Reporting Quantile Student Measures for Students and Materials

Quantile measures for students and materials are reported as a number followed by a capital “Q.” There is no space between the measure and the “Q” and measures of one thousand or greater are reported without a comma (e.g., 1050Q). All student Quantile measures are rounded to the nearest 5Q to avoid over-interpretation of the measures.

For example if:
  • A computed Quantile measure is 772, it should be reported as 770Q.
  • A computed Quantile measure is 777, it should be reported as 775Q.
Measures that are at or below 0 should have the leading negative sign replaced with “EM” to signify that the measure represents an “Emerging Mathematician.” For example, a measure of -100Q would be reported as EM100Q. As with any test score, uncertainty in the form of measurement error is present; if uncertainties (i.e., numeric representations of measurement precision) are to be reported, the values should be rounded to the nearest whole number and include a trailing “Q” after the number (e.g., 90Q, 114Q). For additional information, please see the MetaMetrics, Inc. Marketing and Branding Guidelines document.

The measures that are reported for an individual student should reflect the purpose for which they will be used. If the purpose is accountability (at the student, school, or district level), then actual measures should be reported at all score points. If the purpose is instructional, then the scores should be capped at the upper bound of measurement error (e.g., at the 99th percentile point). In an instructional environment where the purpose of the Quantile measure is to appropriately match learners with math material, no student should receive a negative measure. Therefore Quantile measures of 0Q or below are reported as “EM” for “Emerging Mathematician.”

This table provides reporting caps by grade and course:

Table 1. Standard Quantile measures reported caps by grade and course
Grade Quantile Math Course
Lowest

EM400

K 600Q
1 675Q
2

725Q

3

975Q

4

1075Q
5

1125Q

6

1200Q
7

1325Q

8

1450Q

9

1475Q

Algebra I
10 1500Q Geometry
11 1575Q Algebra II
12 1650Q

Some assessments report a Quantile range of 50Q above and 50Q below the student’s actual Quantile measure. The Quantile range takes into account any measurement error found in the tests and the Quantile measures of the skills/concepts. If a student attempts material above his or her Quantile range, the level of challenge may be too great for the student to be able to construct an understanding of the skill or concept. Likewise, the material below the student’s Quantile range may provide the student with little challenge.

All Quantile measures for mathematics materials are rounded to the nearest 10Q. Measures range from below 0Q (e.g., EM50Q) for beginning mathematics materials to above 1600Q for advanced materials. For materials with Quantile measures below 0Q, the negative sign is replaced with an “EM” code indicating that these are “Emerging Mathematics” materials.