When a Test Result Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Means
A great line from the movie, The Princess Bride, by Inigo Montoya to Vizzini’s use of the word, inconceivable is “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means. “
Test results are subject to interpretation. They don’t always mean what we think they mean.
A number of years ago, a private test I had just given was now scored and the results were ready to be presented to the parent. At Basic Skills, our normal process is to discuss the results with the parent apart from the student, but in this case I made an exception to the process. I love to deliver good news. With this high school student’s total percentile score at 87, he achieved among the top 13 percent of the nation. I wanted to affirm him in the presence of his mother as I shared the good news.
After saying, “Your son did a great job!” I could tell by the frown on her face that she didn’t see it that way.
The next few moments were awkward for me. The parent reprimanded me for giving a “false” interpretation of her son’s “poor” performance. Quickly though, the mother’s attention turned away from me and toward her son. Her piercing comments to him suggested school would continue into the summer until he re-tested and scored up to his “potential.”
The numbers on an achievement test report are both objective and subjective. Objectively, a percentile rank of 87 does place the student in the high-average range as compared to other students nationwide. Subjectively though, scores placing the student in the high-average range may or may not represent a “good job.” That is a value judgment.
Western music great, Willie Nelson, when describing his golf game, said, “Par is whatever I say it is.” No one was going to argue with him. It was, after all, his own private course, or so the story goes.
For some children, achieving in the average range may represent a good job, perhaps even an exceptional achievement. Many factors should be considered when interpreting and assigning value to test scores–factors like the child’s ability, work ethic, home environment, etc.
One thing is certain though. Your interpretation, your value judgment, your words, carry tremendous weight with your children.
Thanks for Reading!
Curt Bumcrot, MRE
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