TOPICS
National Norms
A national norm is created using a large sample of students who match the demographic makeup (e.g., in terms of age, sex/gender, race, ethnicity, and urban/rural settings) of that country (American Educational Research Association [AERA], American Psychological Association [APA], and National Council on Measurement in Education [NCME], 2014). A student’s test performance is then compared to the test performance of students from that national norm. National norms have the utility of comparing scores to a large sample size and are not dependent on the number of students or the relative scores of the students tested locally.
The Naglieri General Ability Tests provide two types of national norm scores: Grade-Based National Norm Scores and Age-Based National Norm Scores. Each type of score is described in the following section.
Grade-Based National Norm Scores
- Available for students in Kindergarten through Grade 6.
- Scores are computed by comparing a student to a nationally representative sample of their grade-peers across the United States. See Table 1 for the age range of students within each grade level in the grade-based national sample.
- For Kindergarten and Grade 1, the calculation is based on both the grade and the age of the student, as these grade levels include two distinct normative groups to reflect the moderate variability in ability between grade-peers in the younger student samples.
- For Grade 2 through 6, the calculation is based only on the grade of the student.
- For example, a student who is in Grade 4 will be compared to other students in the grade-based national sample who are also in Grade 4.
Table 1. Normative Groups for National Norms: Grades and Age Ranges
| Normative Group | Grade and Age Range |
|---|---|
| Kindergarten–Lower | Enrolled in Kindergarten and 4 years 8 months to 6 years 1 month |
| Kindergarten–Upper | Enrolled in Kindergarten and 6 years 2 months to 7 years 10 months |
| Grade 1–Lower | Enrolled in Grade 1 and 6 years 3 months to 7 years 2 months |
| Grad 1–Upper | Enrolled in Grade 1 and 7 years 3 months to 8 years 11 months |
| Grade 2 | Enrolled in Grade 2 and 5 years 0 months to 9 years 11 months |
| Grade 3 | Enrolled in Grade 3 and 6 years 0 months to 10 years 11 months |
| Grade 4 | Enrolled in Grade 4 and 7 years 0 months to 11 years 11 months |
| Grade 5 | Enrolled in Grade 5 and 8 years 0 months to 12 years 11 months |
| Grade 6 | Enrolled in Grade 6 and 9 years 0 months to 13 years 11 months |
Age-Based National Norm Scores
- Available for students in Kindergarten through Grade 9, who are aged 5 years, 2 months, to 14 years, 9 months.
- Scores are computed by comparing a student to a nationally representative sample of their age-peers across the U.S. A student’s age is calculated based on their age in years and months at the time of test completion.
- For example, a student who is 9 years, 7 months will be compared to other students in the Age-Based National Norm sample who are also 9 years, 7 months.
Interpreting a National Norms Report
References
American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, & National Council on Measurement in Education (Eds.). (2014). Standards for educational and psychological testing. American Educational Research Association.