SCORE REPORT COVER LETTER

Cognitive Abilities Test

Dear Parents and Guardians:

Your student recently took the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT). This test measures students’ reasoning abilities in three areas: verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal. The verbal battery measures how well the student is able to learn and solve problems related to words. The quantitative battery measures your student’s ability to apply numerical concepts. The nonverbal battery assesses skills in using figures and pictures to solve problems.

Like any standardized test, the CogAT measures only some of your student’s skills, and the results represent his or her performance on the day the test was given. Therefore, these scores are only one estimate of his or her true ability. Test scores should never be used alone to make decisions about services or supports, but they can be helpful when interpreted in conjunction with other information. In Fairfax County Public Schools, CogAT results are used as one of several measures to determine Advanced Academic Program (AAP) services. 

CogAT results for your student are reported on the enclosed Profile Narrative. The Profile Narrative also includes an explanation about the test. The first paragraph offers an overview of the test. A second paragraph describes your student’s performance compared to other students who took the test nationally. This paragraph also offers recommendations on how to use information from the test to encourage further development in your student. The last paragraph gives details about the age and grade used for score comparisons. Here are some specialized terms you will find on the Profile Narrative report.

• Composite Scores show an overall picture of performance based on your student’s pattern of scores across all three batteries (verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal).
• Age Scores show your student’s performance compared to a nationally representative sample of students approximately the same.  
• Raw Scores show the number of test items your student attempted and the number of test items your student answered correctly out of the total number of items in each battery.
• Grade Scores show your student’s performance compared to a nationally representative sample of students in the same grade.
• Standard Age Scores (SAS) show your student’s raw score is converted to a consistent scale. SAS range from 50 to 160, with 100 being the midpoint.
• Stanines show your student’s performance on a standardized scale from 1 (lowest) to 9 (highest), with the 5th stanine being the midpoint.
• Percentile Ranks (PR) indicate the percentage of students in the same group (age, local, or grade) whose scores fall below the score your student received. PRs range from a low of 1 to a high of 99. For example, a PR of 45 would mean that your student performed as well as, or better than, 45 percent of the students in the comparison group.

If you have questions about this score report, please contact the Advanced Academics Resource Teacher (AART), ____________________________, or School Test Coordinator, ____________________________, at your student's school.