The Test My Kid Blog
Practical, growth-minded guidance on math, reading, grade-level expectations, and the test scores schools use, written for parents who want to know where their child really stands.
A STAR Reading scaled score is not a grade and not a percentage. Here is what each number on the report means, which one tells you where your child stands, and what the ZPD book range is for.
The Lexile number on the report does not tell you if it is good on its own. The grade it belongs to does. Here is what a good Lexile score looks like, grade by grade, and the one thing that matters more than the number.
A STAR Math scaled score is not a grade and not a percentage. Here is what each number on the report means, which one tells you where your child stands, and which one parents misread most.
Your child came home talking about their AR level and their ZPD, and the letter never explained either one. Here is a grade-by-grade guide to Accelerated Reader levels, what ATOS actually measures, and why it is a range to read inside, not a score to chase.
Your child's report listed a reading rate, and now you want to know if it is normal. Here is the words-per-minute chart by grade, what counts as on-track, and the caveat that keeps speed in its place.
The math scale score on the iReady report does not tell you if it is good. The placement label does. Here is what a good iReady math score looks like, grade by grade, without the panic.
The reading scale score on the iReady report does not tell you if it is good. The placement label does. Here is what a good iReady reading score looks like, grade by grade, without the panic.
A Lexile score is not a grade and not a verdict on a book. Here is what the number measures, what the letter codes in front of it mean, and the range to aim for when you pick a book.
The reading RIT on the slip does not tell you if it is good. The percentile does. Here is what a good NWEA MAP reading score looks like, grade by grade, without the panic.
The RIT number on the slip does not tell you if it is good. The percentile does. Here is what a good NWEA MAP math score looks like, grade by grade, without the panic.
Your child's MAP report shows a percentile next to the RIT. Here is what that number actually means, the bands NWEA uses, and how to read it without panicking.
What is a normal NWEA MAP score for your child's grade? Here is the by-grade RIT chart for math and reading, season by season, and how to read it without panicking.
Your child came home with a DRA number and no explanation. Here is a grade-by-grade DRA chart, what the levels actually measure, and why the number is a starting point, not a label.
An iReady scale score is one number on a K-12 ruler, not a percentage or a grade. Here is what a good score looks like by grade, what the placement levels mean, and why the label matters more than the number.
Your child's report card says 'reading level M' and nobody explained it. Here is a grade-by-grade guided reading chart, what the A to Z letters actually mean, and why the letter is a starting point, not a label.
A RIT score is not a percentage and not a grade. Here is what the number actually measures, a rough by-grade reference, and why the percentile matters more.
Your child brought home a Lexile number and no real explanation. Here is a grade-by-grade Lexile chart, what a good Lexile score looks like at each grade, and why the number is a starting point, not a verdict.
Both are adaptive tests schools use to measure reading and math. Here is the plain-English difference between iReady and NWEA MAP, and how to read each score.