Grade Equivalent Norms

Grade equivalent norms are a scale of measurement used to rate a student's progress in different academic areas in relation to other students. It is called grade equivalent because it uses grades of school (second grade, third grade, etc.) as a scale and measurement of a student's advancement. Scores are expressed as grades and how many months the student has been in the grade.

For example, a student receiving a reading score of 7.3 would be at a level corresponding to a seventh grader who is three months into the seventh grade. This type of scoring is best used to see how students have progressed year to year and how they compare to their peers. Just because a student scores at a higher grade level in one area doesn't mean that they belong in that grade. For example, just because a third grader scores at a sixth grade level on reading doesn't mean they are emotionally mature or proficient enough in other subjects to be in sixth grade.