The Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) is a nationally standardized, normreferenced test (NRT). This is a top-rated, nationally standardized test designed to evaluate thinking skills. This test is adminstered to all students in the spring of each school year. All students need formative and summative evaluations to know if they are learning and progressing as they should.The test data can also be very useful in making decisions for the upcoming school year as well as for long term planning.
Throughout the years, Ryan Academy students consistently score at or above the national average on standardized testing.
ITBS FAQ
What type of test is the ITBS?
Type:Group administered achievement test battery
Purpose:To provide a comprehensive assessment of student progress in major content areas
What is does “nationally standardized” mean?
A nationally standardized test is a test that each test-taker is administered in the same way across a specified reference population (e.g., age groups, grade groups, etc.). Therefore, the score interpretations are based on a comparison of the test taker’s performance to the performance of other students in the nation.
What is a norm-referenced test (NRT)?
It is a NRT because it compares students ‘abilities rather than to a criteria. Thus, the ITBS allows educators to get a look at the performance of their students in relation to the rest of the nation. A NRT is designed to highlight achievement differences between and among students.
How valid and reliable is the ITBS?
The ITBS was developed at the University of Iowa, and is based on over eighty years of on-going research.
What does the ITBS measure?
The ITBS measures the skills and achievement of students from kindergarten through grade eight and provides an in-depth measure of important educational objectives. It also yields reliable and comprehensive information both about the development of students’ skills and about their ability to think critically. It measures students against their peers.
Test subjects in the ITBS are in reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science.
What types of results does the ITBS give on the student report?
The ITBS produces developmental standard scores (SS) (i.e., scaled scores), and percentile ranks.
What does the developmental standard score (SS) mean?
The developmental standard score (SS) is a number that describes a student’s location on a scale.
What is a national percentile rank (NPR) score?
A national percentile rank score compares the achievement of a student or a group of students to the achievement of a national sample of students who are in the same grade and who were tested at the same time of the year (fall, midyear, or spring). For example, if a student earned a percentile rank of 72 on the science test, it means she scored higher than 72 percent of the students in the group with which she is being compared.
What is the “Core Total” score?
A Core Total score is reported for both The Iowa Tests of Basic Skills and The Iowa Tests of Educational Development. The Core Total score is the average of the Reading, Language and Mathematics test scores. The tests cover the following areas:
• Reading: Vocabulary + Reading Comprehension
• Language: Spelling + Capitalization + Punctuation + Usage/Expression
• Mathematics: Concepts/Estimation + Problem Solving/Data Interpretation + Computation.
What is the “Total Composite” score?
A Total Composite score is reported for both The Iowa Tests of Basic Skills and The Iowa Tests of Educational Development. The Total Composite score is the average of the Reading, Language, Mathematics, Social Studies and Science test scores.
• Total Composite: Reading + Language + Math + Social Studies + Science
Throughout the years, Ryan Academy students consistently score at or above the national average on standardized testing.
ITBS FAQ
What type of test is the ITBS?
Type:Group administered achievement test battery
Purpose:To provide a comprehensive assessment of student progress in major content areas
What is does “nationally standardized” mean?
A nationally standardized test is a test that each test-taker is administered in the same way across a specified reference population (e.g., age groups, grade groups, etc.). Therefore, the score interpretations are based on a comparison of the test taker’s performance to the performance of other students in the nation.
What is a norm-referenced test (NRT)?
It is a NRT because it compares students ‘abilities rather than to a criteria. Thus, the ITBS allows educators to get a look at the performance of their students in relation to the rest of the nation. A NRT is designed to highlight achievement differences between and among students.
How valid and reliable is the ITBS?
The ITBS was developed at the University of Iowa, and is based on over eighty years of on-going research.
What does the ITBS measure?
The ITBS measures the skills and achievement of students from kindergarten through grade eight and provides an in-depth measure of important educational objectives. It also yields reliable and comprehensive information both about the development of students’ skills and about their ability to think critically. It measures students against their peers.
Test subjects in the ITBS are in reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science.
What types of results does the ITBS give on the student report?
The ITBS produces developmental standard scores (SS) (i.e., scaled scores), and percentile ranks.
What does the developmental standard score (SS) mean?
The developmental standard score (SS) is a number that describes a student’s location on a scale.
What is a national percentile rank (NPR) score?
A national percentile rank score compares the achievement of a student or a group of students to the achievement of a national sample of students who are in the same grade and who were tested at the same time of the year (fall, midyear, or spring). For example, if a student earned a percentile rank of 72 on the science test, it means she scored higher than 72 percent of the students in the group with which she is being compared.
What is the “Core Total” score?
A Core Total score is reported for both The Iowa Tests of Basic Skills and The Iowa Tests of Educational Development. The Core Total score is the average of the Reading, Language and Mathematics test scores. The tests cover the following areas:
• Reading: Vocabulary + Reading Comprehension
• Language: Spelling + Capitalization + Punctuation + Usage/Expression
• Mathematics: Concepts/Estimation + Problem Solving/Data Interpretation + Computation.
What is the “Total Composite” score?
A Total Composite score is reported for both The Iowa Tests of Basic Skills and The Iowa Tests of Educational Development. The Total Composite score is the average of the Reading, Language, Mathematics, Social Studies and Science test scores.
• Total Composite: Reading + Language + Math + Social Studies + Science