1. How to Interpret Test Scores

2. 1. What are standardized tests?  A standardized test is one that is administered under standardized or controlled conditions that specify where, when, how, and for how long children may respond to the questions or "prompts." They include specified procedures for administration and scoring. They have an established format and set of materials.

3. 2. Which tests are administered to our children? We administer the Dynamic Indicators of Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) to grades K-3 in August, January, and May. Students in every grade take quarterly Mobile County Criterion Referenced Tests (CRT’s) In February, our fifth grade takes the Alabama Direct Assessment of Writing. In April, grades 2-5 are administered the Alabama Reading and Math Test (ARMT), the Stanford Achievement Test (SAT 10), and the Otis Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT).

4. 3. What does each test measure? DIBELS: The Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) are a set of procedures and measures for assessing the acquisition of early literacy skills from kindergarten through sixth grade, although we only assess kindergarten through third grade. They are designed to be short (one minute) fluency measures used to regularly monitor the development of early literacy and early reading skills. It allows teachers to see which of her students are on grade level, below grade level, or above grade level. It can also indicate the areas of reading a child needs to develop.

5. CRT’s: CRTs are criterion-referenced tests that are developed using Mobile County curriculum objectives. The CRTs are administered at the end of each quarter. The CRTs contain questions relating to the objectives that have been taught during that quarter for a specific course. Students in kindergarten through grade 5 will be tested in the areas of reading and mathematics at the end of each quarter. The science CRT will be administered at the end of the year. In grades K-3, the CRT will count 10% of the quarter average. In grades 4-5, the CRT will count 20% of the quarter average.

6. SAT 10 SAT10-The SAT 10 is designed to spread scores out over a range. We can then look at the score of any student who takes the test and tell if their score falls into a range that is below average, average, or above average compared to students in the norm group, across the nation. We can generalize from this and say that the student is below average, average, or above average compared to other students about his/her age and in the same grade. The Primary Purposes of the SAT 10 are: To compare individual performance with performance of the norm group; to report relative areas of strengths and weaknesses; and to provide data to study changes of performance over time. Students receive a percentile rank, which indicates how well they performed in comparison to peers in other states. If the number is 45, for example, students scored as well or better than 45% of students who took the test across the country. The state's goal is for students to score at or above the 40th percentile. Stanines are a simple way to look at test results. Stanine scores range from a low of one to a high of nine., 1, 2, 3 - Below Average 4, 5, 6 - Average 7, 8, 9 - Above Average

7. ARMT: The Alabama Reading and Mathematics Test (ARMT) is a criterion- referenced test administered in grades 3 through 8 based on Alabama's content standards. The ARMT uses a wide variety of text sources for the reading assessment, as well as multiple-choice questions and open-ended items. In the math section, students respond to multiple-choice questions, open-ended items, and gridded items. Open-ended questions require students to write a narrative explanation of their answer or to show their work in math. Individual students are scored into 4 levels: Level I Does not meet standards Level II Partially meets standards Level III Meets Standards Level IV Exceeds Standards

8. ADAW Students in grades 5, 7 and 10 took the Alabama Direct Assessment of Writing Exam. The writing test includes four parts: Grammar and Usage, Holistic Composition, Writing Mechanics and Sentence Formation. Alabama Direct Assessment of Writing Exam results show the level of proficiency a student demonstrates in meeting state standards. Students are rated at one of four levels: does not meet, partially meets, meets and exceeds.