How Do People Understand NWEA Test Scores?

One of the most important scores on the Northwest Evaluation Association test reports is the RIT score. This shows how a student fairs on the curriculum scale. It shows the instructional level at which the student is currently performing. A teacher or parent needs to look at the progress from the beginning of the year through the end of the year to decide what the student’s instructional needs are and not rely on a single RIT score.

Part of the NWEA score readout tells how one particular student’s growth compares to the typical growth of students across the nation. The District Average RIT area tells how students at one particular school scored versus the average scores across the nation in each specific area. The Goals Performance area tells how that specific student scored versus others across the nation. These are labeled as low average, average or high. The Lexile range helps a student understand the book levels he is able to read and understand. Under Language Usage, the boldface number below Student Score Range is what that certain student scored and is in the middle of the range across the nation. The Season/Year shows other scores a student had when taking the test in the past, as well as the current testing period. The Explanatory Notes provides more information about what the report says. When a student receives a percentile score of 50, that means a student scored at the national average. A percentile of 75 means that student scored in the top 25 percent across the nation.