Student Assessment
Misinterpreting Test Results in Student Assessment
“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” — A. Einstein
When it’s suspected that a child, like Mike, might have a learning disability, a teacher will often request that testing be administered to determine the exact problem. Such testing is not a bad idea, but if the underlying learning sub-skills are not individually considered, the conclusions are often incorrect, rendering the prescribed treatments faulty at best.
During thirty-five years of working with children and seeking to understand their frustrations with reading and learning, I’ve found there is one indispensable question: “Did the child finally overcome the learning problem?” Sadly, most of the time the answer is, “No.”
How a child’s learning struggles are dealt with at school will most likely depend on the tests he’s given and how the results are interpreted. Incorrect interpretations of test scores will obviously lead to flawed treatment plans. And the child, who is struggling already, will suffer the consequences of misinterpreted test scores and misprescribed treatment plans.
It is extremely important that parents understand the basic problems with standardized testing.
Let me warn you: this perspective on testing may be very different from what you have heard or read before. As you seek to help your child, you may need to change your thinking about learning problems. The information that follows is enlightening and is ultimately a source of great hope for anyone suffering from or dealing with a learning or reading disability.
Student Assessment - Achievement Tests Verses Intelligence Tests
Teachers often encourage administering achievement and intelligence tests to find out what’s going on with children struggling in the classroom. Here’s a simple definition of what IQ and achievement tests show:
- Intelligence (IQ) tests measure cognitive mental skills and basic processing ability.
- Achievement tests determine how well a student is doing in academic subjects like arithmetic and social studies. An achievement test measures stored knowledge.
The Problem with the IQ Score
One of the primary issues about interpreting an IQ score is that errors commonly occur in the analysis of IQ tests.
Intelligence tests measure a variety of mental skills, which are lumped together and called “intelligence.” The result is an IQ score. This number is supposed to be a measurement of a child’s general ability. The problem is that the broad IQ score does not reveal scores for each individual skill. In fact, an average or above average IQ score may result in the misleading assumption that all the underlying mental skills required for good learning or reading are equally high. If the student performs below expectations, it is likely that one or more of the necessary skills are significantly weak, thus signaling a learning struggle but not pinpointing the source of the struggle.
This is why IQ scores tend to either mask or overlook learning problems that deserve deliberate and specific attention.
Student Assessment – An analogy
To further illustrate the problem with IQ scores, here’s an analogy: say your car’s engine developed a clunking sound, and you took it to the repair shop to be checked. The mechanic performed five diagnostic tests and reported the results as “average”—just the way evaluating skills is done with IQ scores. On four of the tests the engine tested beautifully—a perfect 100%. The fifth score, however, was 0%. If the mechanic told you that the car’s overall score was 80%—“better than average…there’s nothing to fix”—and gave you the keys, you would not be happy to hear the same old clunking noise in the engine as you drive away.
An average or above average IQ score may result in the misleading assumption that all the underlying mental skills required for good learning or reading are equally high.
The point is, averages can conceal real problems. In the area of IQ scoring, children with an IQ of 120 (100 is considered average) might still have an undetected -- potentially limiting -- skill problem that could show up at any point during their education.
Student Assessment – Smart, but a poor reader?
Many students that seem bright actually struggle with reading. When tested, most of their cognitive skills test high -- except for one: phonemic awareness, which is the ability to blend, segment, and manipulate sounds. (See chart below.) Deficiency in this one skill can severely limit both educational success and work performance. (As you’ll read later, though, phonemic awareness can be improved to above acceptable levels in less than seven weeks!)
When a student is tested for learning problems, the school’s personnel analyze the IQ test results and the achievement test scores to determine if he has a learning disability. The IQ score is compared to actual achievement in school subjects like reading, writing, and math. If there is a discrepancy between those scores (the IQ score being about two years higher than the achievement), the student is labeled as having a learning disability. If both the IQ and achievement scores are low, the student is considered naturally “slow,” and in most cases will never receive any special help.
Assessment Methods - Return to Topic List
Excerpts of the book Unlock the Enstein Inside by Dr. Ken Gibson
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