ITBS Interpretation
Parent Workshop
Fulton County Schools
Ocee Elementary School
Deborah Pernice, Principal
Brooke Humphrey, Assistant Principal
Anna Aronowitz, Counselor
Ann Ferris, School Psychologist
Bridgette Marques, Curriculum Support Teacher
January 16, 2013
What does all this
mean?
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What is ITBS?
Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS)
 Norm-referenced tests - Georgia law mandates that a
nationally norm-referenced test, such as the ITBS, be
administered annually to students in grades three and
eight. Fulton County adds grade five.
 The purpose of a norm-referenced test is to obtain
information about the performance of Georgia's students
and compare it with that of students in a national sample.
The results are used for evaluation, decision-making, and
to guide instruction.
 Understanding the scores - The scores are reported in
percentiles and show how students compare with other
students across the nation. For example, if a student
received a score of 66%, that means the student
performed better than 66% of all the students in the
nation of the same grade level who took the test.
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Interpreting Test Scores
3 Fundamental Purposes of ITBS
are:
1.
2.
3.
To describe each student’s
developmental level within a test
area.
To identify a student’s areas of
relative strengths and
weaknesses in subject areas.
To monitor year-to-year growth
in the basic skills.
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Types of Scores

Standard Score (SS)



Describes a student’s location on an
achievement continuum.
For the ITBS, this continuum goes from 150 for
1st grade to 250 for 8th grade.
By itself, the standard score has little, or no,
meaning.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
150
168
185
200
214
227
239
250
5
Types of Scores continued

Grade Equivalent (GE)

Describes student’s location on an
achievement continuum




The higher the number, the higher the level
of knowledge or skill.
Digits to left of decimal point indicate grade
and those to right indicate month.
For example, if a 5th grade student obtains a
GE of 7.6 on the Vocabulary test, his/her
score is comparable to that of a typical
student finishing the 6th month of the 7th
grade.
GEs are NOT prescriptions for grade
placement; GEs represent estimates of
developmental level, or year-to-year growth.
6
Types of Scores continued

National Stanine (NS)
Ranges from 1-9.
 For example, a student with a
stanine score of 5 scored in the
average range.

7
Types of Scores continued

National Percentile Rank (NPR)



Reflects the student’s relative position
or rank in a group of students who are in
the same grade and were tested at the
same time of year as the student.
A NPR of 80% means that the student
scored higher than 80 percent of the
students in the comparison group, and
that 20 percent scored higher than
he/she did.
NPRs range from 1 to 99.
8
Types of Scores continued

Percent Correct (PC)
PC =(Raw Score/Total # of Q’s) X
100.
 Also meaningless by itself (unless
we know the overall difficulty of
the test.)
 PC scores are NOT the same
thing as percentile ranks.

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Norm-Referenced
Interpretation

How much a student knows is determined
by the student’s standing or rank within the
reference group.




High standing is interpreted to mean a student is
highly skilled, and low standing means the
opposite.
Norms allow for student to student and
school to school comparisons.
Time of year tested should not affect PR
(e.g., PR of 60 in Fall or Spring), but will
affect GE.
Only indicates relative standing, not what a
student knows or doesn’t know.
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Interpreting Scores from
Special Test Administrations



A testing accommodation is a
change in procedure for
administering a test that is intended
to neutralize the effect of a student’s
disability on the assessment
process.
Use of accommodations should help
the student experience the same
conditions as those in the reference
group.
Examples are small group setting,
extended time, large print, etc.
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Descriptions of ITBS Tests

Vocabulary – This section
measures general vocabulary
content. Students are presented
with a word in the context of a short
phrase or sentence, and they are to
select the answer that most nearly
means the same as that word.
 There is approximately an equal
number of nouns, verbs and
modifiers tested.
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Descriptions of ITBS Tests

Reading Comprehension – This
section presents students with a
variety of passages that vary in
length.


Included are fiction, fables, tales, poetry,
interviews, diaries, and other non-fiction.
Approximately two-thirds of the
questions require students to draw
inferences or to generalize about what
they have read.
13
Descriptions of ITBS Tests

Spelling – This section measures a
student’s ability to recognize
common spelling errors such as
substitutions, reversals, omissions,
or unnecessary additions.

Each spelling question presents four
words, one of which may be misspelled,
and a fifth option, No Mistakes, for use
when all four words are spelled
correctly.
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Descriptions of ITBS Tests

Capitalization – This section
requires students to identify errors—
undercapitalization or
overcapitalization—presented in brief
written contexts.

Capitalization of names and titles, dates
and holidays, places, organizations and
groups, and other words is tested.
15
Descriptions of ITBS Tests

Punctuation – The questions in
this section require students to
identify errors in punctuation.

Questions relate to the use of
terminal punctuation, commas,
apostrophes, quotation marks,
colons, and semicolons.
16
Descriptions of ITBS Tests

Usage and Expression – This
section has two parts.


The first part measures a student’s
knowledge of the use of verbs, personal
pronouns, and modifiers.
The second part requires students to
choose the best or most appropriate
way of expressing an idea that has been
presented as a sentence or a
paragraph.
17
Descriptions of ITBS Tests

Math Concepts and Estimation


The first part of this test, Math Concepts,
requires students to demonstrate an
understanding of math ideas, relationships, and
visual representations such as number
properties and operations, algebra, geometry,
measurement, and probability and statistics.
The second part, Estimation, is on
computational estimation and number sense.
Each question requires the use of one of several
rounding or estimation methods.
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Descriptions of ITBS Tests

Math Problem Solving and Data
Interpretation – This sections measures a
student’s ability to solve word problems
that require one or more steps and to
interpret data in tables and graphs.


Several “real-world” stories form the basis for
the 3-4 word problems.
Data are presented in tables and graphs, and
students must use the data displays to obtain
information, compare quantities, and determine
trends or relationships.
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Descriptions of ITBS Tests

Math Computation – This section
requires students to use one
arithmetic operation—addition,
subtraction, multiplication, or
division.


Problems require operations with whole
numbers, fractions, decimals, and
various combinations of these.
Students must work problems and
compare their answers with the choices
given.
20
Descriptions of ITBS Tests

Social Studies – This section
measures objectives of the social
studies curriculum.


Emphasis is on the use and
understanding of concepts, principles,
and selected types of visual materials.
Content of questions is drawn from the
areas of history, geography, political
science, economics, sociology, and
anthropology.
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Descriptions of ITBS Tests

Science – This section measures
knowledge and skills in the areas of life
science, earth and space sciences, and
physical sciences.

Maps and Diagrams – In this section, a
variety of maps representing authentic
locations is used to measure students’
abilities to use maps for multiple purposes.
Other questions on the test use charts and
diagrams to measure a student’s ability to
understand information presented visually.
22
Descriptions of ITBS Tests

Reference Materials – This test measures
the ability to use reference materials and
library resources to obtain information.



Students must have a knowledge of information
sources and a command of strategies for using
those sources.
Questions are about using search strategies,
keywords, a dictionary, and general reference
materials.
At the fifth grade level, additional skills that are
tested include note-taking and using electronic
sources and an index.
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Now that I know
what all this means,
how can I help my
child?
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If your child is low in:

Vocabulary
Read to him/her daily.
 Encourage your child to recognize
new vocabulary.
 Have increased conversations
with your child about word
meanings.
 Limit time spent in non-participant
activities (TV, video games, etc.)
 Encourage daily independent
reading.

25
If your child is low in:

Reading Comprehension





Have your child silently read a chapter then retell the
chapter.
If your child is struggling with the longer passages,
chunk passages into manageable sections.
With Social Studies and Science assignments, have
your child read the questions first, find the key words
in the questions, then go back into text to find
answers.
Encourage your child to read books independently at
his/her Lexile level.
Read books to or with your child that are above
his/her Lexile level.
26
If your child is low in:

Spelling

Look for patterns in spelling and
work with him/her on improving
these patterns.
27
If your child is low in:

Capitalization and Punctuation

Your child should reread his/her
work and be encouraged to find
the mistakes in the work.
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If your child is low in:

Usage and Expression
Have your child journal at home
about various activities (vacations,
trips, holidays, etc.)
 Using the journal, have
conversations with your child
about sentence structure, verb
tenses, proper punctuation, etc.

29
If your child is low in:

Math
Utilize computer programs and
websites.
 Work with your child using flash
cards.
 Use daily life experiences to help
practice with your child.

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What is Ocee’s plan
for student
success?
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ITBS – 3rd Grade
Fall 2009 - 2012
Rdg.
2009
Rdg.
2010
Rdg.
2011
Rdg.
2012
Math
2009
Math
2010
Math
2011
Math
2012
Abbotts
Hill
75
71
76
79
83
80
89
88
Barnwell
84
77
81
83
85
80
91
88
Dolvin
78
75
83
82
86
81
90
86
Findley
Oaks
80
79
83
83
88
82
92
90
Medlock
Bridge
83
81
85
82
89
81
91
90
Ocee
77
79
82
83
82
80
91
89
State Br.
Crossing
74
78
80
83
84
85
90
88
Wilson
Creek
77
73
83
82
65
70
91
90
ITBS – 5th Grade
Fall 2009 - 2012
Rdg .
2009
Rdg .
2010
Rdg.
2011
Rdg.
2012
Math
2009
Math
2010
Math
2011
Math
2012
Abbotts
Hill
81
76
79
78
86
80
86
85
Barnwell
85
78
82
82
88
74
88
88
Dolvin
81
84
81
80
81
84
87
86
Findley
Oaks
83
81
87
85
85
87
92
90
Medlock
Bridge
82
80
85
84
86
82
90
90
Ocee
74
81
84
82
77
85
90
89
State Br.
Crossing
75
75
82
84
79
80
88
89
Wilson
Creek
85
77
84
79
81
85
91
87
Steps we’ve taken:



A review of the data by the administrative
team, the leadership team, and grade level
teams
Based on this data analysis, teachers are
improving instruction through standardsbased learning.
Data used to identify students who need
assistance (i.e., Team Time, Extended
Team Time, Math Mania, Extended
Learning-M/R Club)
34
Ocee’s plan of action:



Test-taking strategies using both ITBS prep
materials and guidance lessons are being
taught to students in all grades.
Teachers are exposing students more to
ITBS language, particularly in 2nd grade.
The Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) is
administered to students to ascertain their
Lexile levels, and reading instruction is
adjusted accordingly.
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Questions and Concerns?
Thank you for coming and
for your continued
support of our students!
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