Lydia Zeller – QTC  - Post 2

Student Achievement

February 3, 2014

Ingrid’s test results reveal several things but first one needs to understand how percentiles work and what they mean. Percentiles compare how a student does compared to other students. Above average means the student is doing better on average than other students while below average means the student is not doing as well as other students. This may or may not mean the student is not on grade level. If one cohort is above average than say another cohort, a below average score would not have the same negative connotation as it would if they were in a different cohort. The same is true of a student testing above average in a cohort if they are compared to another cohort. (For example, how a student fits in a Tennessee state cohort versus a Georgia cohort may vary.)

Ingrid is doing below average in spelling and math computation. This means that typically, students her age are doing better in those areas. In contrast, she is doing well above average than other students in reading, science, and social studies.

The areas she needs to most help in are spelling, math computation, and math concepts. If you are wanting to improve her scores these would be the areas to focus. However, just because these are the areas she is doing average or below average than her peers, it does not mean she is doing poorly. It may mean she is struggling in these areas or it may mean she could use tutoring in these areas. To help her, I suggest extra practice with spelling and all areas of math. If she works in these areas more and does not let go of her work in other areas, she should do better next time.