IOWA Assessment Testing Results: Summit School Students Score High Nationally

IOWA Assessment Testing Results

Student achievement results are an important way for parents to compare schools and make choices for their child.  We are frequently asked if we have standardized test results to provide evidence that Summit School provides a high quality academic program.

We are proud to share summaries of our standardized assessment scores as evidence of Summit students’ high achievement in science, mathematics, reading, and writing.

From 2006-2014, Summit grades 3-8 participated in state-wide AIMS testing and these data consistently indicated 90% to 100% of our students met or exceeded state standards in reading, language arts, mathematics, and science (science was tested only in grades 4 and 8).  In 2015 the AIMS test was discontinued by the State of Arizona.

Beginning with spring of 2015, Summit elected to use the Iowa Assessments  as  it is a well-established, nationally norm-referenced test that measures student learning in alignment with the College and Career Ready Standards, which served as the foundation for our more rigorous Summit Standards.

We proudly share our students’  2015 results for all subtests and composites within the domains of English language arts/reading and mathematics, as they are exceptional.

1) Where does Summit School stand in comparison with other schools nationally?

In every subject and grade level tested, Summit’s performance ranks at or near the top among the national distribution of schools. This can be gauged by examining the national percentile ranks of Summit’s average student standard scores among all schools’ averages in the national norming sample for the Iowa Assessments. These school-normed national percentile ranks are provided by grade and subject, and indicate Summit’s relative standing in a national distribution of schools. For example, all grades at Summit had a national percentile rank of 99 on the English Language Arts (ELA) Total. This means that in all grade levels tested, Summit students collectively performed better in ELA than those in 99 percent of schools. Similarly, on the Math Total scores, Summit students in grades 3-5 and grades 7-8 performed better, on average, than those in 99 percent of schools, and Summit 6^th graders performed better than those in 95 percent of schools.

National Percentile Ranks of Summit’s Average Standard Scores among Schools Nationally

Iowa Assessments Administered in Spring 2015

Grade	Reading	Written Expression	Conventions of Writing	Vocabulary	ELA Total	Mathematics	Computation	Math Total	Core Composite
Grade 3	99	96	99	99	99	99	99	99	99
Grade 4	99	99	99	99	99	99	97	99	99
Grade 5	95	98	99	94	99	99	97	99	99
Grade 6	91	96	99	89	99	95	98	95	97
Grade 7	94	99	99	98	99	99	98	99	99
Grade 8	93	97	99	90	99	99	99	99	99

2) How does a typical Summit School student perform in comparison with other students nationally?

A typical Summit student standard score is the average student standard score among Summit students in the named grade level and subject; this average score provides a reasonable estimate of students’ collective performance. The student-normed national percentile ranks shown in the table below indicate where the average Summit student’s score in a particular grade and subject is located in the national distribution of student scores. Nationally, the typical, or average, score for a grade level and subject is the scale score that corresponds to the 50^th percentile of the national distribution of student scores. The table below shows that a typical Summit student ranks very well in comparison with the national distribution of students. The average Summit student is at or above the 81^st percentile nationally on all ELA, Math, and Core composites.

National Percentile Ranks of Summit’s Average Standard Scores among Students Nationally

Iowa Assessments Administered in Spring 2015

Grade	Reading	Written Expression	Conventions of Writing	Vocabulary	ELA Total	Mathematics	Computation	Math Total	Core Composite
Grade 3	86	81	84	87	87	90	85	90	88
Grade 4	86	84	82	90	92	86	81	87	88
Grade 5	77	80	81	79	87	84	80	85	84
Grade 6	74	79	81	75	85	78	81	81	81
Grade 7	78	82	84	88	90	83	81	85	86
Grade 8	76	79	88	77	88	88	84	89	88

Another way to gauge student performance is to examine grade equivalent scores. Typical Summit students, in all grades and subjects tested, achieve standard scores that are comparable to those of typical students who are several grades higher. Grade equivalent scores are decimal numbers provided by the test publisher that describe a particular standard score’s location on an achievement continuum scaled to reflect the grade level and months at which a typical student earned this same standard score (i.e., the grade level and months at which the same standard score would be at the 50^th percentile). For example, the average standard score for Math Total among Summit’s 7^th graders corresponds to the Math Total standard score earned by a typical student nationally who is near the end of 11^th grade. More specifically, Summit’s reported grade equivalent for Math Total in grade 7 was 11.9, which indicates that the average student in the national sample achieved this scale score when 9 months into 11^th grade. All other grade equivalent scores in the table can be interpreted in a similar manner.

Grade Equivalents of Summit’s Average Standard Scores by Grade and Subject

Iowa Assessments Administered in Spring 2015

Grade	Reading	Written Expression	Conventions of Writing	Vocabulary	ELA Total	Mathematics	Computation	Math Total	Core Composite
Grade 3	6.0	5.7	5.5	5.5	5.7	5.7	5.1	5.5	5.5
Grade 4	7.6	8.4	7.1	7.0	7.6	7	6.3	6.8	7.1
Grade 5	7.9	9.4	8.9	7.5	8.6	8.4	7.7	8.2	8.3
Grade 6	9.0	11.1	10.7	8.4	10.0	9.3	9.4	9.3	9.6
Grade 7	11.2	13+	13+	11.1	13+	12.2	11.6	11.9	12.6
Grade 8	13+	13+	13+	11.4	13+	13+	13+	13+	13+

As we all know, test scores are only one part of the equation supporting the academic excellence at Summit School. Summit is a unique, affordable, and high performing private school with data to prove it!

Thank you for continuing to send your children to, or for considering attending  Summit School!