Understanding Achievement and Ability Tests                            Quest Home

The Mead School District utilizes both achievement (WASL) and ability testing results in determining eligibility for the elementary highly capable Quest Program.

Deciphering the Difference Between the Two

Achievement and ability tests both measure aptitude, learning and achievement to some degree.  Achievement tests such as the WASL are heavily dependent on formal learning acquired in school or at home.  They do not measure, however, how a student thinks or what his or her potential is.  If a students does well on an achievement test, it shows that he or she is learning what he or she is supposed to be learning in school. 

Ability tests are more novel and complex.  They are predictors of potential for academic success.  Ability tests tap into a wider range of life experiences and look at whether students can apply what they know in new and different ways.  Ability tests often work with designs and pictures.  They usually challenge the test taker to mentally manipulate symbols, numbers, and the written language.  Ability testing examines innate learning rather than school-based learning.

Ability Tests Administered for Quest Eligibility

Reasons Achievement and Ability Scores May Not Correspond

Understanding Your Child's Percentile Score(s)
Percentile ranks, which range from 1 to 99, are commonly used for reporting test results.  A percentile ranks an individual's position in relation to a a hypothetical group of 100 students in the standardization group.  If 75 of the scores fall below a given score, then that score is at the 75th percentile.  Scores falling between the 25th and 75th percentiles are considered average.