Interpeting Your Child’s Tests and Evaluations
Sometimes interpreting the scores of your child’s tests may seem to be a test of you-your patience, your ability to concentrate, even your intelligence-and not your child. But understanding the meaning of these numbers is necessary for you to be your child’s best advocate. Are you willing to trust someone else to tell you what the scores mean for your child? Do they have your child’s best interests at heart? What if they get it wrong? Being able to interpret your child’s test scores and evaluations is a challenge that you as a parent must take on. Understanding these objective measurements will help you develop the kind of IEP that will actually benefit your child by providing statistical measurements for objective goals.
- Why are test scores and evaluations important to my child’s individualized education plan (IEP)?
- Aren’t grades an adequate measure of my child’s progress?
- How are test scores reported?
- What are composite test scores? Are they an adequate measure of my child’s ability?
- What is a norm-referenced score?
- What is a criterion-referenced score?
- What are standard scores?
- What is a Bell Curve?
- What are some commonly administered tests?
Why are test scores and evaluations important to my child’s individualized education plan (IEP)?
Standardized tests and the evaluations of certified psychologists are the objective measures that you will include in your child’s IEP. They provide the baseline to measure your child’s progress, and they provide objective goals toward which your child can move. They are recognized by all educators and are not subject to personal interpretation or allegiances which can keep you from knowing your child’s actual progress.
Aren’t grades an adequate measure of my child’s progress?
No. Any subjective measure, such as grades, teacher observation, or even promotion from one grade level to the next, are poor measures of your child’s progress. Since all of these examples can be influenced based on an individual’s thoughts, feelings, or allegiances, they do not accurately measure whether your child has mastered specific skills. Having a teacher’s assurance that your child is “really making progress” means nothing if your child’s standardized reading comprehension test indicates that your child has still not learned to read.
How are test scores reported?
Test scores are reported in a number of different ways. Some of the more common include: percentile ranks, age equivalents, grade equivalents, and raw scores. Percentile ranks place your child’s score in relation to other children’s scores in terms of standard scores and standard deviations, while age and grade equivalent scores let you know how your child is performing in relation to other children of his particular age or grade. A raw score is the raw number your child scored on a particular test. Composite, norm-referenced, criterion-referenced, and standard scores are also used.
What are composite scores? Are they an adequate measure of my child’s ability?
Composite scores are the total of your child’s scores on a particular test. Many tests contain subtests which are interpreted together giving you a composite view of how your child scored on all the tests. This, however, is not an adequate measure of your child’s ability. For example your child may have scored much lower than average in reading comprehension, while scoring much higher than average in math. While the composite for these to subtests would lead you to believe that your child is of “average” ability all around, your child is, in reality, showing some serious deficiencies in reading.
What is a norm-referenced score?
Norm-referenced tests measure where your child is in comparison to his peers.
What is a criterion-referenced score?
Criterion-referenced tests measure whether or not your child has met a certain criterion of success. Criterion-referenced tests can be misleading unless you know exactly what the criterion for success is. For example, even though your second-grader has met the criterion for success of a first-grader and her score indicates she is successful, in reality, her score indicates she is falling behind when compared to those of other second-graders.
What are standard scores?
The “standard” score of a test is the calculated average score. On most tests, the standard score (or mean) is 100. So, children who receive average scores, receive scores close to 100. The farther away from 100 a child scores, the greater his standard deviation. (Standard deviation is usually scored in increments of 15.) For example: If your child has a standard score of 100, it means he is in the 50th percentile-an average score. However, if your child received a standard score of 85, 15 points below the mean, he would be one standard deviation below the mean and would be in the 16th percentile. If, however, your child scored 115, 15 points above the mean, he would be one standard deviation above the mean and would be in the 84th percentile. You can use these scores to compare your child with other children of his peer group.
What is a Bell Curve?
The bell curve is a visual depiction of standard scores and standard deviations. By plotting your child’s score on a bell curve, you can see where he falls in relation to other children his age or grade level.
What are some commonly administered tests?
The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Third Edition (WISC-III) is a commonly administered test of ability. This test uses 10 subtests to determine a Verbal IQ, a Performance IQ, and a Full Scale IQ. Composite scores between 90 to 110 are considered average. The Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Batter-Revised (WJ-R) and the Woodcock-Johnson II (WJ III ACH) are commonly administered to test educational achievement. These tests include several subtests and are scored as composite or cluster scores.
To access these tests check out www.psychcorp.com or www.riverpub.com.
For more information about your child’s eligibility for Benefits4Life contact 4MyChild.
