Assessment & Evaluation Terms Explained
Your child's evaluation report is full of scores, percentiles, and technical terms. This cheat sheet breaks down the key assessment vocabulary so you can understand what the numbers mean.
Key Terms (11)
The process of gathering information to determine whether a child has a disability and needs special education services. An evaluation must use a variety of assessment tools and strategies, cannot ...
An evaluation conducted by a qualified examiner who is not employed by the school district. Parents have the right to request an IEE at public expense if they disagree with the school's evaluation....
A review of existing data and, if needed, additional assessments to determine whether a child continues to have a disability and still needs special education. Re-evaluations must occur at least ev...
A score that indicates how far above or below average a student performs compared to same-age peers. Most standard scores have a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15. A score of 85 is one sta...
A score indicating the percentage of same-age peers that a student scored equal to or higher than. For example, a percentile rank of 25 means the student scored as well as or better than 25% of pee...
A score from a standardized assessment that describes a student's performance in terms of the age at which that performance is typical. For example, an age equivalent of 6 years 3 months means the ...
A score from a standardized assessment expressed as the grade level at which a student's performance is considered typical. For example, a grade equivalent of 3.5 means the student scored like a ty...
An assessment that compares a student's performance to a national sample of students of the same age or grade. Results are reported as standard scores, percentile ranks, or age/grade equivalents. T...
An assessment that measures a student's performance against a specific set of skills or standards, rather than comparing to other students. These tests show what a student can and cannot do — for e...
A method for identifying specific learning disabilities by comparing a student's IQ score to their academic achievement scores. If there is a "significant discrepancy" (the student's achievement is...
A multi-tiered framework used to identify students who are struggling and provide them with increasingly intensive levels of support. RTI is often used before a special education referral to determ...
Parent Tips
A standard score of 100 is exactly average. Scores between 85-115 are considered the normal range.
Percentile rank tells you what percentage of same-age peers scored lower. The 50th percentile is average.
If you disagree with the school's evaluation, you have the right to an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) at the school's expense.
The school must evaluate in ALL areas of suspected disability — not just the ones they choose.
You can request additional evaluations at any time if you believe your child has needs the school hasn't assessed.
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