1. Making Sense of Standardized Test Scores
Presenter: Misty Nix

2. What types of scores are out there?
Discussion
What types of scores are out there?

3. Percentiles Grade-Equivalent Scores Scale Scores
Types of Scores
Percentiles Grade-Equivalent Scores Scale Scores

4. Percentiles
This type of score comes from a comparison of a student’s score to other students’ scores in a norm group (group of students being tested).
Example: If a student scores in the 75th percentile this means that this student preformed better than 75% of the students in the norm group.

5. Let us look at it from a different angle.
Percentiles
Still not making sense?
Let us look at it from a different angle.
If the student scored in the 75th percentile only 25% of students in the norm group preformed just as well or better than this student.
Another way of putting it is that this student is in the top 25% of the norm group.

6. Percentiles Biggest Advantage Biggest Disadvantage
Typically understood by most of the general public and parents.
Biggest
Disadvantage
Scores are dependant on the quality of the norm group.

7. Questions/Comments about Percentiles
Discussion
Questions/Comments about Percentiles

8. Grade-Equivalent Scores
This score is an indicator of student test performance based on grade level and months of the school year.
Example: a student who scored a 7.3 on a mathematics test would be function in this subject like an average 7th grader in their 3rd month of the school year.

9. Grade-Equivalent Scores
Still not quite making sense? Grade 7.3 Month

10. Grade-Equivalent Scores
Biggest
Advantage
These scores are easy to communicate to parents.
Biggest
Disadvantage
These types of scores are often time misinterpreted.

11. Questions/Comments about Grade-Equivalent Scores
Discussion
Questions/Comments about Grade-Equivalent Scores

12. Scale Scores
This type of score is where the student’s raw score is converted to number that fall on a scale.
An example that would directly affect you would be the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or the Miller’s Analogy Test (MAT). You didn’t receive your raw scores you got a 3 digit number.

13. Scale Scores

14. Very useful in equalizing difficulties of different test forms.
Scale Scores
Biggest
Advantage
Very useful in equalizing difficulties of different test forms.
Biggest
Disadvantage
These types of scores are not easy to interpret unless you know the passing scale score.

15. Questions/Comments about Scale Scores
Discussion
Questions/Comments about Scale Scores

16. Thank You for Your Time