Question

When Breaking Down Standardized Assessment Scores in Counseling

Does it make sense why we convert raw scores to standard scores? How does this help us make sense of scores? Discuss how this applies to assessment tools that you have reviewed in counseling.

Answer 1

Test developers calculate the statistical average based on the performance of students tested in the norming process of test development. These standard deviations are used to determine what scores fall within the above average, average, and below average ranges.

Standard scores allow us to make comparisons of raw scores that come from very different sources. A common way to make comparisons is to calculate z-scores. A z-score tells how many standard deviations someone is above or below the mean.

Assessment methods include a wide array of formal and informal instruments and strategies, such as

• Standardized and nonstandardized tests
• Questionnaires
• Inventories
• Checklists
• Observations
• Portfolios
• Performance assessments
• Rating scales
• Surveys
• Interviews and other measures.