If you are familiar with the Iowa tests--what does grade equivalent really mean?

[madteaparty]

what does a GE of "13+" mean, specifically? I get dumber with age, apparently

Many thanks.

ETA that my child does NOT score that across the board, in case this sounds like veiled brag or whatever. If anything, the results are kind of puzzling.

Edited June 19, 2017 by madteaparty

[maize]

Post high school I would think.

 

Generally this indicates that the child is performing at the level of an average individual in the designated grade on the content tested. So a 4th grader might perform as well on 4th grade math skills as someone who has completed high school would perform on 4th grade math skills.

[EKS]

Grade equivalent is reported by comparing the student's standard score and finding at what grade that score falls at the 50th percentile.  So 13+ means that the score is higher than the score falling at the 50th percentile for a 12th grader in the 9th month of school.

 

It is important to note that average 12th graders have only mastered math and reading at the level of a strong 4th or 5th grader. 

[EKS]

Post high school I would think.

 

Generally this indicates that the child is performing at the level of an average individual in the designated grade on the content tested. So a 4th grader might perform as well on 4th grade math skills as someone who has completed high school would perform on 4th grade math skills.

 

This is actually not true.  The test developer goes to great pains to ensure that the standard scores are continuous across the span of grade levels.  

 

In fact, tests where everyone takes the same test, like the Woodcock Johnson and the MAP show the same thing--that the average 12th grader scores the same as a high performing 4th or 5th grader (as well as vice versa).

[maize]

This is actually not true. The test developer goes to great pains to ensure that the standard scores are continuous across the span of grade levels.

 

In fact, tests where everyone takes the same test, like the Woodcock Johnson and the MAP show the same thing--that the average 12th grader scores the same as a high performing 4th or 5th grader (as well as vice versa).

I do not see how what I said contradicts what you said?

 

Maybe my phrasing was not clear? A 4th grader whose score report shows a grade equivalent of 12th grade on a 4th grade test has performed as well as an average 12th grader would perform on that (4th grade) test.

[Lori D.]

From the Iowa Test info on interpreting scores:

"National Grade Equivalent (NGE)... a score that describes your student’s achievement on a grade level scale. The NGE is a decimal number that describes academic performance in terms of grade level and month. For example, if your student (as a 3rd grade student) receives a NGE of 4.2 on the third grade Reading Test, this means your student scored as well as a fourth grade student in the second month of the school year if given the same third grade Reading Test."

 

So, if your student received a 13+, it means that your student scored as well as a post-high school student taking the SAME grade level test that your student took. Also note that this score of 13+ does not mean your student is ready to move on to college now ;) :

 

"GRADE EQUIVALENTS (GE) The Grade Equivalent is an estimate of where the student is along a developmental continuum. It is important to remember that the GE is not directly tied to a curriculum. The grade equivalent score does not tell you what grade a student should be in or that a student has the skills to do work beyond his or her grade level. This is because all grade equivalent scores are based on test content specific to the level which was administered." — from Interpreting your child's ITBS

 

Possibly a more helpful indicator as to how your student is doing overall is either the Stanine score or the National Percentile Rank, which compare your student's test scores with the scores of those students who took the same grade level test as your student. :)

Edited June 19, 2017 by Lori D.

[EKS]

I do not see how what I said contradicts what you said?

 

Maybe my phrasing was not clear? A 4th grader whose score report shows a grade equivalent of 12th grade on a 4th grade test has performed as well as an average 12th grader would perform on that (4th grade) test.

 

What's different about what I am saying is that the 4th grader's standard score on their 4th grade test is the same score that means the same thing in terms of achievement as the 12th grader's score on their 12th grade test.  

 

The difference is that just a few questions on each 4th grade subtest are testing achievement at the high school level.  If the kid is a good guesser, it is possible that they just had a bit of good luck and if they were to take the 12th grade test it would show that they were not, in fact, performing at the level of an average high school student.

 

But it's also possible that the increased ceiling on the 12th grade test would actually cause the 4th grader to get a higher standard score than they did on the 4th grade test, though the length and format of the test may serve as stumbling blocks.

 

I think that testing companies say the thing about the 4th grader with the high school grade equivalent have performed as well as a high school student would have performed if the high school student had taken the 4th grade test as a way of avoiding the disturbing fact that average 12th graders are achieving (as demonstrated by the test, at least) on the same level as a 4th grader who scores at around the 95th percentile.  But this is a known thing--you can see it in the score tables for the MAP, for example, where everyone takes essentially the same test.  I'll see if I can find a link to those tables.  ETA:  Here's the link--the tables start on page 67.

 

That said, there is a lot that average high school students are bringing to the table that 95th percentile 4th graders generally don't have--stamina, life experience, maturity, and so forth.  This is one reason it is not reasonable to put a 4th grader with high school level grade equivalent scores into a high school classroom.

Edited June 20, 2017 by EKS

[Guest]

From the Iowa Test info on interpreting scores:

"National Grade Equivalent (NGE)... a score that describes your student’s achievement on a grade level scale. The NGE is a decimal number that describes academic performance in terms of grade level and month. For example, if your student (as a 3rd grade student) receives a NGE of 4.2 on the third grade Reading Test, this means your student scored as well as a fourth grade student in the second month of the school year if given the same third grade Reading Test."

 

So, if your student received a 13+, it means that your student scored as well as a post-high school student taking the SAME grade level test that your student took. Also note that this score of 13+ does not mean your student is ready to move on to college now ;) :

 

"GRADE EQUIVALENTS (GE) The Grade Equivalent is an estimate of where the student is along a developmental continuum. It is important to remember that the GE is not directly tied to a curriculum. The grade equivalent score does not tell you what grade a student should be in or that a student has the skills to do work beyond his or her grade level. This is because all grade equivalent scores are based on test content specific to the level which was administered." — from Interpreting your child's ITBS

 

Possibly a more helpful indicator as to how your student is doing overall is either the Stanine score or the National Percentile Rank. :)

 

MTP- the advice I received here last year after my oldest scored really high on her grade level test, was to test her above her grade level the following year to get a more accurate representation of strengths and weaknesses. Say, for 9th grade, give her the 11th grade test instead sort of thing to get a more accurate measure.

 

Now I only did this test for my own knowledge- we aren't required to test here in TX, so if it's a requirement, you might not want to do that. But for what it's worth, I thought it was sound advice based on what Lori has posted above. Once everything is 13+ and 98% or whatever it doesn't really tell you much as to what they should work on. 

[madteaparty]

MTP- the advice I received here last year after my oldest scored really high on her grade level test, was to test her above her grade level the following year to get a more accurate representation of strengths and weaknesses. Say, for 9th grade, give her the 11th grade test instead sort of thing to get a more accurate measure.

 

Now I only did this test for my own knowledge- we aren't required to test here in TX, so if it's a requirement, you might not want to do that. But for what it's worth, I thought it was sound advice based on what Lori has posted above. Once everything is 13+ and 98% or whatever it doesn't really tell you much as to what they should work on.

Hi thanks, we are required to test annually and I always do the grade level/two grades above scoring thing.

[madteaparty]

And here's another dumb question to follow the first one--Is there a huge difference between the forms/levels? I gave C/13 last year and E/14 this year, and while some of results are as expected, there's a particularly surprising one. Thank you again

[RootAnn]

I don't think there is a big difference in the levels - as I think a few of the questions repeat between two levels. (So, the same question might be on the Level 11, 12, and 13 test. Above ave kids might get it on Level 11, average on Level 12.)

 

I don't know about forms, though. I think not only are the questions different, but a different group normed each form, if I understand them correctly.

 

FWIW, I find the grade level equivalent not very helpful by itself, in general. We compare year-to-year numbers vs. taking them as a stand-alone number. I've always given the Form A (I think) Iowa test so that I'm comparing apples to apples.

[madteaparty]

I don't think there is a big difference in the levels - as I think a few of the questions repeat between two levels. (So, the same question might be on the Level 11, 12, and 13 test. Above ave kids might get it on Level 11, average on Level 12.)

 

I don't know about forms, though. I think not only are the questions different, but a different group normed each form, if I understand them correctly.

 

FWIW, I find the grade level equivalent not very helpful by itself, in general. We compare year-to-year numbers vs. taking them as a stand-alone number. I've always given the Form A (I think) Iowa test so that I'm comparing apples to apples.

For whatever reason that is not immediately clear to me I ordered the common core form this year. I have two 8th grade scores, with different levels/forms like I mentioned above, and one subscore has both DH and I scratching heads. I got a call from the office on that one. I'm reserving judgement until I see the ACT score tomorrow and then I will really wonder. Edited June 19, 2017 by madteaparty

[luuknam]

FWIW, I find the grade level equivalent not very helpful by itself, in general. We compare year-to-year numbers vs. taking them as a stand-alone number.

 

 

I don't think they're all that useful at all, even if you compare year-to-year. Like, my youngest got a GE of 4.3 on math last year on the grade 1 test (CAT/TerraNova, not Iowa, but I doubt it matters), and a GE of 3.3 on math this year on the grade 2 test. I can guarantee you he knows more math now than a year ago. Both percentile scores were >90th percentile for math too - it's not like he experienced a huge drop that way. So, I just don't think GE is all that meaningful, even year-to-year.