Testing Information

BOG, EOG, CogAt, Iowa. . . . .

More testing information for the 2022-2023 school year will be provided at a later date.

CogAT: Cognitive Abilities Test

CogAT is administered to all 3rd grade students yearly. It measures general thinking and problem-solving skills and indicates how well the student uses these skills to solve verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal problems. The skills and abilities measured by the CogAT develop gradually throughout a person’s lifetime, but individuals vary in the rates at which they develop the skills.

The CogAT is comprised of three batteries: Verbal, Quantitative, and Nonverbal. Scores from these three batteries yield a composite score. A brief description of each battery follows:

Verbal Battery: The three subtests on the Verbal Battery appraise verbal inductive and deductive reasoning skills, as well as flexibility, fluency, and adaptability in working with verbal materials and solving verbal problems. This cluster of verbal reasoning abilities plays an important role in developing skills in reading comprehension, critical thinking, writing, and virtually all verbal learning tasks.

Quantitative Battery: The three subtests on the Quantitative Battery appraise deductive and inductive reasoning skills as well as flexibility and fluency in working with quantitative symbols and concepts. Successful performance on these subtests requires that students have a variety of strategies for working with quantitative materials. The reasoning skills appraised by this battery are significantly related to high-level problem solving not only in mathematics but also in other disciplines.

Nonverbal Battery: The three subtests on the Nonverbal Battery present the most novel problems to students. The items on these subtests use only geometric shapes and figures and require no reading and no outside fund of knowledge. All these items appraise general inductive reasoning skills as well as flexibility and fluency in using and adapting cognitive strategies.

Composite Score: The composite score is total of the three subtest batteries and indicates the overall variety and strength of the student’s cognitive resources for learning.

IOWA Test of Basic Skills (ITBS)

The ITBS consists of a number of educational achievement subtests designed to measure growth in fundamental areas of school achievement, vocabulary, reading comprehension and mathematics. The ITBS profile is as follows:

Reading: The reading tests are concerned with a student’s ability to derive meaning from what has been read. Both sentence and story comprehension is measured. The student must select the correct word to complete a sentence to demonstrate comprehension. Story comprehension skills require students to understand factual details as well as to make inferences and to draw generalizations from what they have read.

Mathematics: In mathematics the areas of concepts, estimation, problem solving, data interpretation, and computation are assessed. Math concepts include number sequences, numeration, fundamental algebraic concepts, basic measurement, and geometric concepts.

Critical Thinking Skills: The critical thinking scores are derived from selected items in the reading and math subtests. Items requiring critical thinking requires judgements that draw upon knowledge of the appropriate content, understanding of the content and application of that information.

What are Beginning of Grade (BOG) tests?

The North Carolina READY Beginning-of-Grade 3 (BOG3) English Language Arts/Reading Test is linked to the Read to Achieve Program and is aligned to the NC Standard Course of Study. It establishes a baseline measure of beginning third-grade students’ English Language Arts/Reading skills. Students who score Achievement Level 3 or higher on the BOG3 English Language Arts/Reading Test demonstrate reading proficiency appropriate for third-grade students, which satisfies the requirements of the Read to Achieve legislation.

​What are End-of-Grade (EOG) and End-of-Course (EOC) tests?

The tests assess student proficiency in key subjects. All students in North Carolina take End-of-Grade reading and math tests every year in grades 3-8. Fifth and eighth graders also take an End-of-Grade science test. High school students are required to complete an End-of-Course assessment in English II, Math I and Biology.

What do my child’s EOG scores mean?

The scores are only one of many indicators of how well your child is doing in school. They give you a chance to compare your child’s performance with that of other students in the same grade at the school and with other students across North Carolina.

Can you help me understand the EOG test scores report?

The report provides you a summary of your child’s scores. The scores for each test are listed in Column 4, which includes an assignment of an achievement level of 1-5 and if the score is proficient or not. A more detailed description of the levels is provided for you in the section labeled Column 4 on the back of the score report. Column 4 provides your child’s scale score. Column 6 shows how your child’s achievement level corresponds with the scale score and how close he/she was to scoring at the next level. You are also provided a comparison of how your child performed to the average scale scores of students in North Carolina who took the test in the benchmark or “norming” year of 2012-13.

What do each of the achievement levels mean?

Students who performed at a level 3 are considered to be proficient and prepared for the next grade level but may need additional academic support to successfully understand the content that will be covered in the next grade. While level 3 students are prepared for the next grade level, they are not yet on track for college and career readiness.

Students who scored at a level 4 or 5 are not only proficient but they are also considered to be well-prepared academically. Unlike the students scoring at level 3, these students are considered to be college and career ready.

Students who scored at a level one or two will likely need academic support to be successful at the next grade level. Scoring at level one or two is an indication that these students have a limited or partial understanding of the content that was taught.

What are Lexile levels that are shown on EOG reports?

A Lexile level is assigned to most books and is generally listed on the back cover. Lexile levels are also provided as a part of this report for each student taking the ELA/Reading assessment. These scores provide you with an indication of the level of books your child should be able to read comfortably. The student’s Lexile score can be used to match your child to a book or other reading material that is close to his ability. It is important to make sure your child is reading books that are not too easy or difficult for him. As you prepare to enjoy the summer, include reading as an activity and use your child’s Lexile score to help you select interesting and fun books for your child to read. Reading when not in school helps students to improve academically.

What are End-of-Grade (EOG) and End-of-Course (EOC) tests?The tests assess student proficiency in key subjects. All students in North Carolina take End-of-Grade reading and math tests every year in grades 3-8. Fifth and eighth graders also take an End-of-Grade science test. High school students are required to complete an End-of-Course assessment in English II, Math I and Biology.

What do my child’s scores mean? The scores are only one of many indicators of how well your child is doing in school. They give you a chance to compare your child’s performance with that of other students in the same grade at the school and with other students across North Carolina.

Can you help me understand the test scores report? The report provides you a summary of your child’s scores. The scores for each test are listed in Column 4, which includes an assignment of an achievement level of 1-5 and if the score is proficient or not. A more detailed description of the levels is provided for you in the section labeled Column 4 on the back of the score report. Column 4 provides your child’s scale score. Column 6 shows how your child’s achievement level corresponds with the scale score and how close he/she was to scoring at the next level. You are also provided a comparison of how your child performed to the average scale scores of students in North Carolina who took the test in the benchmark or “norming” year of 2012-13.

What do each of the achievement levels mean? Students who performed at a level 3 are considered to be proficient and prepared for the next grade level but may need additional academic support to successfully understand the content that will be covered in the next grade. While level 3 students are prepared for the next grade level, they are not yet on track for college and career readiness. Students who scored at a level 4 or 5 are not only proficient but they are also considered to be well-prepared academically. Unlike the students scoring at level 3, these students are considered to be college and career ready. Students who scored at a level one or two will likely need academic support to be successful at the next grade level. Scoring at level one or two is an indication that these students have a limited or partial understanding of the content that was taught.

What are Lexile levels found on EOG reports? A Lexile level is assigned to most books and is generally listed on the back cover. Lexile levels are also provided as a part of this report for each student taking the ELA/Reading assessment. These scores provide you with an indication of the level of books your child should be able to read comfortably. The student’s Lexile score can be used to match your child to a book or other reading material that is close to his ability. It is important to make sure your child is reading books that are not too easy or difficult for him. As you prepare to enjoy the summer, include reading as an activity and use your child’s Lexile score to help you select interesting and fun books for your child to read. Reading when not in school helps students to improve academically.

If you would like a more detailed description of the information contained in this report, contact your child’s school, the WCPSS Data and Accountability department at (919)-533-7733 or visit the NC Department of Public Schools’ website at http://www.ncpublicschools.org.