STANDARDISED TESTS BRIEF EXPLANATION
Standardised tests are administered in all classes in Lackamore NS from First to Sixth. They are normally completed by early June and examine a child’s ability/competence in two important areas: Maths and English.
Dates for testing are not set in advance as it depends on attendance etc. and can only be finally decided on the day.
Standardised tests measure a child’s achievement in English reading and in maths compared to other children throughout the country at the same class level or age level. These test results are used by teachers to help plan your child’s learning, and to inform you about how well your child is doing in English reading and maths. It is important to remember however, that this result is only one aspect of our on-going assessment of all our pupils and the results can be affected by many things e.g. nerves, a poor sleep the night before, a rush that morning or a poor breakfast etc. It is important that these results be taken as just a part of the overall picture.
The test results will be shared with you as a STen score. STen scores go from 1 to 10. The table below describes what the different STen scores tell you about your child’s achievement in English reading and maths:
Sten Score What the score means Proportion of children who got this score
8-10 Well above average 1/6
7 High average 1/6
5-6 Average 1/3
4 Low average 1/6
1-3 Well below average 1/6
If your child’s STen score is 5 or 6, you will know that his/her performance on the test is average. About one third of children in Ireland have STen scores in this band. You can see from the table that there are also STen scores above and below the average.
If the class teacher has any concern regarding your child’s progress or their results on these standardised tests, please be assured that they will call you in to talk with you about it. Otherwise, the results will be written on your child’s report card at the end of the year, as recommended by the Department of Education and Science.
Standardised tests are administered in all classes in Lackamore NS from First to Sixth. They are normally completed by early June and examine a child’s ability/competence in two important areas: Maths and English.
Dates for testing are not set in advance as it depends on attendance etc. and can only be finally decided on the day.
Standardised tests measure a child’s achievement in English reading and in maths compared to other children throughout the country at the same class level or age level. These test results are used by teachers to help plan your child’s learning, and to inform you about how well your child is doing in English reading and maths. It is important to remember however, that this result is only one aspect of our on-going assessment of all our pupils and the results can be affected by many things e.g. nerves, a poor sleep the night before, a rush that morning or a poor breakfast etc. It is important that these results be taken as just a part of the overall picture.
The test results will be shared with you as a STen score. STen scores go from 1 to 10. The table below describes what the different STen scores tell you about your child’s achievement in English reading and maths:
Sten Score What the score means Proportion of children who got this score
8-10 Well above average 1/6
7 High average 1/6
5-6 Average 1/3
4 Low average 1/6
1-3 Well below average 1/6
If your child’s STen score is 5 or 6, you will know that his/her performance on the test is average. About one third of children in Ireland have STen scores in this band. You can see from the table that there are also STen scores above and below the average.
If the class teacher has any concern regarding your child’s progress or their results on these standardised tests, please be assured that they will call you in to talk with you about it. Otherwise, the results will be written on your child’s report card at the end of the year, as recommended by the Department of Education and Science.
