(1) How the Nationally-Standardised scores are calculated
The MidYIS Test results for your pupils (Year 7, 8 or 9) have been standardised against a nationally representative sample of schools. The results are standardised, (within the year group nationally) to have a mean score of 100 and a standard deviation of 15. You will be able to compare how your pupils have performed on the MidYIS Test in relation to one another and also how they have performed relative to the national average.
The results are reported as four div scores plus an Overall score. The divs are Vocabulary, Maths, Non-Verbal and Skills. The Vocabulary and Maths scores come from the divs of the same name on the MidYIS Test. The Non-Verbal score is a combination of the Cross-divs, Block Counting and Pictures divs. The Skills score comprises the Proof Reading and Perceptual Speed and Accuracy divs.
The MidYIS Overall score is calculated differently for the paper-based test and computer-based test. For the paper-based test the Overall score is calculated by adding the raw scores for the Vocabulary, Maths and Non-Verbal divs to a quarter of the raw score for the Skills div. This gives approximately equal weighting to each of the four divs. This figure is then standardised to have a national mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15. On the computer-based test, since the Non- Verbal and Skills divs are optional, the overall score is based on an equal weighting of the results from the Vocabulary and Maths divs. Like the paper-based test this figure is then standardised to have a national mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15.
（2）What do the various divs of the test measure?
The Vocabulary and Maths scores are important to the prediction of all subjects. The Vocabulary component of the test is generally an important element for most subjects. For English, History and some Foreign Languages it is the best. However the Vocabulary score is perhaps the most culturally linked of all the scores. Those who have not been exposed to vocabulary-rich talk or a wide variety of reading material or whose first language is not English are unlikely to have developed as high a vocabulary score as they would have developed in a different environment. Such pupils are able to demonstrate other features of their ability through the Maths, Non-Verbal and Skills divs.
① Vocabulary Score
The Vocabulary and Maths scores are important to the prediction of all subjects. The Vocabulary component of the test is generally an important element for most subjects. For English, History and some Foreign Languages it is the best. However the Vocabulary score is perhaps the most culturally linked of all the scores. Those who have not been exposed to vocabulary-rich talk or a wide variety of reading material or whose first language is not English are unlikely to have developed as high a vocabulary score as they would have developed in a different environment. Such pupils are able to demonstrate other features of their ability through the Maths, Non-Verbal and Skills divs.
② Math Score
The Maths score is well correlated with most subjects but is particularly important when predicting Maths, Statistics, ICT, Design Technology and Economics.
The Maths div has been designed with the emphasis on speed and fluency, rather than knowledge of Maths. Like the Vocabulary score, the Maths score is a good predictor of later academic performance.
③ Skill Score
The Skills score is calculated from the Proof Reading and Perceptual Speed and Accuracy (PSA) divs of the MidYIS Test. In the Proof Reading div pupils are asked to spot mistakes in the spelling, punctuation and grammar of a passage of text. We often rely on computers to do such tasks but some of the mistakes the pupils are looking for are of the type that may not be picked up by a computer, for example mistakes such as the mis-spelling of words like ‘there’ and ‘their’. The Proof Reading sub-test measures efficiently this highly important skill that anyone producing a piece of writing has to develop.
The PSA div asks pupils to look for matches between a sequence of symbols on the left and a number of possible choices on the right. Given enough time most pupils would probably get the answers correct but we are measuring how quickly pupils can find a correct match. An interesting result from our work with the Deaf and Hearing Impaired community shows that on average, Hearing Impaired pupils score a standard deviation above the national average on the PSA div of the test. The PSA div allows speed to be demonstrated free from the demands of memory.
The Proof Reading and PSA tests are tests for the modern world, and are designed to measure fluency and speed. They rely on a pupil’s scanning and skimming skills, skills that are desirable in examination situations.
④ Non-Verbal score
The Non-Verbal score is composed of the three sub tests: Cross-Sections, Block Counting and Pictures. The Non-verbal score is important when predicting Maths, Science, Design Technology, Geography, Art and Drama. It provides a measure of the pupil’s ability in 3-D visualisation, spatial aptitude, pattern recognition and logical thinking. It can give an insight in to the developed ability for pupils for whom English is a second language.
⑤ Overall MidYIS score
We have found that, in the case of all subjects at IGCSE, the Overall MidYIS score gives a better prediction (has the strongest correlation) of later academic achievement than any of the separate div scores. For example, although we find that the Maths div of the MidYIS Test correlates very well with IGCSE Maths we find that the Overall MidYIS score correlates better.
