In general, NWEA recommends retesting students who took the wrong test. However, you should consider the "test stress" factor as well. Retesting is not a minor inconvenience for some students, and the stress of testing may negatively affect the validity of the second test and negate any benefit received.
When deciding whether to retest a student, consider the following:
Validity of scores
The 2-5 and 6+ tests are on the same measurement scale (math or reading) and the overall RIT scores are therefore comparable. There is nothing inherently wrong with the RIT score of a test event when the student's grade does not match the test level. The 6+ tests have access to all items in the 2-5 tests, plus items consisting of content expected to be taught to upper-grade students.
That being said, a 5th grade student taking the 6+ test is likely to see some items assessing content for which they haven't received any instruction, and a 6th grade student taking the 2-5 test will likely not see as many items assessing the content that they are being taught currently.
Effects on reports
Currently, only the
District Summary report groups results by test name, so students who take the wrong test are listed separately. That also means they are not included in the summary statistics for the students in the same grade level.
Special grade-specific tests
Some programs have special grade-specific versions of tests. If your organization is participating in such a program and the student takes the wrong test for their grade level, in most cases the student must retest. Please contact your testing coordinator or your Account Manager with NWEA.
See also:
