How the grade 5
state test is scored

Levels, not percentages

Results are a level from 1 to 4 with a scale score. Grade 5 is often the first year families read the level as a prediction of middle school placement. It is not one; it is a description of this April. Level 3 is the state's definition of proficient, there is no percentage anywhere on the report, and a scale score cannot be compared across grades.

Where the credits come from

The grade 5 test is worth 98 credits across 83 questions. 68 of those questions are multiple choice and worth one credit each. The other 15 are written, and worth more.

Which means 30 of the 98 credits — that is 31% of the whole test — come from questions where a child has to write something down. On a practice test that only offers multiple choice, 31% of the score is not being practiced at all.

What grade 5 results are for

Grade 5 results carry no consequence of their own. They are the last clean read you get before middle school changes the building, the teachers and the homework at once.

How a written answer is marked

Written answers are marked against the state's rubric, which in grade 5 asks for the reasoning and not the presentation. A correct explanation of why two fractions can be added only after they share a denominator earns the credit whether it runs to one line or six.

Our grade 5 practice tests mark to those same rubrics and show the marker's criteria beside the answer, so a child can see the difference between an answer that is right and one that is credited.