Making Sense of Standardized Test

Scores

Presenter: Misty Nix

What types of scores are out there?

Discussion

Types of Scores

Percentiles

Grade-Equivalent Scores

Scale Scores

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.

PercentilesStill 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.

PercentilesBiggest

Advantage

Typically understood by

most of the general public and parents.

BiggestDisadvantage

Scores are dependant on the quality of

the norm group.

Discussion

Questions/Comments about Percentiles

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.

Grade-Equivalent Scores

Still not quite making sense?

Grade 7.3 Month

Grade-Equivalent Scores

Biggest Disadvantage

These types of scores are often

time misinterpreted.

Biggest Advantage

These scores are easy to

communicate to parents.

Discussion

Questions/Comments about Grade-Equivalent Scores

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.

Scale Scores

Scale Scores

Biggest Advantage

Very useful in equalizing

difficulties of different test

forms.

BiggestDisadvantageThese types of scores

are not easy to interpret unless you

know the passing scale score.

Discussion

Questions/Comments about Scale Scores

Thank You for Your Time