Definition: Average is a term used a lot in public schools because it allows us to compare a student's performance to other students in her class or with other students at her grade level on nationally normed tests.
Average test scores are used in special education evaluations and in teacher-made tests in the classroom. Average test scores are determined by adding a set of numbers and dividing the sum by the total number of numerals used in calculating that sum. Averages are used to determine the "middle" of a group of test scores.
Statistically, approximately 68 percent of any large group of students will score within the low average to high average range on most tests. The exact average score itself reaches the 50th percentile.
Educators use averages to:
- Monitor the rate at which the class is learning the material;
- Estimate where individual students' scores lie in relation to the rest of the class; and
- Estimate individual students' abilities as compared to nationally normed achievement tests, such as those used to diagnose learning disabilities or on teacher-made tests.
Also Known As: mean, 50th percentile,
Examples:
Six students scored 72, 75, 78, 82, 84, and 92 on a test. To calculate the average, add 72 + 75 + 78 + 82 + 84 + 92 and divide the sum (483) by six. The average score would be 80.5.
