How to read Std Scores???

If you go to the “LD in Depth” section of this website and click on “Assessment”, you will find a good article on how to interpret test scores. It’s a long article and rather dry, but well worth studying so you understand exactly what test scores mean — standard scores, percentiles, etc.

Mary

Pamela,

Post the scores here because we can’t help you unless we see all the scores and percentile ranks. There are some teachers and other professionals here who can help put the scores in non-technical terms that you can understand and assist you in helping your son.

you want- post the scores form the previous assessment if you have them.

Thank you for replying back to me. Here are his scores, maybe someone will be able to shed some light.

These are the scores from when my son was tested on 4/2000

Verbal IQ Std Score = 66 Percentile = 1
Performance IQ Std Score = 62 Percentile = 1
Full Scale Std Score = 61 Percentile = <1

Verbal Comprehension Index SS = 72 %tile = 3
Perceptual Organization Index SS = 60 = <1
Freedom from Distractability = 58 = <1
Processing Speed = 64 = 1

Subtest Scaled Scores:

Verbal: Performance:

Information 4 Picture Completion 6
Similarities 4 Coding 5
Arithmetic 1 Picture Arrangment 1
Vocabulary 5 Block Design 3
Comprehension 6 Object Assembly 3
Digit Span 4 Symbol Search 1

WIAT:
Basic Reading SS = 80 %tile = 9
Numerical Operations SS = 80 %tile = 9

He’s on the K.7 on the test Wodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement - Revised, Word Attack…..

Cancellation z-score for time z-scores for # errors
shapes -2.53 -4.67 omissions 9 commissions 9
numbers -2.52 -2.50 ” 7 ” 0
letters -0.11 - ” 8 ” 0

Auditory Errors = 6 Commission errors = 0 perservation errors = 0

Auditory Discrimination Test

t-score = 28 % = <2

Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals - 3rd Edition, Concepts/Directions SS = 75 % = 5

Word Fluency z-score repeats rule breaks
Categories -0.70 0 2
Letters -2.27 1 0

California Verbal Learning Test - Children’s version SS/z-scores

List a total trials 1-5 (mean=50) 44
List A trial free rec. (mean=0) -1.0
List A trial free rec. -0.5
List B free recall -1.5
List A short del. free rec. -1.0
List A short del. cued rec -2.5
List A long-del. free rec. -1.5
List A long-del. cued rec -1.0
Semantic Clustering ratio -0.5
Serial Cluster ratio 0.0
Perservations +4.0
Total intrusions +2.5
Recognition hits (14/15) +2.0
Discrm. versus Long Delay Free Recall +2.0

Developmental test of visual-motor integration

Std Score = 74 Percentile = 4

Rey Complex Figure

Copy -1.83 s.d.
delayed recall -1.82 s.d. 44% retained

******Here are the scores when he had tests administered in 99 (these tests where done through the school, the above tests were done outside of the school)*****

Verbal Subtest Scaled Scores
Information 5
Similiarties 1
Arithmetic 1
Vocabulary 1
Comprehension 1
(Digit Span) (3)

Performance Subtest Scaled Scores
Picture Completion 3
Coding 11
Picture Arrangement 2
Block Design 3
Object Assembly 3

Scale IQ Percentile Range

Verbal 54 0.1 50-63
Perfomance 66 1 61-77
Full Scale 56 0.2 52-63

Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (Classroom Edition)

Domain Std Score Percentile AE

Communication 59 0.3 1-10
Daily Living Skills 90 25 6-9
Socialization 72 3 2-10
Adaptive Behavior
Composite 71 3 Adap level: mod/low

California Diagnostic Reading and Math Tests:
Area: GE: Area: GE:
Vocabulary 1.3 Math Computation 2.0
Comprehension 2.0 Math Concepts 1.8
Total Reading 1.7 Total Mathematics 1.9
Word Analysis 1.4

I know this area is telling me for vocabulary he’s on a first grade level and 3 months right?

Sorry for the long post. By looking at the 2 different tests he had administered has he progressed/regressed……..Thanks everyone (Smiles)……Hopefully, I will have a better understanding.

~Pamela~

You are right in your feelings that he should not be mainstreamed. He needs to be in a very structured small class environment. In California, he should be in a special day class for the communicative impaired with a speech and language pathologist as his teacher. I am not a psychologist, I am an educational therapist.

Specifically, what kind of services have they given your son, Resource, speech and language…etc.?? There really there isn’t a discrepancy in his IQ scores. Mearning there isn’t a split between the verbal IQ (VIQ) and the Performance IQ (PIQ). With some children who have learning disabilities there is a large difference between their PIQ and their VIQ. For example a child with dyslexia will usually score higher on the PIQ. For instance, a child could score with a PIQ of 127 which would be in the superior range and a VIQ of 90 in the average range which would be a 37 point spread. 127-90 = 37 point difference.

Your son doesn’t have that kind of split. VIQ 66 - PIQ 62 = 4 points difference. His scoring is consistently low and WHY??? that is what I am trying to figure out. Was your son a premie, is english his first language, does he have test anxiety? Does your son have any hearing, vision or attentional issues that could explain some of his low scores? What does he enjoy doing? Does he get along with other children? Does he understand what you tell him, does he respond appropriately and within an acceptable time frame..or does he tune out? Have you looked into any auditory processing deficits, visual-processing or sensory motor integration deficits or attention deficit disorder?

An IQ test shows what a child does not know, but your son’s scores on his IQ test and processing speed are extremely low and I am not sure if he has any other physical challenges that could possibly explain some of his low scores.

His IQ test shows progress in his language specifically in his ability to make connection with categories, his knowledge of vocabulary and oral comprehension of language. He is still below borderline on his IQ as his scores fall below 70. With his skills, he is drowning in a mainstreamed environment that doesn’t meet his needs.

On the language tests he is 1 to 2 standard deviations below the mean and the word mean is another word for saying average. For example if the mean or average score was 100 points, he could score 75 points and be -1 SD= standard deviation below the mean and if he scored 125 he would be +1SD standard above the mean.

These are the subtests of Verbal IQ and what they measure:

Information—this finds out the range of factual knowledge that they know.
i.e, where is your nose?.—4 the earlier test he scored a 5 this pretty much stayed the same

Similarities—measures their knowledge of categories and how well they generalize and make associations. i.e, red and blue are –-colors
4 earlier test 1 he has made some progress here

Arithmetic—this timed test is orally given, no paper or pencil is allowed and it takes a lot of concentration. It is their ability to reason with numbers, add, subtract, etc.—1 same He doesn’t understand math. What have they been doing in school to address this?

vocabulary—this tests their word knowledge, all the stuff they have in their head in regards to what we call “background” knowledge, i.e., what does a clock do..the answer would be tells you what time it is. a correct reponse will earn them one point, but if they give more they can earn another point.—
5 earlier test 1 he shows progress here

comprehension—This tests his common sense, his social understanding and emotional responsibility. It tests not what you know but how you would carry it out.—6 earlier test 1—he has made progress here!

digit span—is an optional test, it tests a child’t attention span and immediate recall of a series of numbers forward and backwards—4 earlier test 3 this is increasing and that is good!

The other scales are the Performance IQ and this tests their Non-Verbal IQ

Picture completion—The child is shown a picture and needs to tell what is missing. It measures their visual alertneess and their ability to discriminate the difference between essential and non-essential details.—6 earlier test 3 he has made progress here..

Picture arrangement—the would be shown a series of pictures and have to put them in the proper sequence or order.—1 earlier test 2 he pretty much stayed the same here

block design—This tests their part to whole perception and orientation. They are shown individual patterns of designs and they have to put them together in a correct overall image combining the patterns into one image.—3 no change

object assembly—this is timed and they have to assemble a puzzle arranging pieces in a familiar configuration–3 no change

coding—tests their eye and hand coordination and visual and immediate recall-
5 the earlier test said 11—This one doesn’t make sense to me as it is the only score that is within the mean. Perhaps it was a typo?? The score of 5 looks more consistent with his other scores

symbol search—tests their visual planning.—1—this low score could be that he has vision tracking, acuity issues or attention span issues. He is timed and has to look at a symbol or symbols and find the matching one. He isn’t able to get past the first question in this exercise.

I hope this helps you. I wish I could do more..good luck…you can e-mail me if you need more help.

Thanks.

Patti did a good job explaining the WISC scores. I am less concerned about differences in clusters- they are all in the same range and have mostly shown improvement since his last assessment- so he is growing:) His scores tell you that he is a child who learns very slowly- and that he has a slight preference for verbal information over visual. I am a bit surprised that there is no current adaptive behavior score? His language scores and his previous adaptive behavior are all consistant with his IQ, generally and with eligibility as a child with a learning impairment. So- you have a violet and they want to educate him as if he were a daisy- (with eternal thanks to the mother who suggested thai analogy:)

On the achievement scores,you reported z-scores. These do not indicate progress. They aren’t supposed too. They show deviation from expected performance. Now, I am going to speculate that your son’s scores are fairly low because his z-scores are on the negative side- but I don’t know that for sure because I don’t know what the stadard scores are. If his overall achievement is K.7- that is lower than his previous testing. You want the column on the WJ printout that says SS/Confidence Band at the top. It should be the next one in from the z-score column.

Violets need particular support in the daisy fields if they are to continue to grow. He will need specialized academic instruction that is designed to support the development of job related skills, continued reading instruction (likely not in the classroom), speech and language with an eye toward pragmatic communication skills. I have less of a problem with him being based with his peers- that is the world he needs to function in after all- as long as folks are programming so that he can grow into the best violet he can be. See if you have the other standard scores for his reading and math. If they sent you z-scores, you might not have grade levels. We will help sort out the progress from there.

Robin

Thanks!! Believe it or not, it did help. The only service my son is getting is Speech/Language Therapy, which he needs more of. My son wasn’t a premie, I carried him full-term. He has great difficulty with processing and comprehending information. When I took him to the doctor’s awhile back to get him tested for his processing/comprehension the doctor told me he couldn’t perform the test due to his speech was unintelligable. However, as we speak I am waiting for a doctor to call me about getting him tested for his processing/comprehension difficulty. I don’t remember what CAPD stands for, but he fits the majority of the signs. He’s forever says “huh” or “what”, frequently needs repetition of directions and information, has poor expressive/receptive language, frequently misunderstands oral instructions or questions, which I am sure plays a major role in his low testing scores. My son enjoys writing, riding his bike and playing baseball. As far as getting along with other children, he prefers to be by himself, unless he sees his brother playing with other kids he will “tag” along. My son has PDD-NOS, Mildly Mental Retardation, Adjustment Disorder and Speech/Language Disorder. The question of him being ADHD has been brought up by other doctors, and the medication of it, but this is my opinion, and my opinion only…..First of all, I do not see where my son is ADHD, I have seen other children who have ADHD and they are bouncing off the walls, a distraction within the classroom where my son just sits there, like he’s in his own world (which I call happy land)….Depending on the extent of ADHD I do not “believe” in medicating my child, just so the teachers do not have to spend their time with him. Now, my son will rush through his work not because he’s in a hurry, but because he doesn’t know what to do nor does he understand what needs to be done, and I have told his teachers that millions of times but they tend to think differently, of course they would because then it would reflect on him. Please note, I did not write about ADHD and how I feel to put down those who do medicate their child, I’m not against medicating a child, but around where I live, I have seen children on medication so the teachers/parents don’t have to “deal” with them and than that’s when I have a problem with it. My son does where glasses, he has one eye crossed, which with his glasses his eye is approving and the doctor said that his vision has nothing to do with his processing/comprehension.My son is doing the best he can given his disabilities but isn’t he entitled to learn, to comprehend, process the curriculum at hand? I am going to fight for an aide for him, more speech therapy time and to have him put back in a small, structured class environment. I do have a question though, in some areas he stayed the same, while in other areas he is showing progress, now with his disabilities and his scores remaining the same that is where the team tells me I am not proving my case because he is making the progress given his disabilities, but with his disabilities and the fact in some areas he remained the same doesn’t it show the placement is not beneficiary for his needs? or am I wrong? I do want to say thank you for the time you have put in to help me. From the bottom of my heart, Thanks. God Bless You.

Thank you for helping me, it means alot to me :-)

For his Adaptive Behavior Composite his SS = 71 %tile =3
Adaptive Level……Mod Low

I do not have the Adaptive Behavior scores from his recent eval. As far as his SS next to his z-scores there’s nothing there.

Again, thanks for the time you have put in to help me.

Pamela

ADD-Inattentive…You will note I didn’t say ADHD with hyperactivity, I was steering toward ADD-Inattentive..there are different subtypes of ADD. When you describe your son as being in his own happy land you are describing a person who is ADD-inattentive.

Your son has PDD which would really impact his pragmatics but with the improvement he has made in that area on the WISC, his speech therapy is working. I felt there were more pieces to the puzzle than just the test scores. Having testing for processing and comprehension are good but I really feel he should have some testing on his attention span and ability to focus because everything you described can be either CAPD or ADD-Inattentive or both. You are a detective, searching for all the clues to find out what issues or problems that hold your son back from reaching his potential.

I have reposted something I wrote here last month about my own personal experiences with ADD. Here goes…

I used to think the same thing about meds.. I didn’t think my child had ADD. I just figured it was her CAPD and would get mad at the teachers when they would suggest that she just isn’t paying attention and say, “You have no idea how hard we are trying to pay attention so that we can hear everything, we get tired of listening.” Part of the problem was me because I had the same problem, I am ADD and so are my kids.

The most eye opening experience for me was being in an undergrad class in language development and I heard the professor describe children and adults with ADD. I looked at my girlfriend and said, “she is describing me and my daughter.” My 46-year-old girlfriend herself had just been diagnosed as Add-Inattentive and was embarrassed that she was ADD and had not told me about her problem. This lecture opened the floodgates of acceptance for her. She told me that before she tried on medication she had struggled her whole life with inattentive behaviors and depression. She wanted to finish college but she couldn’t because she would start a class with great intentions and then lose interest and drop it. This made her even more depressed and feeling worthless. She finally went to the psychiatrist and he put her on Dexedrine. I am happy to say that she graduated with me in May, and we are both in the grad program with over 3.5 GPA’s and we can now joke about being ADD and it is ok. One of my other organized *normal friends* who isn’t ADD was telling me, “I so admire how you handle being ADD, you celebrate your differences and accept them and can laugh when you screw up.” I told her, “If I didn’t laugh about it and accept it I would be depressed.

This has been a journey for me as I realize that I am ADD and what I need to do to be successful however, it still took me 2 more years of reading and research to finally make the choice to get my daughter medication. The auditory trainer wasn’t enough. I wish I had done it so much sooner. After we tried meds she looked at me and said, “Mom, I can finally concentrate, she felt the difference.”

Her ADD-Inattentive behaviors over the years have cost her dearly. Now I am trying to fill the language gaps that YEARS of inattentive behaviors have left. Her self-esteem is fragile; she feels stupid and gives up easily. I have faced similar challenges in my classes because of my ADD and CAPD. I am very gifted but I was always frustrated because I wasn’t showing how smart I was in multiple-choice exams. I was fighting my racing and indecisive mind and I was getting more and more anxiety because I couldn’t understand why I was not getting the A’s my study buddies were. I knew the material and application sometimes better than they did, I was able to instruct them in the process in my right brained style and they would say, Oh, I get it…but when I took the tests I would make stupid inattentive mistakes that cost me dearly getting B’s and an occasional C which could just send me over the edge..LOL because I KNEW I was capable, I just couldn’t pull it together during the tests and my study buddies were just as dumbfounded as I about my lackluster performance on tests that they aced.

If I felt this way, I could only imagine what my children and the kids I tutor go through that face similar challenges and disappointments. I had to do something about it because I was getting depressed and ready to give up. I finally went into the students with disabilities office and was tested by the psychologist who is ADD himself. I was reading over 750 words a minute, my vocabulary, processing speed and comprehension were good but even in that testing he noticed everything was fine until I hit the last part of the scantron and I missed a bubble, which totally screwed up the rest of the scantron. He figured it out, lined it up and whalla I got the answers right. He laughed and pointed out what I had done and how he figured it out…I said, “See, what I do, I don’t even realize I am doing it. That is why I am here, I can’t take it anymore. I know the stakes are high, I have to get a high GPA to get into the Grad program.” He gave me some literature on study habits and ways to read questions and reason with them and some strategies to make sure that I double check my tests for correct answers. After that my scores went up and I finally tried Meds and they have made a big difference in the way that I process and retain information. I recently made the deans list after 2 years of being a B+ student. It was when I was on meds that the grades went up. I could finally do what I knew I was capable of doing only without the meds my mind was always racing and riddled with indecision and anxiety. There is something to how the brain works and meds can help along with behavior modification strategies. I don’t take the meds all the time, only when I need to concentrate and study for exams.

Dr. Daniel Amen, is a good place to start. His videos are fabulous; he has been there and done that with his wife and kids. Also Anita Archer’s books by Curriculum Associates called Skills for School Success are good to teach a child organizational skills and how to learn. Good luck with your search and don’t be afraid to try meds, like I said, I use them when I need to be focused and sharp, I don’t take them every day. But an adult can monitor their behavior and a child can’t. Most of the kids that I work with that are ADD have their limit and hit the wall easily, they have a hard time focusing, being consistent. Meds help keep them on task and consistent. That is the key being consistent and with having ADD myself my consistency is hard to accomplish and follow through on. Eventually as an ADD person gets training in behavior mods, and meds and gets older they will learn how to monitor their ADD and what they need to do to focus and be successful. Keep us posted….I wish you the best!

You are welcome:)

With a multi faceted diagnosis like that (whew!), I agree that ADD is probably not much of a consideration- though as Patti says farther down, it might be. Any inattentiveness that people are observing is likely due to the manner and speed with which he acquires new learning. CAPD is Central Auditory Processing Disorder BTW. This can also be responsible for a certain level of inattentiveness.

What you have then is a child who functions slowly and is concrete in the extreme. His academic instruction will need to be intensive and slowly paced, with lots of repetition, and he is not likely to be particularly successful if that instruction is to take place within the context of a regular classroom. That doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be there- there is a lot of good that can be derived from time spent with peers- but not with an idea of meeting academic goals. His goals for his classroom time might be more in the nature of pragmatic and social skills- learning to make it through the day with a group. One goal might even be to help “learn to learn” in gradually increasing groups.

I would ask for a printout of his evaluation results that includes standard scores BTW. It is easy to do- they just have to change the settings before they print. Z-scores are moderately useful as a way of comparing expected performance- but they won’t give the information you need to compare to his last results- or with his current IQ.

Robin

I will look into ADD-Inattentive. I have never heard of that before and I wonder if these doctor’s have and I say that only because it was just last year when my son was diagnosed with PDD, and he’s been to several doctors in the past. I even asked one doctor over at John’s Hopkin’s hospital (Pediatric Neurology) if my son could be Autistic and he “automatically” ruled it out. I was livid because I asked him how he could say no right off the bat without properly testing him for that and that was back in ‘95 and here it was 5 yrs later when he was diagnosed. The dr then in ‘95 said it seemed that my son had more problems with bulbar dysfunction than in any other dimension neurologically. Further noted that it was thought there was some suggestion of specific incorrdination of bulbar musculature which underlies his speech, swallowing and chewing problems, my son has trouble chewing meats, but not as bad as he use to. I will also look into Dr. Daniel Amen video’s and Anita Archer’s books. Thanks so much for the information you have provided for me. Take Care and God Bless.

~Pamela~