[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-269002-105":59,"doc-detail-269002-en":131},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":124,"head_meta":126,"extra_data":128,"updated_unix":130},105,"en","wrightslaw-white-paper-making-sense-of-your-childs-test-scores","Wrightslaw White Paper - Making Sense of Your Child’s Test Scores","","Making sense of a child’s test scores helps families advocate effectively in educational settings, especially when an IEP is in place. The paper explains how standardized norm-referenced and criterion-referenced tests differ, and how scores such as standard scores, percentile ranks, and mastery-based results should be interpreted. It highlights limits and reliability issues with relying on any single score, then clarifies core statistical concepts like the bell curve, mean, and standard deviation to support monitoring of progress and goal development.",{"@graph":69,"@context":123},[70,84,106],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/wrightslaw-white-paper-making-sense-of-your-childs-test-scores/269002/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/wrightslaw-white-paper-making-sense-of-your-childs-test-scores/269002.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Maya Linwood","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-08","2026-09-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":105},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",15,{"@type":107,"mainEntity":108},"FAQPage",[109,115,119],{"name":110,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":112},"Why are test scores important when advocating for a child with an IEP?","Question",{"text":113,"@type":114},"Test scores provide information about abilities, academic achievement, and functional performance. Schools use them to establish present levels and to develop IEP goals.","Answer",{"name":116,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":117},"How do norm-referenced and criterion-referenced tests differ?",{"text":118,"@type":114},"Norm-referenced tests compare a child’s performance with peers, using a scoring system based on the peer group. Criterion-referenced tests measure knowledge or skills mastery, often expressed as a percentage.",{"name":120,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":121},"What does the bell curve, mean, and standard deviation help you understand?",{"text":122,"@type":114},"The bell curve shows the distribution of scores across a group from low to high. The mean represents the center (often the 50th percentile or a test-defined average), while standard deviation describes how widely scores spread from the mean.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":125,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":127,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":129,"site_id":62},269002,1789440496,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":132},{"doc_id":129,"user_id":133,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":134,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":135,"file_id":136,"file_url":137,"file_type":138,"file_size":139,"view_count":105,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":140,"language":141,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":142,"faqs":143,"seo_title":144,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":130,"read_time":145,"preview_page_count":4},962084928432,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_155a257f0dc6eb9ab79c44ca47cae57d","Wrightslaw White Paper  \nMaking Sense of Your Child’s  \nTest Scores  \nby  \nMelissa Lee Farrall, PhD, SAIF  \nPamela Darr Wright, MA, MSW  \nPeter W. D . Wright, Esq .  \nExecutive Summary  \nTo be an effective advocate, you need to understand your child’s scores on tests and assessments. Test scores provide information about your child’s abilities, academic achievement, and functional performance.  \nIf your child has an Individualized Education Program (IEP), his school team will use scores from tests and assessments to determine his present levels of academic achievement and functional performance. The scores will be used to develop goals in his IEP.  \nYou need to learn about standardized norm-referenced tests and criterion-referenced tests. You also need to learn about academic and diagnostic assessments, the bell curve, standard scores, T scores, stanines, subtest scores, standard deviations, and percentile ranks.  \nYou should never rely on one test or one test score when making decisions about your child’s educational programming and remediation of specific skill deficits. When you understand what test scores mean, you will be able to use test results to monitor your child’s progress.  \nAlthough test scores are important, they should not be your only source of information.  \n• First, tests may not measure what they appear to measure.  \n• Second, all tests do not measure a child’s skills comprehensively.  \n• Third, even the best tests are not perfectly reliable.  \nWhen you can make sense of your child’s test scores, you will be able to answer these questions:  \n• What are my child’s strengths and weaknesses?  \n• What does my child need in his educational program?  \n• How can I monitor my child’s progress or lack of progress?  \nAs your child’s advocate, you need to learn how to use test scores to monitor your child’s progress and ensure that it is adequate.  \n© Copyright 2014 Wrightslaw 2  \nUnderstanding Your Child’s Test Scores  \nAssume you attend an IEP meeting for your child with a learning disability. Your child’s teachers say,“We are so excited. Your son earned a score of 85 on the reading test!”  \nIf your child earns a standard score of 85 (SS = 85) on a test, his percentile rank is 16 (PR = 16). Eighty-four percent of his peers earned higher scores on the test. Should you be excited to learn that your child earned a percentile rank of 16 in reading?  \nWhat skills did the reading test measure? Did his scores improve, stay the same, or drop?  \nStandardized Norm-Referenced Tests and Criterion-Referenced Tests  \nStandardized, norm-referenced tests are used to assess many areas, including intelligence and academic skills. These tests are also used to measure specific skills required for reading, written language, and math.  \nA standardized test is given the same way to all children. Evaluators follow rules for test administration. Evaluators are not permitted to alter materials or reword questions.  \nStandardized, norm-referenced tests provide valuable information about your child’s levels of functioning in the areas tested. Norm-referenced tests also provide a way to evaluate changes in performance, including the impact of educational remediation.  \nWhat are norm-referenced tests?  \nNorm-referenced tests are standardized tests that compare one child’s performance with the performance of other children in the same age or grade. Norm-referenced tests use scoring systems that are designed to capture a child’s skills with respect to the peer group.  \nWhat are criterion-referenced tests?  \nCriterion-referenced tests are used to measure knowledge or skills. The child’s score is based on mastery of the material and is usually expressed as a percentage.  \nTeachers use criterion-referenced tests to determine if students have mastered material.  \nClassroom spelling and math tests are criterion-referenced tests. A child who spells 8 of  \n10 words correctly on a spelling test will earn a score of 80% .  \n© Copyright 2014 Wrightslaw 3  \nW","cbCaimba1IWMskTN","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaimba1IWMskTN","pdf",309031,11,"English","# Executive Summary\n# Understanding Your Child’s Test Scores\n# Standardized Norm-Referenced Tests and Criterion-Referenced Tests\n## What are norm-referenced tests?\n## What are criterion-referenced tests?\n## Differences between norm-referenced and criterion-referenced tests\n# The Bell Curve\n## What is the Mean?\n## What are Standard Deviations?","[{\"question\":\"Why are test scores important when advocating for a child with an IEP?\",\"answer\":\"Test scores provide information about abilities, academic achievement, and functional performance. Schools use them to establish present levels and to develop IEP goals.\"},{\"question\":\"How do norm-referenced and criterion-referenced tests differ?\",\"answer\":\"Norm-referenced tests compare a child’s performance with peers, using a scoring system based on the peer group. Criterion-referenced tests measure knowledge or skills mastery, often expressed as a percentage.\"},{\"question\":\"What does the bell curve, mean, and standard deviation help you understand?\",\"answer\":\"The bell curve shows the distribution of scores across a group from low to high. The mean represents the center (often the 50th percentile or a test-defined average), while standard deviation describes how widely scores spread from the mean.\"}]","Wrightslaw White Paper - Making Sense of Your Child’s Test Scores | PDF",28]