Interpreting Your Student’s

Iowa Assessment and

CogAT Scores February 12, 2015

Sope Creek Elementary

What is CogAT?

Test of Cognitive Ability

Norm-base test of aptitude in

problem solving specific to

three areas:

• Verbal

• Quantitative

• Nonverbal

CogAT – Summary of Skills

Assessed

• Acquire, organize, remember and recall

information

• Detect relationships

• Analyze problem situations and use previous

experiences to solve problems

• Adapt or invent strategies and tactics as the

complexity of the problems increase

• Recognize patterns

• Infer rules and principles

CogAT – Verbal Battery

Verbal Battery

Picture Analogies

Sentence Completion

Picture Classification

CogAT – Quantitative Battery

Quantitative Battery

Number Analogies

Number Puzzles

Number Series

CogAT – Nonverbal Battery

Nonverbal Battery

Figure Matrices

Paper Folding

Figure Classification

Sample Questions

Standard Age Score

(SAS)

Cognitive Level SAS Range

Very High 132-150+

Above Average 112-131

Average 88-111

Below Average 72-87

Very Low 50-71

National Percentile Rank

(NPR)

Cognitive Level NPR

Very High 96-99

Above Average 76-95

Average 25-75

Below Average 5-24

Very Low 1 - 4

Stanine (S)

Cognitive Level S

Very High 9

Above Average 7 & 8

Average 4, 5, & 6

Below Average 2 & 3

Very Low 1

Three Primary Uses of

CogAT Scores

• Help teachers adapt instructional goals,

methods and materials to the individual

needs of students

• Measure of each student’s level of

cognitive development

• Identify student whose level of academic

achievement differs from what would be

expected on their CogAT scores

What is the Iowa

Assessment?

The Iowa Assessment is a norm-

referenced test developed by the University

of Iowa.

It tests mastery of the academic skills found

in the elementary curriculum.

The purpose of these tests is to provide

information about student progress in a

curriculum that expands in breadth and

depth with each additional grade level.

Iowa Core

Subtests

What types of Scores for

the Iowa Assessment Appear on a

Student Report?

• National Percentile Rank (NPR)

• Grade Equivalent (GE)

Percentile Rank

(PR)

Achievement

Level

NPR

Very High 96-99

Above Average 76-95

Average 25-75

Below Average 5-24

Very Low 1 - 4

Grade Equivalent (GE)

• Grade equivalents are reported in decimal

format. The number in front of the decimal

is the grade level and the number after the

decimal represents months. (e.g. 3.4

represents third grade, fourth month)

• GE does not indicate a student’s

instructional level.

• GE allows for comparison of growth over

time.

GE Growth Comparisons Low Performing student –

less than 20 months gain in two years

Fall grade 5th grade – 4.2

Fall grade 7th grade – 5.6

Average Performing student –

about a 20 month gain in two years

Fall grade 5th grade – 5.2

Fall grade 7th grade – 7.2

High Performing student –

more than 20 month gain in two years

Fall grade 5th grade – 6.2

Fall grade 7th grade – 8.8

What Can Parents Do to Help

Improve Scores?

Play word games

Teach words

in context

Discuss new

or unusual words

Emphasize meaning of words

Vocabulary

Follow up with writing or drawing

Retell stories

Make predictions

Identify similarities

and differences

Repeated readings of

favorite books

Read with your child

Relate stories to personal experiences

Reading Comprehension

Find new

words while

reading

Play spelling type games

Practice spelling

conventions

Point out words with

similar spellings

Spelling

Encourage creative problem solving

Use graphs, charts,

timetables, diagrams

Use estimation and mental

math

Look for patterns in

everyday items

Ask if an answer is

reasonable

Use real life math

Read math-type

stories

Math

Coming Next – The Georgia Milestones!

Grades 3 – 5

Features the Georgia Milestone Assessment System include:

• open-ended (constructed-response) items in language arts

and mathematics (all grades and courses);

• a writing component (in response to passages read by

students) at every grade level and course within the

language arts assessment;

• norm-referenced items in all content areas and courses, to

complement the criterion-referenced information and to

provide a national comparison; and

• transition to online administration over time, with online

administration considered the primary mode of

administration and paper-pencil as back-up until the

transition is complete.