Interpreting Placement Test results

The Placement Test is designed to identify the appropriate level of instruction for each student. Initial placement within Imagine Language & Literacy and selection of developmentally appropriate activities in the program are determined by student performance on the Placement Test.  Placement tests data carries over from year to year and serves a dual role as an initial benchmark test. The Placement test is comprised of a series of sub-tests.   

Student Placement Test performance is reported via two metrics. These metrics and a brief explanation relevant to their interpretation are provided below.

*Scaled scores are the product of a statistical transformation of raw scores that places all results on the same scale and allows for meaningful comparisons across sub-tests.

The proficiency level demonstrated within each sub-test is displayed as the student’s percent of correct responses. Test performance of 85% is the proficient threshold. 

Overall scores are holistic measures of student performance on the Placement Test. They increase when students demonstrate proficiency on sub-tests they attempt, but they also increase for lower-skill sub-tests the program allows them to skip. For example, if a student demonstrates she can proficiently recognize words, she is not tested in letter recognition, a lower-level skill. However, her overall score will reflect her proficiency in both word and letter recognition. 

Overall Literacy and Overall Oral Vocabulary scores are calculated from sub-test performance. To calculate these overall scores, the raw scores from sub-tests are statistically transformed into scaled scores, which places the results from different sub-tests on the same, fixed scale. This allows a direct mathematical comparison of scores from increasingly difficult curriculum areas. Scale scores for sub-tests increase not only as a student answers more questions correctly, but also as the assessed content becomes more difficult. 

A table of test score ranges by grade level is provided toward the bottom of the page that presents details of a student’s test results. The table can be used to facilitate a meaningful interpretation of a student’s scores. The score ranges are determined by proficient performance in content designed for the respective grade levels. Next to the table is a legend that provides descriptions and recommended actions for test statuses provided in student test results.