Which of the following scores gives a comparison to the performance of peers?

Which of the following scores gives a comparison to the performance of peers?

• A. Grade-equivalent scores
• B. Scaled scores
• C. Percentiles
• D. Raw scores

Answer: (C)

Percentiles provide a comparison of a student's performance relative to a specific group, indicating the percentage of students that scored below a particular score. For instance, if a student's score is at the 70th percentile, this means they performed better than 70% of their peers. Percentiles allow educators and stakeholders to understand how a student's performance stands in relation to their cohort, which is particularly useful for identifying areas of strength and need for improvement in a comparative context. Grade-equivalent scores and scaled scores can offer information about performance but do not specifically indicate how a student ranks among peers. Grade-equivalent scores relate individual student performance to a specific grade level, while scaled scores are standardized measures that provide a uniform score across different test forms but do not directly facilitate peer comparison. Raw scores simply reflect the number of items a student answered correctly and lack the contextual comparison that percentiles provide.

Percentiles provide a comparison of a student's performance relative to a specific group, indicating the percentage of students that scored below a particular score. For instance, if a student's score is at the 70th percentile, this means they performed better than 70% of their peers. Percentiles allow educators and stakeholders to understand how a student's performance stands in relation to their cohort, which is particularly useful for identifying areas of strength and need for improvement in a comparative context.

Grade-equivalent scores and scaled scores can offer information about performance but do not specifically indicate how a student ranks among peers. Grade-equivalent scores relate individual student performance to a specific grade level, while scaled scores are standardized measures that provide a uniform score across different test forms but do not directly facilitate peer comparison. Raw scores simply reflect the number of items a student answered correctly and lack the contextual comparison that percentiles provide.