Christ's Greenfield Lutheran

Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS)

The ITBS is nationally standardized which means it gives a comparison with students across the country, not just with students in Arizona.  When compared with tests developed in the past few years and requiring frequent major revisions, ITBS draws on its 75 years of accurate identification of student achievements.  ITBS is frequently updated to reflect current expectations of students. CGLS makes use of its latest version.

First graders take the basic test which focuses on math and reading.  Students in grade 2 and above take the full test which also tests our students' achievement in the English Language, Social Studies, Science and using information such as maps and reference materials. 

Test scores are used to help identify both strength and challenge areas of:

• Individual students.
• Individual instructors.
• The school's curricula.

In addition to ITBS scores, surveys of parents, communication with graduates and other methods are used to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the strengths and challenge areas of CGLS.

Grade level scores are provided here in answer to frequent questions among parents.  What ITBS labels as the "standard score" is considered the best measure of student achievement.  Below are the "composite" standard score by grade level.  These scores are provided by ITBS and include the scores of all students and all tests compared with the same scores at the same grade level at other schools.  

One cannot convernt these percentiles into letter grades.  Instead, these scores show how each grade level would rank when compare with the same grade level at other schools across the country.  Here, 50% is not a failing grade.  Instead, it is considered "average".  So, since the average of the CGLS grade level scores is 92%, then one knows that CGLS scored as well or better than 92% of the schools in the United States.