Performance Standards

The Quantile® Framework for Mathematics is used by a growing number of test developers and states to report student math performance. It’s important to note that:

• Each state may interpret and report Quantile measures differently.
• The Quantile® measure indicating a passing score in one state might be different than a passing score in another state.

This can be difficult when most parents and educators want to know, “How did my child do? How does my child compare to others?”

Quantile student measures report:

• Skills and concepts that students are ready to learn.
• The level of success students are expected to have with an upcoming skill or concept.
• How students are growing in mathematics skills and abilities on a single scale across grade levels.

However, states and other educational organizations may report student progress using Quantile scores in one of two ways: criterion-referenced and/or norm-referenced.

Norm-Referenced Reporting

Norm-referenced reporting shows how a student performed on a test compared to other students of the same age or grade. You usually see norm-referenced scores reported as percentiles, normal curve equivalents (NCEs), and stanines.

If a student gets a score putting them in the 75th percentile, that means the student performed as well or better than 75 percent of students in the same group who took the same test. It also means that 25 percent of students demonstrated more knowledge than the student in the 75th percentile.

When Quantile measures are reported as norm-referenced scores, it gives you and parents good information about how a student compares to peers. However, over time, a percentile score won’t necessarily be a good indicator of achievement or math ability.