Differentiate the test norms. The test uses age norms and grade norms to calculate scores and compare students of the same age or grade. The local scores compare students in the same school system.
Use the CogAT Universal Scale Score (USS) as the basis for all the other scores. The USS is a scaled score that originates from the number of correct answers. The Composite USS is the average of the three batteries on the test: verbal, nonverbal and quantitative reasoning.
Determine whether your child is average or below average in his age group by looking at the CogAT Standard Age Score (SAS). A score of 100 is average on the SAS. A student who scores below 100 shows a rate of development slower than the average child of the same age. Conversely, a score above 100 shows a faster development rate.
Determine your child's exact placement among students of the same age or grade by using the CogAT Percentile Rank (PR) scores. A percentile score shows the percentage of students who scored below the given number of the score. For example, a PR of 95 means the student scored higher than 95 percent of the students who took the test. An average score is 50. The PR provides the most exact ranking system. However, parents and teachers should not overemphasize small differences among students in PR scores. Riverside Publishing advises that small differences in scores can be insignificant.
Use the CogAT Stanine scores to determine broader groupings of student scores. The Stanine score groups range from 1 to 9, with 9 being the group with the highest scores. Stanine scores from 4 to 6 are average scores.
Assess relative strengths and weaknesses with the CogAT score profile. The "A" profile shows roughly the same performance on all three batteries of the test. Students with one strength or weakness among the batteries have a "B" profile. The "C" profile means that the student has both a strength and a weakness. An "E" profile is similar to a "B" or "C" profile, but the relative strength or weakness is more extreme.
Take your student's profile and enter it into the assessment tool at the Riverside Publishing website. The site will render a general assessment of your student's development. Read the assessment to get tips on how to help your student improve her cognitive abilities.