Reporting ITED Results to Students and Parents

The overall success of an external testing program depends greatly on how useful students, teachers, and parents perceive the tests to be. Unless students are motivated to do their best, the accuracy of the test results will be subject to question. One of the most important factors influencing both student and parent attitudes is the way in which the test results are presented to them.

Reporting to Students

Schools should inform individual students of their test results as soon as possible. When students receive careful interpretation of their test scores, they may gain new insights into their own abilities and new perceptions of the choices open to them. They can be shown evidence of their progress, and they will certainly be better motivated at the next testing than if they did not receive such an interpretation of their results. It is absolutely essential, however, that the test scores be integrated with other academic information so that students do not exaggerate the reliability or predictive significance of the tests or attach undue significance to a single set of test scores.

There are a variety of procedures that schools can use to inform students of their test results. The effectiveness of a particular procedure will depend on a number of factors such as the size of the school or the particular reports ordered. Individual school districts should develop procedures that seem to be effective for their circumstances.

One commonly used procedure is for a counselor to discuss the test results with an entire grade (e.g., grade 9 students). The four-page leaflet, Report to Students and Parents, can be useful in such meetings. For each student, a press-on label can be affixed to the Report.

The Report to Students and Parents briefly describes the content and purposes of the tests and how the test results can be used. Students are asked to consider the test results in relation to other information (e.g., their classroom achievement), and then they are asked to respond to the following questions:

• Were you surprised by any of your test scores? Which scores? Why?
• How do your test results "fit" with your future educational and/or occupational plans?
• In which test area(s) would you most like to improve your performance? What things could you do differently to help improve your achievement in these areas?

Students are encouraged to talk with their parents, counselors, and teachers about their answers to these questions and to set some goals for the next time they take the tests.

If the school has obtained the Individual Performance Profile (IPP), this more detailed report can be discussed along with the Report to Students and Parents in the group meetings.

If counselors can meet individually with students, then both the Report to Students and Parents leaflet and the Student Profile Chart can be used to consider a student's current test results. The Student Profile Chart is a four-page leaflet intended to provide a cumulative record of a student's ITED scores. A press-on label can be affixed to page 2 of this chart. This way, the current test results can easily be compared to previous ITED results. Students can then consider both sets of results as they respond to the three questions in the Report to Students and Parents leaflet. A one-on-one meeting also provides an excellent opportunity to consider the detailed results of the IPP, if they are available.

In some schools, the responsibility for discussing the test results with students rests with the homeroom teacher. In these situations, the Report to Students and Parents leaflet usually provides the main resource for these discussions. Again, the IPP might also be used. When teachers have the responsibility of reporting test results, the school district must ensure that the teachers are prepared to interpret the test scores properly.

Regardless of how students are informed about their test results, the effective use of test information and the maintenance of a constructive attitude toward the tests demand an additional type of communication. The attitude that teachers convey toward the testing program is an extremely important factor affecting student motivation. This is why the ITED manuals repeatedly urge teachers to share with their students why they think the tests are useful and how the results can be used to aid instruction. This is important to do both before testing and after the results are returned. Prior to the test administration, brief classroom discussions are helpful. Such discussions should include a consideration of the types of objectives and/or skills measured by the tests that are pertinent to the particular class. Information from A Message to Parents might also be used. After the test results have been received, teachers can share their general observations about ways the results may influence instruction. This task is considerably easier if the test results are reported for individual classes (e.g., Mr. Alexander's fifth-period language arts class).

Reporting to Parents

There are a variety of procedures that schools can use to inform parents about their children's ITED results. And, just as was true for reporting to students, each school will have to select a procedure that seems to work best in its situation.

As a general rule, communication of results to parents should not be left to casual, word-of-mouth reports from the students. These tend to be incomplete, and occasionally the nature and purpose of the testing program can be distorted. The four-page leaflet, Report to Students and Parents, discussed previously, is intended to help schools with this communication. Preferably, A Message to Parents has been sent to parents prior to the testing so they already have some understanding of the nature and purposes of the tests.

What do most parents want to know about their daughter's or son's test scores? Many parents don't know what to ask about test scores, but nearly all of them are concerned about normal progress, that is, whether their child is learning as well as others are learning. Four of the most common issues of concern are:

Standing. How does my daughter or son compare with others in her or his grade? Concern about academic normalcy is similar to parents' concerns about their child's development in other areas (e.g., social development). Scores from the ITED provide only a small amount of information about "normal" development, but they can show how the student's learning has progressed in each of several areas relative to others in a relevant norm group.

Growth. Has my daughter or son made reasonable academic progress in the last year? Overall growth, as reflected by the Core Total score or Composite score, can be described, and growth in particular subject areas can be reviewed. A cumulative record folder -- such as the Student Profile Chart -- contains the test records from previous years and can be of assistance in answering any questions. If the student has not been tested previously, then discussion about growth can center on how the current scores form a baseline from which future growth can be determined.

Improvement needed. Does my daughter or son have any particular weaknesses that can be identified? If so, how can they be addressed and, as a parent, how might I help? Parents who are concerned about how to support and encourage their child may find specific areas of focus in ITED results. Parents who focus only on weaknesses might be helped to recognize strengths and to think about how those skills can be advanced even further.

Strengths. What does my daughter or son do particularly well? Among all the test areas, is there one or more that stands out? Parents may be looking for a positive note about achievement, especially for students whose scores are generally low.

Some schools may want to mail home the Report to Students and Parents after the results have been discussed with the students and they have responded to the questions on page three of the report. Other schools may want to have a special parent meeting at which these reports are given to the parents and at which the counselor discusses the nature of the tests and the interpretation of the results. Some of the information in A Message to Parents may prove very useful for these meetings. The description of the types of questions in each test can be used to help parents understand the tasks students performed.

In some schools, the discussion of ITED results may be a part of a regularly scheduled parent-counselor conference or a parent-advisor conference. If, in such instances, previous ITED results are available, some evaluation of the student's growth since the previous testing should be undertaken. If the school has received the IPP, these reports can be used to discuss the test results in more detail.

Some Cautions Repeated

Many factors other than teacher and student ability can affect student performance on the tests. These factors fall into three broad categories:

Student factors: Motivation, aspirations, health, home environment, previous school experiences (especially for transfer students).

School factors: Curriculum, textbooks and other teaching materials, general adequacy of the school plant and equipment, type and extent of supervision, administrative policies, general harmony within the school staff.

Community factors: Type of community (urban, suburban, or rural), population (heterogeneous or homogeneous), interest in educational matters, financial support of schools, cooperativeness with school administration. Throughout this Guide, stress has been placed on the necessity of interpreting test results in relation to other available information about students. Any profile of test scores can be misleading if considered without regard to the student's classroom performance, interests, expectations, aspirations, and personal traits. The primary objective in all such analyses should be to provide a complete and meaningful picture of the student.