Simple and accurate data collected on an ongoing basis over time to assess general outcomes so decisions are data-based and timely.

A norm-referenced estimate of the typical performance of students tested in a given month of the school year. Reported as a decimal number, the Stanford 10 grade-equivalent scale ranges from K.0 (beginning kindergarten) to high-school graduation. GE values below K.0 or above 12.9 are designated as PK (pre-kindergarten) or PHS (post high school), respectively. The numeral to the left of the decimal point refers to a grade level. The numeral to the right of the decimal point represents one-tenth of the school year, or one school month. For example, a grade equivalent of 5.2 earned by a third-grader means that the students performance on the third-grade test was typical of the national sample of fifth graders taking the same third-grade test in the third month of the school year. Because they cannot be directly compared as with an interval scale, grade equivalents are frequently misinterpreted.

The grades enrolled within a school.

Normative data grouped by students grades rather than age. For example, grade-based norms allow the comparison of a fifth-grade test takers strengths and weaknesses to a reference population of fifth-graders taking the same test. See also norms and age-based norms.