Stanine Scores

What is a Stanine?

A stanine score tells you where a student's performance falls on the "bell curve" when compared to other students taking The Big Test. The key feature of the stanine scale is that the middle scores (Stanines 4, 5, and 6) represent the majority of students and are considered average performance.

The Stanine Scale (1-9)

The scale runs from Stanine 1 (the lowest) to Stanine 9 (the highest). 

The proportions of each student achieving each stanine are in the table below

Interpreting the Scores

To understand a stanine, it's easiest to group them into three major categories:

Stanines 1, 2, 3: These scores indicate the student is performing below the majority of the cohort.

Stanines 4, 5, 6: This is the average range and includes the middle 54% of all students. If a student scores here, their performance is typical of their peers. Stanine 5 is the "bullseye," representing truly average performance.

Stanines 7, 8, 9: These scores indicate the student is performing well above the average. Stanine 9 is the highest 4% of scores.