Summary Statistics

The Summary Statistics appear on the Student Profile > Benchmark Tests tab. The statistics are calculated once after the test's score due date, and then again in the event that an item is modified. The date on which the statistics were last calculated is shown in the Show Summary Statistics area.

Summary Statistics Definitions

Percentile RankA ranking scale ranging from a low of 1 to a high of 99. A percentile rank indicates the percentage of a reference or norm group obtaining scores equal to or less than the test-taker's score. A percentile score does not refer to the percentage of questions answered correctly, it indicates the test-taker's standing relative to the norm group standard.

StanineAlso known as Standard NINE, represents a method of scaling test scores on a nine-point standard scale. Test results are ranked from lowest to highest, and an algorithm is used that gives the lowest 4% of the scores a stanine of 1, the next 7% a stanine of 2, the next 12% a stanine of 3, the next 17% a stanine of 4, the next 20% a stanine of 5, the next 17% a stanine of 6, the next 12% a stanine of 7, the next 7% a stanine of 8 and the remaining 4% of the test scores are given a stanine of 9.

QuartileWithin percentile, the 25th percentile is also known as the first quartile (Q1), the 50th percentile as the second quartile (Q2), and the 75th percentile as the third quartile (Q3).

Standard ScoreA measure that defines how far away a student's score falls from the mean or average score. The Standard Score allows the person analyzing test scores to compare how far above or below a student's score is from the average or mean score.

Normal Curve EquivalentDerived by converting a raw test score to a number along a normal curve; numbers on the Normal Curve Equivalent (NCE) line range from 0 to 100. NCE provides a way of measuring where a student’s score falls along the normal curve which indicates the rank of a student’s score, or how many students out of a hundred had a lower score.

Grade Level EquivalentA number that describes a student's location on an achievement continuum. Grade Equivalents are expressed in terms of grade and months into grade, assuming a 10-month school year (e.g., 8.4 means after 4 months of instruction in the 8th grade). The Grade Equivalent corresponding to a given score on any test indicates the grade level at which the typical student obtains this score. Because of this, Grade Level Equivalents are not based on an equal interval scale, and therefore cannot be added, subtracted, or averaged across test levels the way other scores can (scale scores or standard scores).