15.1 & 15.2

(15.1) Turn to p. 559 in Ormrod’s text.  Now, imagine that you are meeting with Ingrid’s grandmother today to explain her scores on the recent standardized achievement test pictured at the bottom of p. 559.  What will you tell her about Ingrid’s performance? her strengths? her weaknesses? 

I would first tell Ingrid's grandmother that Ingrid performed very well in some areas, but struggled in other areas. Before showing her grandmother the computer printout or Ingrid's test performance, I would explain the layout of the form. I would then show her Ingrid's scores, and go through the results of each subject individually with her, so that she was clear about Ingrid's performance. I think its very important to make sure Ingrid's grandmother understands the meaning of a percentile, so when she sees a 57 for Ingrid's Math Concepts percentile, she does not assume this is a failing score, when it is actually average. After explaining each individual score to Ingrid's grandmother, I would ask her if she has any questions. I would then tell her that Ingrid performed extremely well (well above average) in Reading Comprehension, Science, and Social Studies. I would also tell her that Ingrid is right on track for her performance in Math Concepts. I would let the grandmother know that Ingrid is slightly below average in Math Computation and Spelling, but that this is only one test, and is not the be all, end all of Ingrid's academic performance. I would let her know that there are activities that they can do at home to help improve in the areas of weakness. 

(15.2) Even though this is not a criterion referenced test, if Ingrid’s grandmother asks you what she could be doing at home to help strengthen Ingrid’s skills, what will you suggest? Provide at least three areas where the grandmother could help Ingrid.

First of all I would refer to Ingrid's performance in class and on other assignments to make sure that they line up with her performance on the standardized test. If she was struggling with math computation and spelling in class, I would suggest ways for her grandmother to help her with these subjects at home. For spelling, I would suggest that she selects (or I could provide) a short list of words each week for Ingrid to practice spelling at home. I might also suggest that Ingrid's grandmother ask her to spell random words that they come across during normal, daily activities to give Ingrid more spelling practice. I would also suggest that they read together because the more words Ingrid sees, the more familiar she will be with correct spelling. For math computation, I would provide some practice problems for the grandmother to work on with Ingrid. Perhaps, I could also suggest some type of math game that they could play to improve Ingrid's computation skills in a fun way that doesn't seem like extra work.