Standardized tests do not report Raw Scores as simple percentages of correct answers. Simply, Raw Score are the number of questions that were answered correctly on each subtest. Let’s take a look at a couple of hypothetical test profiles to better understand Grade Equivalent scores.īefore I talk about these numbers in detail, let me give you a quick primer on some of the terminology. The National Association of School Psychologists explains Age and Grade Equivalent scores simply:į Jacob’s performance on the test of reading comprehension is equal to an age equivalent of 8.7 years and a grade equivalent of 2.6, this means that his obtained raw score is equivalent to the same number of items correct that is average for all 8-year, 7-month old children included in the norm group on that particular reading comprehension test. While a child who obtains such high GE scores can, no doubt, be categorized as intelligent high GE scores do not automatically mean the child is ready to jump into graduate level courses on their own – especially if they’re only 12 years old. Rarely explained in a test report, parents who see “GE > 18.0” sometimes come away thinking their child is achieving at a post-graduate school level. Grade Equivalent scores remain one of the most misunderstood and misused pieces of data from educational testing. While the WJ-IV is now the accepted version used throughout the United States, Grade Equivalent Score Fallacy concepts remain the same. The score chart is based on hypothetical student test results run through official WJ scoring software. NOTE: This blog post was originally written in 2014 when the WJ-III was still widely used.

Woodcock Johnson Standard Scores Chart