What are age-standardised scores?
An age-standardised score is based on a scale centred around 100 and provides an indication of how a student performed in relation to other students of the same age taking the Cambridge Primary Insight assessment. The Insight age-standardised score is calculated from the number of correct and incorrect responses given in the assessment. This score is then adjusted to take account of the student’s age and the calendar month the assessment was taken. A score of 100 represents typical (or average) attainment for a student of a specific age at the time of assessment.
What is meant by ‘average age-standardised score’?
An average age-standardised score is 100 and approximately 68% of students will score between 85 and 115. Statisticians describe this range as being within 1 standard deviation of the average (the mean) score. We should always expect to see some variation around age-standardised scores and must be careful to not over-interpret small differences that are apparent from one assessment point to the next. We are generally able to describe these scores as follows:
< 85 | below average age-standardised score |
85 to 115 | score in-line with typical attainment |
>115 | above average age-standardised score |
What does an ‘average’ score indicate for students of different ages?
A standardised score of 100 for an 8-year-old student represents something different to a score of 100 for a younger or older student. In other words, an 8-year-old student with an age-standardised score of 100 is in line with typical performance for a child of that age, at the time of the assessment. It follows that a 9-year-old student with a score of 100 is performing as expected for 9-year-old students, at the time of their assessment.
How might an age-standardised score show progress?
If a student attains a score of 100 one year and a score of 100 the following year, this does not mean they have failed to make any progress. These scores indicate that the student has made the amount of progress typically shown by students of their age between the two assessment points.
Minor differences between scores from successive assessment points (positive or negative) should not be over-interpreted. For example, if a student has scored 95 in Arithmetic in one assessment and 90 in the same module the following year, this is a relatively minor difference and the student was performing at a very similar level on both occasions. However, if a student scored 95 in the first assessment and then received a score of 112 the following year, the student has made better than expected progress. As a general rule, differences between scores of more than about 15 should be regarded as noteworthy.
What is an age-equivalent score?
Age-equivalent scores are calculated from each student’s responses in the vocabulary, non-verbal ability, reading, spelling, mental arithmetic and general mathematics modules. Age equivalent scores present the scores as ages in years and months at which a student is performing which can then be compared to their actual age. If a pupil is performing as expected for their age, their age equivalent score is the same as their chronological age.
What are the benefits of using age-equivalent scores?
Age-equivalent scores are useful for many teachers and parents as they provide a simple and personalised measure for a student, regardless of their age, relative to the other students in the same year group. It is a measure that can be compared easily to a known benchmark (the student’s actual age) without the need for an understanding of more complicated statistics.
How concerned should I be about differences in age-equivalent scores?
It is common to see minor differences between a student’s actual age and their age-equivalent scores for each module and minor differences should not be over-interpreted. Large positive differences (the age-equivalent score is six months or more greater than a student’s actual age) are indicators that a student is performing very well. Large negative differences indicate that the student is likely to require additional support in a particular area.
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