ITBS Scores for Grades 1-8
The GLS student population consists of students of all ability levels, from those with diagnosed learning disabilities to those who would be designated gifted and talented. The school takes pride in educating the whole child by providing a relevant, coherent and rigorous curriculum differentiated for all student ability groups.
The Iowa Test of Basic Skills is a reliable assessment; Riverside Publishing publishes it, the same company that publishes the public school STAR tests. The testing is a “norm-referenced,” researched based test that compares a student’s performance to others who have taken the same test under the same conditions. At our school, the test is administered to all students in grades 1 through 8 and is considered a “snapshot” which indicates a student’s performance at a specific time.
We test to provide insight into the relative strengths and weaknesses in specific subject areas. Testing also allows teachers and school administrators to make appropriate adjustments to the curriculum to maximize student achievement. In addition, it provides a means of describing a student’s developmental level in a given area, monitors student progress over time and identifies areas for enrichment or remediation in differentiating student instruction.
Understanding the scores can be a challenge. For purposes of our schoolwide grade level comparisons two score areas will be shown, GE (grade equivalent), NPR (National Percentile Rank) and Stanine Scores (the standard nine).
Grade Equivalent is a decimal number that indicates the grade level and the months (e.g. 3.2 would indicate a third grade second month level). GE’s indicate what the average student in the indicated level would achieve. Example: A 5th grade student received a 7.3 GE in Science. This indicates that her score is like the one a typical student in the third month of 7th grade would likely get on that same test.
National Percentile Ranking (NPR) is an indication ranging from 1 to 99 showing what “percentile” your child’s score corresponds to in relation to others taking the same test. It is NOT the percent correct. Example: A 7th grade student scored in the 89th percentile in Reading Comprehension. This means that the student’s scores were higher than 88 percent and lower 11 percent of the students who took the test.
GLS ITBS scores are noteworthy considering the fact that they include students of all ability levels, and are normed with private schools across the nation. If public schools were normed in the reference group our scores would be substantially higher. Noting the varied ability levels in our student population, the ITBS scores for the Core Battery range from the 67th to the 84th percentile. The majority of class averages fall into the top 1/5 (top 20%) of all students in the United States
When looking at percentile scores for standardized test results it is important to remember that scoring between the 40th and 50th percentile means that the child is performing at grade level. It is also important to remember that this is one form of assessment, given at one time, and that it must be used with other assessment in evaluating an individual child’s performance.