Score Interpretation Reference — Standard Scores

Very Superior

Superior

High Avg

Average

Low Avg

Low

Very Low

≥131

121–130

111–120

90–110

80–89

70–79

≤69

Standard Score Classification — Mean = 100, SD = 15

SS Range	%ile Range	Classification	Say to a Parent	Say to the ARD Team
≥ 131	>98th	Very Superior	"This is a significant strength — [Student] performed better than nearly all students the same age."	Educationally significant strength; may reflect a cognitive asset relevant to compensatory strategies.
121–130	92nd–98th	Superior	"[Student] performed well above average here — this is a clear strength."	Well above average; document as a processing or academic strength in PSW analysis.
111–120	77th–91st	High Average	"[Student] is performing above average in this area — a solid strength."	Above average; qualifies as an adequate cognitive or academic strength for PSW purposes.
90–110	25th–75th	Average	"This score is right in the typical range for students [Student]'s age — no concern here."	Age-appropriate performance; consistent with expected functioning. Documents an adequate strength for PSW when other areas are low.
80–89	9th–24th	Low Average	"This score is on the lower end of the typical range. It's not a major concern on its own, but it tells us this is a harder area for [Student]."	Low Average — below the midpoint but within broad average range. May support SLD achievement criterion when combined with processing data. Note in the educational narrative as an area of relative concern.
70–79	2nd–8th	Low	"This is a significant area of difficulty. [Student] performed noticeably below most students the same age, which helps explain the struggles we've been seeing in the classroom."	Educationally significant deficit. Supports SLD achievement criterion. Documents adverse educational impact. Name the educational pattern — connect to classroom performance and CBM data.
≤ 69	<2nd	Very Low	"This is a very significant area of difficulty — [Student] performed far below most students the same age. This level of difficulty has a real impact on what [Student] can access in the classroom without support."	Very Low — significant educational impact. Strongly supports SLD/ID criteria as applicable. If global cognitive composite is ≤69, ID range — evaluate adaptive behavior concurrently. Document educational impact with CBM and classroom data.

Percentile — How to Explain It

Percentile	What to Say	Example Phrasing
>75th	Above most peers	"[Student] performed better than about [X] out of 100 students the same age — well above typical."
25th–75th	Typical range	"Right in the middle of what we'd expect — [Student] performed similarly to most students this age."
16th–24th	Low side of typical	"About [X] out of 100 students scored lower — this is on the lower end of average, which means it's a harder area for [Student]."
9th–15th	Below average	"Only about [X] out of 100 students scored lower — this is a noticeable area of difficulty that is likely affecting [Student]'s access to grade-level work."
<9th	Significant deficit	"Only about [X] out of 100 students scored this low — this is a significant area of difficulty. It helps explain many of the challenges we see in the classroom."

⭐ The Five Bar Questions — Make Every Score Meaningful

Rita Garcia-Prats, TEDA 2026 — for impact statements and ARD language

What specific skills or functions are affected?Name the actual skill — not the test name. "Phonological awareness" → "[Student] has difficulty breaking words into their individual sounds and connecting sounds to letters."

What does it look like in the classroom?"A score of SS 72 in Basic Reading Skills" → "[Student] struggles to decode unfamiliar words when reading independently, frequently guesses based on the first letter."

How does it affect access to grade-level content?Connect to curriculum: "Because [Student] cannot read grade-level text independently, [Student] cannot access science and social studies content without support."

What helps?Name a specific condition or support: "When text is read aloud or presented in shorter segments, [Student] demonstrates strong comprehension."

Can a parent understand it?Bar = a parent can explain to their neighbor what their child struggles with and what helps. No jargon. No score numbers in the impact statement itself.

Scaled scores are used for subtests — not composites. Mean = 10, SD = 3. Scaled scores are used for CTOPP-2 and TOC subtests, WISC-V subtests, and KABC-II subtests. CTOPP-2 and TOC composites are standard scores (mean=100). Never mix the two in the same sentence without clarifying which scale you're using.

Scaled Score Classification — Mean = 10, SD = 3

Scaled Score	~%ile	Classification	Educational Meaning	CTOPP-2/TOC Note
17–20	99th	Very Superior	Exceptional subtest performance — significant strength	—
15–16	95th–98th	Superior	Well above average — clear strength in this skill	—
13–14	84th–91st	Above Average	Solid strength — above most peers	—
8–12	25th–75th	Average	Age-appropriate; no concern in isolation	WISC-V average range = 8–12
6–7	9th–16th	Below Average	Educationally notable weakness — below most peers; consider in context of composite	CTOPP-2/TOC: "Below Average" — educationally significant when composite is also low
4–5	2nd–8th	Poor	Significant subtest weakness; contributes to composite deficit; document in narrative	CTOPP-2/TOC: "Poor" — use this term; impacts phonological or orthographic composite meaningfully
1–3	<2nd	Very Poor	Floor-level performance; severe deficit in this skill area	CTOPP-2/TOC: "Very Poor" — use this term; indicates severe phonological or orthographic processing deficit

CTOPP-2 Composites vs. Subtests — Don't Mix the Scales

CTOPP-2 Score	Score Type	Classification Scale
Phonological Awareness (PA)	Composite	Standard Score (mean=100) — use SS classification table
Phonological Memory (PM)	Composite	Standard Score (mean=100) — use SS classification table
Rapid Symbolic Naming (RSN)	Composite	Standard Score (mean=100) — use SS classification table
Rapid Non-Symbolic Naming (RNSN)	Composite	Standard Score (mean=100) — use SS classification table
Elision, Blending Words, etc.	Subtest	Scaled Score (mean=10) — use scaled classification above; use "Poor/Very Poor" terminology

T-scores are used for behavioral rating scales (Conners-4, BASC-3, etc.) — not cognitive or achievement batteries. Mean = 50, SD = 10. Higher scores mean more of the behavior is being reported. A T-score of 70 means the rater is reporting behavior 2 SDs above the average peer — this is "Very Elevated" and educationally significant. Do NOT use "clinically elevated" — use "Very Elevated" or "Elevated" and connect to educational impact.

T-Score Classification — Mean = 50, SD = 10 (Conners-4)

T-Score	Classification	Educational Meaning	Say to a Parent
≥ 70	Very Elevated	Significant concern reported by this rater. Behaviors are well above what is typical for peers the same age. Educationally significant in most contexts — document impact on academic access and cross-informant pattern.	"The [teacher/parent] is reporting attention and/or behavior concerns that are much more frequent or intense than what we'd typically see for a student this age."
65–69	Elevated	Noteworthy concern — above average but below the Very Elevated threshold. Educationally significant when consistent across informants or when academic impact is documented.	"The [teacher/parent] is reporting concerns that are more frequent than what's typical — this is something to monitor closely."
60–64	High Average	Above the midpoint — some concern noted, but not in the significant range. Document and monitor; interpret in the context of other data and the cross-informant pattern.	"[Teacher/Parent] rated this slightly above average — it's worth keeping an eye on, but it's not at a level of major concern right now."
40–59	Average	Within the typical range — no significant behavioral concern indicated by this rater on this scale. Note if other scales or informants differ meaningfully.	"This score is in the average range — [Teacher/Parent] is not reporting significant concerns here."
< 40	Low	Below average concern reported — rater sees fewer of these behaviors than typical. Note: for internalizing scales, a very low T may indicate the rater is not aware of the student's internal emotional state.	"[Teacher/Parent] is not reporting concerns in this area — they're seeing fewer of these behaviors than typical for students this age."

Cross-Informant Pattern — What It Means

Pattern	Educational Interpretation
Both Parent + Teacher Elevated	Pervasive concerns across settings — strongest support for OHI/ADHD educational impact. Document as cross-setting impairment.
Teacher Elevated / Parent Average	School-specific presentation — may reflect structured demands, peer context, or academic triggers. Does not diminish eligibility if educational impact is present; document the setting-specific pattern.
Parent Elevated / Teacher Average	Home-specific presentation — school structure may be providing scaffolding that reduces visible concern in classroom. Investigate whether the student is using high effort to compensate, which may not be sustainable.
All Informants Average	No significant behavioral concerns documented on rating scales. If medical ADHD diagnosis exists, rely more heavily on observation, academic data, and teacher narrative — rating scales alone do not determine eligibility.
Self-Report vs. Others	Discrepancy between self-report and others may indicate limited insight, emotional masking, or internalized distress that external raters cannot observe. Note and interpret in context — do not dismiss self-report as invalid.

Average Range SS 90–110 · Scaled 8–12 · T 40–59

Say to a Parent

"This is right in the typical range — [Student] performed similarly to most students the same age on this task. No concerns here."

Say to the ARD Team

"[Area] falls within age expectations at SS [X], [Xth] percentile — educationally adequate and does not contribute to the area of concern."

Report Phrase

"[Student]'s [composite/area] score of [X] (SS = [X], [X]th percentile) fell within the Average range, indicating age-appropriate [skill] skills."

Low Average SS 80–89 · ~9th–24th %ile

Say to a Parent

"This score is on the lower end of the typical range. It's not far outside of what we'd expect, but it tells us this is a harder area for [Student] compared to most peers."

Say to the ARD Team

"[Area] is Low Average at SS [X], [X]th percentile — below the midpoint and educationally notable. Considered alongside processing data in the PSW analysis."

Report Phrase

"[Student]'s [area] score of [X] (SS = [X], [X]th percentile) fell in the Low Average range, reflecting emerging difficulty that is consistent with [his/her/their] broader profile of [area] concerns."

Low SS 70–79 · ~2nd–8th %ile

Say to a Parent

"This is a significant area of difficulty. [Student] performed noticeably below most students the same age — only about [X] out of 100 students scored this low. This helps explain the struggles we've been seeing."

Say to the ARD Team

"SS [X] at the [X]th percentile — this is educationally significant. Supports the SLD achievement criterion in [area] and is consistent with the processing pattern documented."

Report Phrase

"Performance in [area] fell in the Low range (SS = [X], [X]th percentile), reflecting a significant area of educational difficulty that is consistent with classroom observations indicating [specific teacher/CBM data]."

Very Low SS ≤ 69 · <2nd %ile

Say to a Parent

"This is a very significant area of difficulty — [Student] performed far below most students the same age. This level of difficulty has a real impact on what [Student] can access in the classroom without extra support."

Say to the ARD Team

"SS [X], [<2nd] percentile — educationally significant deficit. Strongly supports [area] criterion. If this is a global cognitive composite, ID range — evaluate adaptive behavior concurrently."

Report Phrase

"[Student]'s [area] score fell in the Very Low range (SS = [X], [<2nd] percentile), indicating a severe area of educational difficulty that significantly limits [his/her/their] ability to access [grade-level task/content]."

CTOPP-2/TOC: Poor Scaled 4–5 · ~2nd–8th %ile

Say to a Parent

"On this particular task, [Student] scored in the 'Poor' range, which means [Student] found this skill significantly more difficult than most students the same age."

Say to the ARD Team

"[Subtest] scaled score of [X] falls in the Poor range — educationally significant subtest weakness contributing to the low [PA/PM/RSN] composite."

Report Phrase

"Performance on [subtest] was in the Poor range (scaled score = [X]), reflecting significant difficulty with [specific skill — e.g., blending phonemes, recalling nonword sequences]."

Strength + Weakness Split PSW / ipsative interpretation

Say to a Parent

"[Student] is stronger in some areas than others — for example, [Student] showed solid reasoning ability, but had much more difficulty with [phonological awareness/working memory/speed]. That kind of split helps us understand why [Student] struggles specifically with [reading/writing/math]."

Say to the ARD Team

"The profile shows a clear PSW pattern: adequate cognitive strengths in [Gf/Gc/other] alongside a specific processing weakness in [Gwm/Gs/phonological], which is directly linked to the [area] achievement deficit."

Report Phrase

"The pattern of cognitive results is consistent with a specific learning profile — [Student] demonstrated adequate abilities in [area], alongside a significant processing weakness in [area] that is directly associated with [his/her/their] difficulties in [academic area]."

WJ-V COG

Woodcock-Johnson V Cognitive Abilities

Standard Scores▼

Key Composites

GIA (General Intellectual Ability)

Overall cognitive ability — primary composite for ID evaluation; use as PSW anchor

BIA (Brief Intellectual Ability)

Abbreviated composite — useful for screening; not a substitute for GIA in eligibility decisions

CHC Clusters

Gc (Comprehension-Knowledge)

Verbal/language knowledge — reading comprehension, vocabulary, content-area access

Gf (Fluid Reasoning)

Novel problem solving — math reasoning, inferencing; often relatively preserved in SLD

Gwm (Working Memory)

Hold-and-manipulate — multi-step math, reading comprehension, following directions

Gs (Processing Speed)

Speed/efficiency — fluency tasks, timed assessments, academic stamina

Gv (Visual-Spatial)

Visual-spatial reasoning — geometry, maps, graphomotor tasks

Gl/Gr (Long-term Retrieval)

Associative memory and fluency — RAN, vocabulary learning, spelling

Score Interpretation Note

Use WJ-V classification terms: Very Low / Low / Low Average / Average / High Average / Superior / Very Superior. Do not substitute WISC-V terminology.

WISC-V

Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children — 5th Ed.

SS + Scaled▼

Index Scores (Standard Scores)

FSIQ (Full Scale IQ)

Global composite — primary for ID; suppress if significant index discrepancies exist

VCI (Verbal Comprehension)

Gc — verbal reasoning, vocabulary; impacts reading comp, oral expression

VSI (Visual-Spatial)

Gv — block construction, visual puzzles; impacts geometry and visual reasoning

FRI (Fluid Reasoning)

Gf — matrix reasoning, pattern detection; often a strength in SLD profiles

WMI (Working Memory)

Gwm — often depressed in SLD/ADHD; impacts multi-step tasks across all domains

PSI (Processing Speed)

Gs — timed output; often low in dyslexia/ADHD; impacts fluency and academic stamina

Subtest Score Note

Subtests = scaled scores (mean=10, SD=3). Average range = 8–12. Reference subtests only when they diverge meaningfully from the index or carry independent educational significance.

KABC-II

Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children — 2nd Ed.

SS + Scaled▼

Global Composites

MPI (Mental Processing Index)

Luria model — reduced Gc loading; preferred composite for bilingual/EB students where language may suppress performance

FCI (Fluid-Crystallized Index)

CHC model — includes Gc; use when language is not a confound

NVI (Nonverbal Index)

Fully nonverbal — minimal language demands; useful for students with significant language differences or HI

EB/Bilingual Context

When KABC-II is administered to an EB student to reduce Gc bias, note this explicitly in the report. The MPI is the recommended composite. Interpret Gc-based tasks (Verbal Knowledge, Riddles, Expressive Vocabulary) separately as oral language indicators rather than cognitive ability.

CTOPP-2

Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing — 2nd Ed.

SS (composites) / Scaled (subtests)▼

Composites = Standard Scores

Phonological Awareness (PA)

Core composite for dyslexia identification — Elision + Blending Words (+ Phoneme Isolation ages 5–6)

Phonological Memory (PM)

Sound-based working memory — Nonword Repetition + Memory for Digits

Rapid Symbolic Naming (RSN)

RAN for letters and digits — foundational to reading fluency

Rapid Non-Symbolic Naming (RNSN)

RAN for colors and objects — less reading-specific but relevant to retrieval fluency

Subtests = Scaled Scores

Use "Poor" (scaled 4–5) and "Very Poor" (scaled 1–3) terminology per CTOPP-2 manual. Do not say "clinically significant" — say "educationally significant" and connect to reading pattern.

TOC

Test of Orthographic Competence

Scaled Scores▼

All TOC scores are scaled (mean=10, SD=3)

Word Scrambles

Orthographic pattern knowledge — recognizing legal vs. illegal letter sequences

Homophone Choice

Whole-word orthographic memory — selecting the correctly spelled homophone in context

Punctuation

Orthographic conventions in text — impacts written expression quality

Sight Spelling

Rapid whole-word spelling recall — taps orthographic memory for high-frequency words

Dysgraphia Pattern Note

TOC scaled scores ≤ 7 (Below Average) across multiple subtests, combined with spelling SS ≤ 85, supports a pattern consistent with dysgraphia (Texas Dyslexia Handbook). Use "Below Average / Poor" terminology. Name the orthographic pattern explicitly.

Conners-4

Conners Rating Scales — 4th Ed.

T-Scores▼

Key Scales

ADHD Inattentive

Core attention/focus concerns; most common profile in school referrals

ADHD Hyperactive-Impulsive

Activity level, impulse control; more visible in younger students

ADHD Total Score

Combined scale — primary indicator for OHI educational impact

Executive Functioning

Planning, organization, working memory in daily tasks — impacts academic output

Emotional Dysregulation

Emotional control; elevated = may complicate SLD/ED differentiation

School Problems

Academic difficulties as rated by teacher — documents educational impact directly

Interpretation Rule

Always report cross-informant pattern. T ≥ 65 = Elevated; T ≥ 70 = Very Elevated. Use these terms — not "clinically significant." Document whether concerns are pervasive (both settings) or setting-specific.

ABAS-3

Adaptive Behavior Assessment System — 3rd Ed.

Standard Scores▼

Key Composites (Standard Scores, mean=100)

GAC (General Adaptive Composite)

Primary composite — required for ID evaluation. SS ≤ 70 = significant adaptive deficit

Conceptual (Con)

Language, academic, and cognitive adaptive skills — self-direction, money/time concepts

Social (Soc)

Leisure, social interaction, play — important for AU and ID profiles

Practical (Prac)

Self-care, home/school living, safety — daily independence skills

ID Evaluation Note

Administer BOTH Parent and Teacher forms. Deficits must appear in ≥2 adaptive domains across informants. ABAS-3 is required alongside cognitive data — adaptive behavior is not optional for ID determination.

WIAT-IV / KTEA-3

Achievement batteries

Standard Scores▼

Achievement Composites to Reference

Basic Reading Skills

Word reading + pseudoword decoding — primary dyslexia indicator; SS ≤ 85 supports criterion

Reading Fluency

Rate + accuracy of oral reading — often depressed even after decoding improves with intervention

Reading Comprehension

May be relatively intact early in dyslexia if strong oral language supports compensation; watch for drop in upper grades

Math Calculation / Problem Solving

Distinguish untimed calculation from applied math — language loading affects problem solving more than calculation

Written Expression / Spelling

Spelling SS ≤ 85 + TOC Below Average = dysgraphia pattern; name it

Oral Language (WIAT-IV/KTEA-3)

Listening Comp + Oral Expression — SLD academic areas; coordinate with SLP if primary concern

📊 Score Interpretation Reference