How the grade 6
state test is scored

Levels, not percentages

Results are a level from 1 to 4 and a scale score. A grade 6 level 2 after a grade 5 level 3 usually reflects the arrival of ratio and negative numbers rather than a child going backwards. 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 6 test is worth 101 credits across 85 questions. 69 of those questions are multiple choice and worth one credit each. The other 16 are written, and worth more.

Which means 32 of the 101 credits — that is 32% of the whole test — come from questions where a child has to write something down. On a practice test that only offers multiple choice, 32% of the score is not being practiced at all.

What grade 6 results are for

A grade 6 result decides nothing, but it is the earliest honest warning about grade 7. Ratio and rate are the foundation the next test builds proportion on.

How a written answer is marked

Written answers are marked against the state's rubric. Grade 6 mathematics rubrics award credit in parts, so a ratio problem set up correctly and finished wrong is worth more than a blank and often more than an unexplained right answer.

Our grade 6 practice tests use the same rubrics and show the part-credit, which is how a child learns that writing down the set-up is worth doing even when they cannot see the end of the problem.