Besides classroom tests in each grade or subject area, students also take a number of important standardized tests each year in the Davenport Community Schools.

Results from both types of tests are used together to give a well-rounded look at the progress of individual students and groups of students.

The classroom tests show how each student is mastering the learning goals set by the district for each grade level or subject. Meanwhile, the standardized tests show how our students compare to students in other communities and states.

On classroom tests, students are given grades ranging from a high-to-low of A, B, C, D, or F. In some cases, these letter grades also are accompanied by the number or percentage of questions answered correctly.

The distribution of grades for classroom tests can vary by class. For example, students in one class could mostly get As and second most get Cs on a test. At the same time, students in another class could mostly get Bs and second most get As.

The distribution of scores for standardized tests, however, always is even with a certain percentage of all those taking the tests scoring high, medium, and low.

On standardized tests, the results are given in percentiles, showing where each student, classroom, school, and district ranks among the total group of students taking the standardized tests that year. The key word here is "rank," because standardized test scoring is designed to do just that: rank students so there are always students at each of three levels. These levels from high-to-low are "exceeds expectations," "meets expectations," and "needs improvement."

A student ranking at the 75 percentile on an Iowa standardized test, for example, is ranked above 74 percent of the rest of the students taking the test. On the other hand, this student also is ranked below 25 percent of the rest of the students taking the test.

Standardized tests – and the resulting rankings for schools and districts – have become more important in recent years with new requirements in both state and federal laws. The fairly new federal law known as No Child Left Behind, as one main example, outlines the degree of improvement that schools should make in student achievement on standardized tests each year. This federal law also stipulates the consequences for schools that don’t reach their annual improvement goals.

To summarize, standardized tests and scores are important to our schools, district, and communities. The more we understand the values of these tests, the better for all of us.

For more information about your child’s standardized tests, please contact your child’s school office or the district’s Director of Assessment at 336-5000.