Curious achievement test national average

[SKL]

My kids took the 2nd grade TerraNova achievement tests in the spring.  Grade 2.6 or whatever.  Today I was looking to see how they did vs. the class average and national average.  It says the national average on the 2nd grade test was only 2.2.  All the other grades were closer to the actual level the kids were when taking the test, e.g., 1.6, 3.5, 5.7.  How would you interpret this?  Did they change up the 2nd grade test (perhaps for common core) and it was too hard?

[kiwik]

Is it the first one where the kids have to do it alone rather than havinmg the questions read to them?

[Acorn]

Where did you find the averages?

 

[Acorn]

Maybe I'm thinking of a different test.  My 2nd grader took "InView" . I thought that was produced by Terra Nova.   The results I saw were national percentile scale that didn't relate back to grade levels.

[EKS]

This doesn't make sense to me.  The national average defines the grade equivalent.  Perhaps the kids in the grade 2 cohort were tested in the fall?

[Acorn]

My child's testing was in Feb.  The inview test has name and then 2.5 grade.  The Cognitive Skills Index (CSI) is computed based on total score and birthdate.   I don't quite understand how the norm-referenced scores are computed.  I think the sections that comprise non-verbal scores must not be equally weighted. 

 

I would love to see averages for our district, please let me know what you are reading.  This test determines placement into 3rd grade gifted program, so I haven't felt comfortable asking questions to the other parents I know.

[Acorn]

Based on our experience, there are a lot of schools that are not offering their students enough material to score higher than grade level, as the schools are focusing effort on getting at risk and special needs students up to grade level. The competitive elementary students here learned quickly that it is impossible to get the top grade on the report card because that material is never offered in the classroom.

 

For the test report that I'm looking it, some of the 99 scores are marked with an asterisk denoting *maximum score.  I just don't see a way to know how the material is what grade level.

[SKL]

The school posts the national averages compared to the school averages on its website.  I do not know the official source of the information.

 

I suppose it could be a typo....

[Momling]

Perhaps the 2nd grade testing population didn't match the norming group as well as other grades did? For instance if the norming group had kids from all 50 states, but this year's 2nd graders weren't required to test in some of the higher performing New England states (who perhaps test grades 3 and up) there'd be proportionally more kids from lower performing states (Mississippi, Louisiana etc...) or from states with higher non-native English speakers (California, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona) so the national average would appear lower. It's just a guess, but I'd be curious about the national average for third grade next year and see if it evened up.