Understanding the Individual Student Report for North Carolina - Grades 6, 7 and 8 (continued)

D. The description of the achievement level is reported for the student’s performance in reading comprehension and mathematics. A complete listing of the descriptions of achievement levels I–IV for reading comprehension and mathematics by grade level may be found at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/accountability/testing/eog/.

E. This student scored at or above shows the percentile rank. The percentile rank compares the student’s performance on the test this year to that of all North Carolina students who took the test in the norming year. The norming year for a test is generally the first year the test was administered. The percentile shows that the student performed at a level equal to or better than the stated percentage of students who took the test during the norming year. The higher the percentile the better a student performed compared to other students in his or her grade. Percentiles range from 1 to 99.

F. North Carolina public school students are required to meet statewide standards for promotion from grades 3, 5, and 8 and for high school graduation. The standards, also called gateways, ensure that students are working at grade level in reading, writing, and mathematics before being promoted to the next grade. The end-of-grade individual student report at grade 8 indicates if the student did (YES) or did not (NO) meet the state gateway for reading and/or mathematics. The end-of-grade individual student reports at grades 6 and 7 may or may not report if the student met state gateway reading and/or mathematics.

G. Student shows the individual student’s score in relation to the developmental scale and the achievement levels. The student’s score is represented by an open diamond. The horizontal line across the diamond represents where the student’s true score should be about two-thirds of the time (standard error of measurement). On another day or with a different set of test questions, the student may obtain a slightly different score but still score on the horizontal line.

H–J. Individual student performance may be compared to the average scale scores for the school (H), the school system (I),
and the state (J). The average scale score for H–J is represented as an open diamond. The horizontal line across each diamond represents the range of scores achieved by about two-thirds of the students in the same grade as the student who was tested (one standard deviation). The average scale scores for the school and the school system are based on 2007’s test administration. The state average is based on the scores of all North Carolina students who took the test in the norming year.

K. A student’s lexile score is based on the Lexile Framework for Reading. The student’s lexile score can be used to describe the difficulty of the texts (readability) and the reading level of the student (reading ability). The Lexile Framework matches readers with texts at whatever level the reader is reading. The lexile score allows parents to track their child’s progress over time. Lexile levels do not translate specifically to grade levels. Additional information on Lexiles can be found at http://www.lexile.com.