*Score Report:  The New York City Department of Education (DOE) provides Gifted & Talented (G&T) programs for students who meet assessment eligibility requirements, apply for admission, and receive a placement. Students scoring at or above the 97th percentile are eligible for placement in both citywide and district G&T programs. Students who perform at or above the 90th percentile are eligible for placement in G&T district programs only. Score reports for students who participated in the January 2015 G&T assessment program were sent to families on April 6, 2015. This document answers frequently asked questions about the methods used to calculate students’ G&T scores.

 

1. Which assessments were administered to determine students’ G&T eligibility? In January 2015, the DOE used the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT) and the verbal component of the OtisLennon School Ability Test (OLSAT). The NNAT measures students’ abilities including reasoning and critical thinking skills using nonverbal test items while the OLSAT measures verbal reasoning and comprehension. Please refer to the G&T program handbook for detailed information about the tests.

 

2. How are the assessments scored? A statistical process is used to create your child’s overall G&T percentile rank to determine whether s/he is eligible to apply for district and citywide G&T programs. The scores are based on performance on both assessments, relative to the child’s age at the time of the test. The NNAT and the OLSAT each counted for 50% of the overall percentile rank. After the testing period ended, all assessment materials were returned to the test vendor for scanning and scoring. The NYCDOE worked extensively with the vendor and a third party auditor to ensure that additional procedural safeguards were implemented. These quality assurance checks ensured that scores were accurate prior to communicating scores to families.

 

3. How is the overall percentile rank generated? Your child’s overall G&T percentile rank is derived from a statistical combination of your child’s raw scores. Your child’s raw scores show the number of items your child answered correctly. There were 48 total test items on the nonverbal NNAT and 30 total test items on the verbal OLSAT. Each raw score is used to calculate, separately for each test, a scale score, a normalized standard score based on your child’s age, and a percentile rank. The NNAT and the OLSAT are two different tests that were administered together. Raw scores and percentile ranks were computed separately for each test. In order to calculate an overall percentile rank, a common scale is needed to allow the individual test scores to be combined. Each percentile rank is changed to a quantity called a Normal Curve Equivalent (NCE). The two NCEs are on the same scale and are averaged to obtain the overall percentile rank.

 

4. What is a Normal Curve Equivalent (NCE)? An NCE is a number that is similar to a percentile rank. The OLSAT and NNAT are two different standardized tests, with different score scales. NCEs are a statistical way of standardizing scores from two different tests, so that they are on the same 0-100 scale and can be averaged. 

 

5. What is a percentile rank? A percentile rank is a whole number (no decimal points) between 1 and 99 that is used to show the relative standing of an individual student compared to his or her same-aged peers. For example, a percentile rank of 50 indicates that a student performed similarly or better than 50% of his or her same-aged peers who took the test according to a national sample. Percentile rank is not the same as percent correct, which is a conversion of the raw score into a percent. For example, a student who got 23 out of 30 questions right has a percent correct score of 77%, but may have different overall percentile rank. You will see domain percentile ranks for the verbal component (OLSAT) and the nonverbal component (NNAT), as well as an overall G&T percentile rank for your child. The domain percentile ranks refer to your child’s relative performance in either the verbal or the nonverbal domain only. To calculate your child’s overall G&T percentile rank, your child’s OLSAT and NNAT percentile ranks are each converted to a Normal Curve Equivalent (NCE). The average of these two values is then converted back into a percentile rank that represents your child’s performance across the two tests combined.

 

6. Could my child’s overall percentile rank be different than the average of his/her individual domain percentile ranks? Yes. The Normal Curve Equivalent (NCE) that corresponds to your child’s percentile rank in each domain determines your child’s overall percentile rank. Due to the statistical properties of NCEs, this does not always equal the average of the two domain percentile ranks. For example, a student with a verbal percentile rank of 90 and a nonverbal percentile rank of 98 may not necessarily have an overall percentile rank of 94 (the average of the two).

 

7. How are my child’s nonverbal and verbal scores calculated? Your child’s nonverbal and verbal raw scores are each converted into normalized standard scores based on your child’s age and the national norms for each assessment. The normalized standard scores are then converted into domain percentile ranks. The Normal Curve Equivalents associated with each of the domain percentile ranks are then averaged to determine your child’s overall percentile rank. Please note that the nonverbal and verbal weights (50% nonverbal and 50% verbal) are applied to the NCEs, not to the raw scores. Please refer to the G&T Score Conversion Table (linked below) to determine your child’s nonverbal and verbal percentile ranks. When you receive your child’s score report, you can refer to the 2015 G&T Score Conversion Table to determine how your child’s overall percentile rank was calculated based on his/her individual domain percentile ranks. Note: the score conversion table is only intended for use with your child’s January 2015 G&T test results. 

 

8. How do I use the 2015 G&T Score Conversion Table? (SEE TABLE BELOW) To use the conversion table, you will first need to locate your child’s verbal and nonverbal percentile ranks on his/her score report. These are located in Table 2, in the third column from the left, on the score report. Once you have located your child’s verbal and nonverbal percentile ranks, use the 2015 G&T Score Conversion Table to locate your child’s overall percentile rank. The top horizontal row of this table shows the range of verbal percentile ranks (labeled “OLSAT Verbal Percentile Ranks (PR)”). The verbal percentile ranks are highlighted in orange. The left-most column of this table shows the range of nonverbal percentile ranks (labeled “NNAT PR”). The nonverbal percentile ranks are highlighted in green. Your child’s overall percentile rank is the 2-digit number that can be found in the central rows and columns of the score conversion table, shown in varying shades of gray. The overall percentile rank is the number where your child’s verbal percentile rank (horizontal top row) and nonverbal percentile rank (vertical left column) intersect. This value is also available on your score report. For example: A child with a verbal percentile rank 95 and a nonverbal percentile rank of 86 has an overall percentile rank of 91. Note: the 2015 G&T Score Conversion Table is in PDF format. You will need to zoom in on the file to make it easier to read. For additional support, please call the JEI Brooklyn Learning Center (718) 534-6990 or email Lynn@ JeiBrooklyn.com