Understanding Your Child’s Assessment: What Do Those Tests Really Tell You? Victoria B. Damiani, Ed.D., NCSP Center for Rural Gifted Education Indiana University of Pennsylvania

First, some terms you should know Achievement-Score on a test of academic content such as reading, math, or science Intelligence/ability/aptitude-Score on a test of problem solving/reasoning not based in an academic area

More terms Standardized test-A test that is administered the same way each time it is given. Also, a test on which a person’s score is determined by comparing his/her performance on the test to that of the norming group

More terms Norming group-The group on which a test was originally developed Normal curve-A graph representing the theoretical assumption that most people’s test scores (for example, on a test of intelligence) are in the average range with only a few scoring very low or very high. Most standardized tests are based on this assumption.

More terms Standard score-A score based on a comparison of one student’s performance to that of the norming group. This score does NOT show the number or percentage of items the student got correct.

More terms Percentile rank-A ranking of a student’s performance based on the percentage of those whose scores were lower (usually in comparison to a norming group for the test, but percentile ranks can also be based on a group taking a test currently, such as a class) Does NOT tell what percent of items a student got correct.

Rating Scale-A list of characteristics or observations that the rater, usually a parent or teacher, will check as present or absent. May also include the degree to which the characteristic is present or absent.

Your child’s assessment is likely to include An individual test of intellectual ability A group or individual test of academic achievement Rating scales completed by the teacher & the parent A review of existing achievement test data (for example PSSA or 4Sight)

What is intelligence? Several theoretical formulations of intelligence do exist Different tests of intelligence represent different theories

But, most theories include Verbal ability Quantitative ability Visual/spatial problem solving Memory Speed Some also include planning/attention

Most achievement tests will include at least Reading Math Some also include social studies & science, but that is less common

Some Tests of Intellectual Ability Wechsler Scales (WISC) Binet Scales Woodcock-Johnson Cognitive Ravens Progressive Matrices Test of Non-verbal Intelligence (TONI)

Woodcock-Johnson Achievement Tests Wechsler Individual Achievement Curriculum Based Measures Some Tests of Academic Achievement

Standard score interpretation Average High Average Superior Over 130Very Superior

All scores are not created equal Standardized tests are more reliable than rating scales Curriculum-based assessments relate better to what has been taught in the student’s school Standardized achievement tests have only a few items at a given level

Some FAQs Does the psychologist who administers the test affect my child’s score? Should my child be re-tested? How young is too young for testing? If one of my children scored in the gifted range, is my other child likely to do the same?

What are your questions?