Achievement Testing at Blessed Sacrament School

Quick Reference:

1. What achievement tests does Blessed Sacrament School use?
2. Why does BSS use these particular tests?
3. How do the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills differ from the End of Grade Tests used by North Carolina’s Public Schools?
4. Why are the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills given in the fall at BSS?
5. How do I interpret ITBS scores?
6. ITBS History
7. ITBS Graphical Image of Test Score History

• What achievement tests does Blessed Sacrament School use?
  BSS uses the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills.  These achievement tests, for grades three through eight, are designed to measure how well a student has learned the basic knowledge and skills that are taught in elementary and middle schools.
• Why does BSS use these particular tests?
  The ITBS are used annually to test millions of students in both public and private schools. Schools across the nation have used The Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) successfully since 1935. The Mental Measurements Yearbook, the authoritative reference book on testing, describes the ITBS as “the oldest and best in the business.”  Additional quotes follow:
  • The overwhelming evidence is positive, that is, the ITBS scores provide valid measures of basic academic skills...
  • It is a set of standardized tests of basic skills that is supported by exemplary research and documentation.
• How do the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills differ from the End of Grade Tests used by North Carolina’s Public Schools?
  The End of Grade tests used in North Carolina only allow the state to compare students in North Carolina with each other.  These tests do now allow any national comparability.  The ITBS allows BSS to compare its students to students across the nation in terms of academic achievement.

The EOG tests in North Carolina are only given in the areas of reading and math.  Currently, there are not any EOG tests in the areas of science and social studies for students in grades 3- 8.  The ITBS provides testing in reading, math, science, social studies, as well as other subject areas.

Finally, NC End of Grade tests are designed and developed by North Carolina educators.  The ITBS are research-proven, independent tests developed by national experts.

• Why are the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills given in the fall at BSS?
  These tests are administered primarily for the purpose of supporting instruction.  Information derived from test results can be used by BSS teachers to help them make instructional decisions. Test results can be used to check year-to-year progress in various subject areas and to determine areas of strengths and weaknesses.  BSS teachers receive their scores in the fall enabling them to incorporate the scores in important decisions they make regarding their classes and individual students.  
• How do I interpret ITBS scores?
  ITBS scores are reported using National Percentile Rankings (NPR) instead of raw scores.  The percentile rankings indicate how well students perform in a particular subject relative to everyone else in the country who took the test that year.  If a student received an NPR of 50 on the ITBS reading exam, for example, he or she scored higher than 50 percent of all students taking that test.

ITBS History 

BLESSED SACRAMENT SCHOOL ITBS SCORE HISTORY

(UPDATES COMING SOON)

Graphical Image of Test Score History

•  Composite Score Graphic

(UPDATES COMING SOON)

•  Core Score Graphic

(UPDATES COMING SOON)