Interpreting Test Scores

Please read our section on the website regarding ways to help your child prepare for testing on the Naglieri General Ability Tests. In this section of our website, you will learn more about ability tests and how you can help your child with test anxiety and relieve stress and pressure before and during the test. 

Your child was recently tested in school, and you may now be wondering what occurs next. Some schools share in-depth information about the test results, while others only inform parents if a child has qualified for gifted services. Testing results provided by the school or school district typically depend on the state mandates or school district procedures.

Generally speaking, your child was tested to determine their general ability in comparison to others in their age peer group. Test scores are commonly reported based on a bell curve.

A bell curve is a type of graph that is used in testing to help understand the distribution of a set of values across a specified group with low, middle, and high values, which typically follow a bell-shaped curve. With ability testing, the bell curve illustrates students’ test scores between percentiles, which then allows the administrator to understand a student’s ability compared to a group of other students. 

For more information on bell curves, visit: https://youtu.be/DJzmb7hGmeM

If your child scores between the 15th percentile and the 84th percentile using a bell curve as a guide, they are considered typical or average students. Students scoring in this range generally do well in school as the standards-based grade-level curriculum is geared towards these learners. Students at this level are also more likely to find intellectual peers with whom they can interact. Students who score slightly higher or lower on both sides of the curve, usually require additional support to meet their academic, social, and emotional needs. For the most part, this can be accomplished within the regular classroom with modifications or through flexible grouping and other interventions when needed. 

It is important to note that a percentile is not the same as the percent of questions answered correctly. Percentile scores provide a comparison of your child’s performance to our local community. Percentile scores are used to rank students on a scale of 1 to 99. For example, a  student scoring in the percentile of 71, indicates this student scored higher than 70 of every 100 students that took the same test at the same time.  The percentile does not actually or solely reflect the number of test items answered correctly.

Students scoring on the extreme ends on each side of the bell curve represent approximately 2.1% of the student population, respectively. These students typically require an individualized curriculum to address their specific learning needs. Students in the extreme ends of the curve, 0.1% and above and below, require more extensive educational accommodations to meet their learning needs. Learning extensions provided for those on the higher end of the bell curve are commonly provided through gifted programming with modifications and or accommodations to their curriculum and instruction. The “levels of giftedness” greatly impact the type of instruction, education placement, and support that a student needs to be appropriately challenged and fully successful in a learning environment.