes your child’s achievement on a grade level scale.  The GE is a decimal number that describes academic performance in terms of grade level and month.  For example, if your child (a sixth-grade student) receives a GE of 8.1 on the sixth grade Vocabulary Test, this means your child scored as well as an eighth grade student in the first month of the school year if given the same sixth grade Vocabulary Test.  Does this mean your child should be accelerated to eighth grade?  Obviously your child’s vocabulary skills are relative higher than his/her sixth grade peers, but a GE does not provide any information on how well your child would perform on eighth grade material.  The GE only estimates your child’s academic level in terms of grade level and month; it does not provide a prescription for grade placement.

Standard Score:  The Standard Score (SS), like the GE, is a score that describes your child’s achievement on a standard scale.  The SS compares your child’s academic performance to the “average” performance of grade level groups.  The ITBS standard scale is shown below.  For example, if your sixth grade child receives a standard score of 226 on the ITBS Vocabulary Test, this means your child is performing like the typical sixth grade student in vocabulary.

For more information about your child’s standardized tests, please contact your child’s school office or DCSD Director of Assessment at 336-3812.