Understanding State Reports and WinScan Interpretive Guide

North Carolina's State Summative Assessments

During the final five (5) days of a semester course or the final ten (10) days of a yearlong course, students take the state-required End-of-Grade, End-of-Course, or NCEXTEND1 assessments for the identified classes in which students are enrolled. Depending on the specific subject assessed, student scores from these assessments are used for computing school and teacher growth, proficiency rates as required by the state accountability system, and determining long-term goals and measures of interim progress designed to improve educational outcomes for all students and close achievement gaps as required under the North Carolina Every Student Succeeds Act State Plan.

  • End-of-Grade (EOG): The EOG mathematics and reading assessments are administered to students in grades 3–8 and EOG science assessments are administered to students at grades 5 and 8 as part of the statewide program. The assessments are specifically aligned to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study (mathematics and reading) or the North Carolina Essential Standards (science) and include a variety of strategies to measure the achievement of North Carolina students.

  • End-of-Course (EOC): The EOC assessments are administered to students enrolled in Biology, NC Math 1, NC Math 3, and English II as part of the statewide testing program. The assessments are specifically aligned to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study (English II, NC Math 1, and NC Math 3) or the North Carolina Essential Standards (Biology) and include a variety of strategies to measure the achievement of North Carolina students.

  • NCEXTEND1: The NCEXTEND1 alternate assessments are for students who have a significant cognitive disability. The NCEXTEND1 is administered to eligible students as an alternate to the EOG assessments at grades 3–8 and the EOC assessments at grade 10 as part of the statewide testing program. The NCEXTEND1 assessments are specifically aligned to North Carolina's Extended Content Standards and measure the achievement of students on grade-level extended content standards. 

District administrators can produce a variety of assessment score reports on demand. Information about the most common reports (Individual Student Reports (ISRs), Achievement Level Frequency Reports, Class Roster Reports, Score Frequency Reports, and Goal Summary Reports) is intended to help educators and administrators inform decision making at the student, classroom, school, and district levels and to help explain the assessment results to parents and the general public.

 

Score Reports

Tab/Accordion Items

The Individual Student Reports (ISRs) provide information to parents and educators on how students performed on state administered End-of-Grade, End-of-Course, and NCEXTEND1 assessments.

 

 

Sample Class Roster Reports

Understanding the Class Roster Report

Class Roster Reports are intended for teachers and school administrators. A class roster report contains the course-specific student scores for each content area independently or course-specific student scores for combinations of content areas. 

The Class Roster Report contains three sections: 1) the header, 2) the report body, and 3) footnotes.

Header

The first line of the header for each Class Roster Report denotes the type of assessment (EOG, EOC, or NCEXTEND1) and the school year for the test administration. The second line and/or third lines specify the assessment content or course and administration type.

Terms Featured in the Header
Term Definition
LEASchCode Local Education Agency (LEA) or Public School Unit (PSU) school code
InstrName Instructor's name
TestDates Time of year the test was administered
SchoolName School Name
ClassPeriod  Class Period

Report Body

The body of the report is divided into two sections. Each student is a separate row on the roster and score information is reported in the columns of Section 2. 

Terms Featured in the Report Body
Term Definition
Scale Score The number of assessment questions a student answers correctly is called a raw score. The raw score is converted to a developmental scale score. 
Number Attempted The number of questions answered by the student
Percentile Rank The percentile shows a student performed at a level equal to or better than the stated percentage of students who took the assessment during the standard setting year (the first year the test was administered).
Achievement Level

Achievement levels are predetermined performance standards that allow a student's performance to be compared to grade-level expectations.

Four achievement levels (i.e., Not Proficient, Level 3, Level 4, and Level 5) are reported for EOG and EOC tests.

  • Not Proficient
    • Students who are Not Proficient demonstrate inconsistent understanding of grade-level content standards and will need support.
  • Level 3
    • Students at Level 3 demonstrate sufficient understanding of grade-level content standards though some support may be needed to engage with content at the next grade/course.
  • Level 4
    • Students at Level 4 demonstrate a thorough understanding of grade-level content standards and are on track for career and college.
  • Level 5
    • Students at Level 5 demonstrate comprehensive understanding of grade-level content standards, are on track for career and college, and are prepared for advanced content at the grade/course.

Three achievement levels (i.e., Not Proficient, Level 3, and Level 4) are reported for NCEXTEND1 tests.

  • Not Proficient
    • Students who are Not Proficient demonstrate inconsistent understanding of the North Carolina Extended Content Standards and will need significant support.
  • Level 3
    • Students at Level 3 demonstrate sufficient understanding of the North Carolina Extended Content Standards though some support may be needed to engage with content at the next grade/course.
  • Level 4
    • Students at Level 4 demonstrate a thorough understanding of the North Carolina Extended Content Standards and are on track for competitive employment and post-secondary education.
Class Mean The class mean is the average of class scores. The mean is the sum of all scores in the roster divided by the number of scores in the roster.

Footer

The reports may contain footnotes to explain assessment specific terms included in the report.

Sample Scale Score Frequency Reports

Understanding the Scale Score Frequency Report

Frequency tables are used to summarize large quantities of scores and can be created for each EOG, EOC, and the NCEXTEND1 assessments and are intended for school level, public school unit, and state administrators.

The Scale Score Frequency Report contains three sections: 1) the header, 2) a summary table of statistics, and 3) the frequency distribution table.

Header

The first line of the header for each Scale Score Frequency Report denotes the type of assessment (EOG, EOC, or NCEXTEND1) and the school year for the test administration. The second line and/or third lines specify the assessment content or course and administration type.

Terms Featured in the Header
Term Definition
LEASchCode Local Education Agency (LEA) school code
InstrName or TeacherName Instructor's name
TestDates Time of year the test was administered
SchoolName School Name
ClassPeriod  Class Period

Summary Statistics Table

Terms Featured in the Summary Statistics Table
Term Definition
Number of Students with Valid Scores The number of student scores included in the report's group calculations and used as the denominator in calculating the mean.
Scale Score Mean  The group mean is the average of a group of scores. The mean is the sum of all scores in the roster divided by the number of scores in the roster. 
Standard Deviation The standard deviation indicates the degree of variation of scores among a group of students. The larger the standard deviation, the greater the variation there is in scores. The standard deviation is the square root of the variance of the scores.
Mode  The group mode is the most common score or scores of the group.
High Score The highest scale score in the reporting group
Low Score The lowest scale score in the reporting group
Local Percentiles  The scale scores are listed for the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentiles. The percentile shows a student performed at a level equal to or better than the stated percentage of students who took the assessment during the standard setting year (the first year the test was administered).
Scale Scores The number of assessment questions a student answers correctly is called a raw score. The raw score is converted to a developmental scale score. 

Frequency Distribution Table

Terms Featured in the Frequency Distribution Table
Term Definition
Scale Score The number of assessment questions a student answers correctly is called a raw score. The raw score is converted to a developmental scale score. 
Frequency  The number of students that earned each score
Cumulative Frequency  The total number of students that earned all the scores up to and including the score in the same row
Percent  The percent of students that earned a given score (number of students that earned the score divided by the total number of observations)
Cumulative Percent  The percent of students that earned all scores up to and including the score level in the row
Achievement Level

Achievement levels are predetermined performance standards that allow a student's performance to be compared to grade-level expectations. 

Four achievement levels (i.e., Not Proficient, Level 3, Level 4, and Level 5) are reported for EOG and EOC tests.

  • Not Proficient
    •  Students who are Not Proficient demonstrate inconsistent  understanding of grade-level content standards and will need support.
  • Level 3
    • Students at Level 3 demonstrate sufficient  understanding of grade-level content standards though some support may be needed to engage with content at the next grade/course.
  • Level 4
    • Students at Level 4 demonstrate a thorough  understanding of grade-level content standards and are on track for career and college.
  • Level 5
    • Students at Level 5 demonstrate comprehensive  understanding of grade-level content standards, are on track for career and college, and are prepared for advanced content at the grade/course.

Three achievement levels (i.e., Not Proficient, Level 3, and Level 4) are reported for NCEXTEND1 tests.

  • Not Proficient
    • Students who are Not Proficient demonstrate inconsistent  understanding of the North Carolina Extended Content Standards and will need significant support.
  • Level 3
    • Students at Level 3 demonstrate sufficient  understanding of the North Carolina Extended Content Standards though some support may be needed to engage with content at the next grade/course.
  • Level 4
    • Students at Level 4 demonstrate a thorough  understanding of the North Carolina Extended Content Standards and are on track for competitive employment and post-secondary education.
State Percentile Rank The percentile rank compares a student's performance on the assessment this year to that of all North Carolina students who took the assessment in the standard setting year. The percentile shows how a student performed at a level equal to or better than the stated percentage of students who took the assessment during the standard setting year. For example, if a student scores as well or better than 87 percent of the students who took the assessment in the standard setting year, the student is reported as the 87th percentile.
Reported Quantile or Lexile Score 

The EOG and EOC mathematics tests are linked to the Quantile Framework® for Mathematics. The EOG and EOC reading tests are linked to the Lexile Framework® for Reading. 

  • Quantile Score
    • To interpret what a Quantile® score means for a student, two pieces of information are needed: the Quantile score and the grade level during which a student received the Quantile Score. Typically, a higher Quantile measure within a specific grade range indicates that a student probably has very few problems with grade-level material in school. A lower Quantile measure indicates that a student most likely struggles to understand and succeed with grade-level material. Once a student's Quantile measure and grade are known, mathematical concepts, topics, materials can be identified within that same Quantile range. A student can be matched with resources and engaged in instruction to focus remediation and move forward with more demanding concepts and skills.
  • Lexile Score
    • The Lexile Framework® measures both reader ability and text difficulty on the same scale, the Lexile scale. Lexile scores are reported from a low of BR (Beginning Reader) to a high of 2000L. Lexile scores do not translate specifically to grade levels. Using a student's Lexile score, a student can be matched to books or other reading material that are similar to his or her own reading ability. The lower a book's Lexile measure, the easier it will be to comprehend. For example, a text with a Lexile measure of 850L will most likely be easier for a reader to comprehend a text at 950L. The Lexile score also allows one to track a student's progress over time.

 

Sample Achievement Level Frequency Reports

Understanding the Achievement Level Score Frequency Report

Frequency tables are used to summarize large quantities of scores and can be created for each EOG, EOC, and the NCEXTEND1 assessments and are intended for school level, public school unit, and state administrators.

The Achievement Level Frequency Report contains three sections: 1) the header, 2) Achievement Level statistics tables, and 3) a footer.

Header

The first line of the header for each Achievement Level Score Frequency Report denotes the type of assessment (EOG, EOC, or NCEXTEND1) and the school year for the test administration. The second line and/or third lines specify the assessment content or course and administration type.

Terms Featured in the Header
Term Definition
LEASchCode Local Education Agency (LEA) school code
InstrName or TeacherName Instructor's name
TestDates Time of year the test was administered
SchoolName School Name
ClassPeriod  Class Period

Achievement Level Statistics Tables

Terms Featured in the Achievement Level Statistics Tables
Term Definition
Achievement Levels

Achievement levels are predetermined performance standards that allow a student's performance to be compared to grade-level expectations. 

Four achievement levels (i.e., Not Proficient, Level 3, Level 4, and Level 5) are reported for EOG and EOC tests.

  • Not Proficient
    •  Students who are Not Proficient demonstrate inconsistent  understanding of grade-level content standards and will need support.
  • Level 3
    • Students at Level 3 demonstrate sufficient  understanding of grade-level content standards though some support may be needed to engage with content at the next grade/course.
  • Level 4
    • Students at Level 4 demonstrate a thorough  understanding of grade-level content standards and are on track for career and college.
  • Level 5
    • Students at Level 5 demonstrate comprehensive  understanding of grade-level content standards, are on track for career and college, and are prepared for advanced content at the grade/course.

Three achievement levels (i.e., Not Proficient, Level 3, and Level 4) are reported for NCEXTEND1 tests.

  • Not Proficient
    • Students who are Not Proficient demonstrate inconsistent  understanding of the North Carolina Extended Content Standards and will need significant support.
  • Level 3
    • Students at Level 3 demonstrate sufficient  understanding of the North Carolina Extended Content Standards though some support may be needed to engage with content at the next grade/course.
  • Level 4
    • Students at Level 4 demonstrate a thorough  understanding of the North Carolina Extended Content Standards and are on track for competitive employment and post-secondary education.
Frequency The number of students that earned each achievement level
Percent of Total The percent of students that earned a given achievement level (number of students that earned the achievement level divided by the total number of observations)
Cumulative Frequency The total number of students that earned all the scores up to and including the achievement level in the same row
Cumulative Percent The percent of students that earned all scores up to and including the achievement level in the row
Met Career- and College-Readiness Standards The number and percent of students who have met the College- and Career-Readiness Standards (Levels 4 and 5)
Met Grade-Level Standards The number and percent of students who have met the Grade-Level Standards (Levels 3, 4, and 5)

Footer

The reports may contain footnotes to explain assessment specific terms included in the report.

Sample Goal Summary Reports

Understanding the Goal Summary Report

The Goal Summary Report is a course-specific report that summarizes student performance for content domains. The Goal Summary Report groups students at the school, district, or state level and typically reflects scores at the goal level and are intended for teachers and school, public school unit, and state-level administrators.

The standard protocol for reporting subscale scores requires that any domain with fewer than five (5) items does not produce a level of reliability sufficient for score reporting. The Goal Summary Report provides valid data about curriculum implementation only when 1) all forms are administered within the same classroom, school, or public school unit; 2) there are at least five (5) students per form; and 3) approximately equal numbers of students have taken each form. It is best to compare a group's weighted mean percent correct with the stated weighted mean to determine how far above or below the state weighted mean the group has performed. This comparison is most appropriate because forms are comparable at a total assessment level but not the goal level. Goal Summary Reports may be available for EOG and EOC assessments; Goal Summary Reports are not provided for the NCEXTEND1 assessments due to limited item counts.

The Goal Summary Report contains three sections: 1) the header, 2) the statistics table, and 3) a footer.

Header

The first line of the header for each Goal Summary Report denotes the type of assessment (EOG or EOC) and the school year for the test administration. The second line specifies the assessment content or course and administration type.

Terms Featured in the Header
Term Definition
LEASchCode Local Education Agency (LEA) school code
InstrName or TeacherName Instructor's name
TestDates Time of year the test was administered
SchoolName School Name
ClassPeriod  Class Period

Statistics Table

Terms Featured in the Statistics Table
Term Definition
Scale Score Mean The group mean is the average of a group of scores. The mean is the sum of all scores in the roster divided by the number of scores in the roster.
Number of Valid Scores Used as the denominator in calculating the mean
Percent of Test Items The percent of items that align with each content goal or domain
Mean Percent Correct A weighted mean is used to calculate the mean scores from different forms. If the count of students differs across forms, a weighted mean adjusts for the different counts across forms. For instance, if twice as many students took one form as compared to another, this form would receive twice the weight in calculating the mean. Usually about the same number of students take each form, so in practice, the weighted mean is very similar to the unweighted mean.
Difference State Mean Percent Correct This difference portrays performance relative to the standard setting year state mean percent. Negative values indicate a score performance below the state mean percent correct, while positive values indicate performance above the state mean.

Footer

The reports may contain footnotes to explain assessment specific terms included in the report.