The way tests are scored is what determines whether kids are eligible for services from school districts. So I think we really need to think about how tests are scored. When tests are standardized, results are considered “within normal limits” or “average” if they are within two standard deviations from the mean.
What exactly does this mean? 68% of children will score within (+ or – ) one standard deviation of the mean. 95% of children will score within (+ or – ) two standard deviations of the mean. When you look at how many tests are scored, they are considered within normal limits if a child scores within 2 standard deviations of normal.
So, for example, when we are looking at scoring an auditory processing test, if a child has a score that is at 68% on a specific test, it will be considered within normal limits and they will not be eligible for services. In fact, if a child has a score that is in the 13th %, they will be within 2 standard deviations of normal and still not be eligible for services.
But if a child is scoring in the 13th or even 25th percentile, do you really believe that that child is not in need of any services? I do not. If a child is performing in the 25th percentile, that means that 75% of kids nationally perform better on this test than he does. How is he going to manage in a mainstream classroom? Will this deficit (and it certainly is a deficit) make learning difficult? YES!!
I understand the statistics. And maybe when you are looking at height or weight, 2 standard deviations from the mean should be considered average. It may be reasonable not to provide medical treatment. You are not so short, or weigh so little that it is worth the risk of providing medical treatment. But, if you are looking at a score on an auditory processing test, is this reasonable? I know I am going to get a lot of push back on this but, this is different. Kids who are functioning at the 25th percentile on vocabulary, on understanding speech in noise, or in math, are going to be struggling in a classroom and we need to provide them with assistance.
When I score these tests I look at percentile scores to determine how to make recommendations. Would a score of 25% be a good score on a math test? Then why is it an acceptable score on a filtered word test? If there is only one score that is significant then maybe just watch the child. But if several scores are low, let’s figure out what we need to do to help this child succeed.
