Help! How Do I Read the Report? (not updated yet for new edition of the test -- but still applicable.)
Glad you asked... I know those numbers are
very confusing, but follow through this explanation and you'll better understand
how to use the info we've provided....
(And please keep in mind that this is just a snapshot of your child's
performance on one particular test, on one particular day. Your daily
observation of your child on task in each subject area is a more reliable
evaluation of what child has mastered, what he still needs help understanding,
what he hasn't even covered yet. )
Let's start with the bar across the very top of the page. See the boxes labeled "Reading," "Language" and "Mathematics?" These boxes contain a summation of your child's performance on this particular test.
Along the left side of that bar you will see Standard Score. That's the raw score. Below that you will find Grade Equivalent, National Sta9, and National %ile Rank. These categories are just 3 different ways of interpreting your child's raw score on this particular test on this particular day. What do they mean?
Grade Equivalent: For example a grade equivalent of 5.6 in the vocabulary box on the 3rd grade test means your child understood the vocabulary on this 3rd grade test the way we might expect the average 5th grader in his 6th month of school to understand the same vocabulary. (But it doesn't mean he would perform at the same level on the 5th grade vocabulary test.)
National Sta9: First of all, they are using sta9 to represent the word stanine. Now what that is a way of grouping children into 9 different groups. Because test scores can vary for the same child from test to test, putting children into groupings is a better way to generalize their performance. The 5th stanine represents the median or average group -- those kids right on grade level. The 6th stanine would be one group above average; the 4th stanine would be one group below average. Schools might use stanine groupings to determine class assignments, for instance.
National %ile Rank: Again, that is just a shortened version of national percentile rank. This is a more specific score -- the percentile your child falls into in comparison to the norming group. The norming group was a cross section of children from public and private schools who took this particular test in Spring 1995 (the most recent norms available).
Now let's move across the bar, making sure we are clear on what each test measured. Under Reading, we tested vocabulary -- and this came from a cross-section of words from not just literature, but social studies and science. Reading Comprehension subtest, the kids were given reading selections that progressively became more difficult. The Total box represents a combination of their performance on the vocabulary and reading comprehension tests. In the Language section, there were subtests in spelling, capitalization, punctuation and usage and expression (that's recognizing the correct way or the best way to state an idea). Again you have a Total box that represents a combination of those 4 tests. Test makers think the scores on this section indicate how successful a student might be with written expression. (Not necessarily an indicator from my observation.)
Moving on to the Mathematics boxes, this can be a bit more difficult to understand. The first mathematics test (which was two parts) measured mathematical concepts and estimation skills. In the first part, the test makers were determining how well students understand the language of math, i.e. does he know what it means to find the product of a problem. Does a student know what to do if told to regroup and subtract. If you haven't been precise in your own use of mathematical terminology or if your textbook uses different terms (or ones we used in the 70s), than that can be an explanation for difficulties in this section. I had to learn to get precise here with my own children. Estimation is usually the test that throws most children for a loop. Current mathematical thinking says estimation is a very important skill for children (and adults) to have. I tend to agree. Estimation is a good study skill that kids should use with most arithmetic problems...a strategic student will predict a reasonable answer mentally, and then check his specific answer from working the problem through against his first prediction. If they aren't close, than the strategic student will re-work the problem again. That's what we should teach our children is the purpose for estimating. Even if your preferred math text doesn't emphasize this skill, you can teach your child to use it without changing texts -- though keep in mind that the problems on this test often ask kids to estimate or round to a certain place value, sometimes a decimal place value at higher grade levels.
The problems and data interpretation sections ask students to first work arithmetic problems already set up on the page. And then the data interpretation section contains word problems that can require several steps and also require students to look at pictures, charts, bar graphs or plotted graphs and extract information they need to solve the word problem.
The Core Total gives you a composite picture of your child's performance on the entire test. So a high performance in the Reading section and a low performance in the Mathematical section might render a composite score right on grade level.
Now we're ready to move on to the more helpful part of this report -- the actual performance in the sub-skill areas. Here is where you can see what your child is confused about, what he didn't complete, where he is making his most mistakes....
Let's start with the Vocabulary section. Across the top of this chart the columns of numbers represent the following:
(Class N) = number of actual children in this grade the Home School Resource Center tested.
Number of Items = Actual number of questions on this particular test
Number Attempted = How many questions did your child answer ( this shows whether your child finished the test in the time allotted.)
Number Correct = Of the number attempted, number he got correct. ( If his number attempted is low, but number correct high, that can mean he understands the skill he just needs to increase his speed, i.e. competency and confidence. Or if he is attempting all but missing a lot, then perhaps he needs to slow down and be more careful.)
Percent Correct This Student= This turns his raw score above into a percentage.
Average Percent Correct Class = Here is a comparison between your child on this test in this subskill and the other kids in his grade level that the Home School Resource Center tests. So, here is a snap shot of your child compared to other homeschoolers.
Average Percent Correct Nation = Here is your child's performance in comparison with the national norms.
As you move down the left column under the SKILLS section, you see what subskills were measured in each content area. All grade levels, 3rd-8th, are tested in the same subskill areas -- so this helps you better anticipate what will be tested next year. Though on higher grade levels, the number of, say, inference questions in reading comprehension will be much higher.
For additional help in interpreting scores, you can call the Home School Resource Center or e-mail us.