NFER Standardised Score

[countrymum]

I am rather fed up of talking levels/scores etc, but I know most of you understand these things far better than I do, so rather than me get lost in the internet fog of NFER scores and their meanings, wondered if someone could quickly tell me...

Is an NFER standardised score of 132, below, above or about average for a just 11 year old test taker. I have no idea. I have never understood NFER and would be very appreciative of any links on how NFER works.

[mike1880]

The average would be 100 unless the test had been standardised in an unusual way; on that basis a score of 132 is way above, in approximately the top 2%.

Mike

[Tinkers]

Try this.

http://www.nfer.ac.uk/nfer/research/ass ... scores.cfm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[countrymum]

Thank you Mike, appreciate that. Have tried to work it out from a chart I have seen online but don't really understand. So, quite above average then. Am I right in thinking that the top 2% would be for the people in the child's class also taking the test at the same time. So 2% of them would get that figure, or is it the top 2% nationally. Thanks.

[Okanagan]

As a standardised score it should already have taken into account age - so 132 for an 11 year old should be the same as 132 for a 13 year old. It's (at least in theory) a measure relative to others of the same age.

NFER I think is against a notional whole population. Others (like CEM) standardise against the group taking a test - so you may get different results from tests set by different organisations.

[countrymum]

Try this.

http://www.nfer.ac.uk/nfer/research/ass ... scores.cfm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks Tinkers

Ah there's the chart I recognised from when I searched NFER. I kept looking at it and looking at it and still couldn't work it all out

[countrymum]

As a standardised score it should already have taken into account age - so 132 for an 11 year old should be the same as 132 for a 13 year old. It's (at least in theory) a measure relative to others of the same age.

NFER I think is against a notional whole population. Others (like CEM) standardise against the group taking a test - so you may get different results from tests set by different organisations.

Thanks Okanagan, I think i'm slowly getting the grip of it. Is NFER widely used in primaries?

See, I should have popped on the forum earlier, could have saved myself ages in internet research You clever peeps!

[Okanagan]

If it helps - here's an explanation of standardisation I put up last year.

[mike1880]

This might be more immediately useful:

http://www.iqcomparisonsite.com/iqtable.aspx

IQ scores are calculated in pretty much the same way as standardised scores so you can use a table like this to translate a standardised test score into an approximate ranking. The standard deviation used will affect the distribution of scores, but within the range that's relevant for 11+ tests just using a 15 SD table gives you a tolerably good approximation.

[mystery]

Nfer score? What was the test name? Nfer is the test publisher, not the name of a test. 132 is a high standardised test score assuming that the test was done under the correct conditions per the instructions e.g. Never seen before, correct timing, no help, not taught towards by someone who has read every question etc .... Whatever the instructions say to the letter.