WHY ARE STUDENTS TESTED?

Standardized tests serve several purposes. In Sevier County, they are used by the superintendent, school board, supervisors, principals, and teachers to:

* evaluate and improve the school district

* evaluate and improve the individual school

* identify a child's academic strengths

* identify areas where a child may need to improve

A testing program is only one of several tools used to evaluate children's performance. Children are never measured on the basis of one test alone.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SCORES?

You can better understand test scores by understanding that your child's test scores can be compared to the scores of one or more groups of students. Three popular ways of making comparisons are by using stanines, percentiles, or grade-level equivalents.

Test publishers use one of these three methods to report test scores so that teachers and parents can compare an individual student's scores with the scores of other students who took the same test.

WHAT ARE STANINE SCORES?

Stanine is short for standard nine. The name comes from the fact that stanine scores range from a low of 1 to a high of 9. For instance, a stanine score of

* 1, 2, or 3 is below average

* 4, 5, or 6 is average

* 7, 8, or 9 is above average

If a child achieved a stanine score that was below average in a particular area, the test revealed an area in which the child needs improvement. If the child achieved an average stanine score, the test indicated that he or she performed at about the same level as other students who took the test. If the child achieved a stanine score that is above average, the test results mean that he or she performed better in that area than other students who took the test.

WHAT ARE PERCENTILE SCORES?

In contrast to stanines, percentiles give parents a more detailed description of how their children compare with other students who took the test by showing scores that range from 1 to 99. For example, if a student scored in the 66th percentile on a test, that student achieved a score that is higher than 66% of the other students who took the test. So, if 1,000 students took the test, the student in the 66th percentile scored higher than 660 students.

Do not confuse percentile scores with percentage correct scores. Percentile scores allow you to compare one student's scores with a group of students who took the test. Percentage correct scores simply reveal the number of items that a student answered correctly out of the total number of items.

WHAT ARE GRADE-LEVEL EQUIVALENT SCORES?

Grade-level equivalent scores are determined by giving a test that is developed for a particular grade to students in other grades. For instance, test designers establish grade-equivalents for a 4th grade test by giving that same test to students who are in the 6th and the 2nd grades. Grade-level equivalent scores are often misunderstood; be careful when you interpret them. If a 4th grader received a 7th grade equivalent score on a 4th grade reading achievement test, parents may believe their child is ready for 7th grade material. Actually, the score means that the child reads 4th grade material as well as the average 7th grader.

WHO ARE THE OTHER STUDENTS WHO TOOK THE TEST?

Stanines, percentiles, and grade-level equivalent scores all rely on measuring your students' scores against the scores of a large group of students who also took the same test. This other group of students, or the comparison group, may be composed of other students in your district who took the test at the same time or of students from a nationally representative sample who took the test earlier.

A student's test results are most meaningful when discussed in relation to these other students' scores. When you compare one student with others who took the same test, you can think about ways in which your child is similar or dissimilar to other students in the group.

HOW CAN PARENTS INTERPRET THEIR CHILD'S TEST SCORES?

The most pressing question parents often ask is, "What do the scores mean?" Compare each of your child’s test scores with their daily classwork. Is there a large difference between the test results and your impression of how your child should have scored? If there is no difference, the test confirmed your impression of your child's skills.

If there is a large difference, however, look closely at the scores and the child's in-class performance. What do you think causes the difference? There is no easy way to determine the reason, but subskill scores can help you identify problem areas. Check to see if any one subskill score lowered the overall test score. For example, reading tests often have subskill scores in vocabulary and comprehension. We may believe that a child with an overall score in the 75th percentile has few reading difficulties. However, if the vocabulary subskill showed that the child was in the 65th percentile, he or she may need to improve vocabulary skills.

Remember that you have a right and a need to know about your child's educational progress. Wherever possible, discuss past and current test scores together, as a way of helping them track your child's progress. Above all, remember that test results give you a powerful way of checking whether your child is working up to his or her potential.