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What is Your Bell Curve IQ?
"Knowing how to use the bell curve is more important than knowing the law." - Pete Wright To be a successful advocate, you must learn about tests and measurements.
You need to learn how to use the bell curve to measure your child's progress or lack of progress (regression).
As you learn how to use the bell curve, you will learn about standard scores, percentile ranks, and standard deviations. The principles of tests and measurements are not difficult to learn. You use statistics in many areas of your life. When you read articles about social and economic change, politics or the weather, you are reading about statistics. The biggest obstacle to learning is likely to be your personal fears and insecurities. Some parents believe they cannot understand test results. If you believe you cannot understand tests, it is time to change your beliefs!
In our Special Education Law and Advocacy programs, we give participants a pre-test quiz and a post-test exam to measure what they learned. As part of the exam, each person draws the bell curve freehand and labels the vertical lines that represent standard deviations, percentile ranks and standard scores. Participants also answer questions about standard scores and percentile ranks. You probably won't be surprised to learn that before the program, very few people know how to do this. By the end of a program, more than 75 percent of participants have perfect scores on the bell curve. Now it's your turn. Can you answer these questions correctly? Bell Curve
Test Two years ago, Johnny had a standard score of 85 on the Woodcock Reading Mastery test. His percentile rank was _____.
On another test of reading skills, his oral reading rate was at the 16th percentile rank, which is the same as ______ deviations above / below (circle one) the mean. On the Wechsler intelligence test, his IQ fell from 115 to 85, from the ______
percentile rank to the _______ percentile rank. What percent of children have a standard score of between 85 and 115? _______. Answers To get the answers to this test, send a blank email to bellcurve@wrightslaw.com
If you don't receive an email within a few seconds, check the email address to make sure you sent a blank email to bellcurve@wrightslaw.com What was your score? If your score was 0, don't despair. You are in the same boat as most people who attend our training programs. Your Game Plan
Here is a game plan to plug these gaps in your learning. First, you need to study tests and measurements. There are three ways to approach this task.
1. Read the article, Tests
and Measurements for the Parent, Educator, Advocate and Attorney.
OR
2. Read Chapters 10 and 11 about Tests and Measurements in our book, Wrightslaw: From Emotions to Advocacy. (FETA ).
Tips: Read these chapters or the article three times. Use a highlighter. Make margin notes. Do the homework assignments at the end of both chapters.
If
you are not satisfied with your score, read Chapters
10 and 11 about Tests and Measurements in the FETA book again.
When you are learning new or unfamiliar information, you need to review and review again. You can review and replay the multimedia program, study the bell curve and graphs as often as you like.
"I attended your program and want to share a story with you. In a meeting with our advocacy staff, I was asked to explain the discrepancy theory. Imagine my joy in being able to step up to the easel and draw a bell curve freehand (with standard deviations), then explain!" - Cindy from Tennessee
More Wrightslaw Quizzes
What's Your 504 IQ?
Let's See What You Know About Writing Effective Letters.
Law School Final Exam - Special Education Law & Advocacy
Pete Wright, Esq., and his wife, Pam, are the authors of Wrightslaw:
Special Education Law, 2nd Edition and Wrightslaw: From Emotions to Advocacy, 2nd Edition. The Wrights are co-founders of Wrightslaw and have published the free weekly newsletter, The Special Ed Advocateabout special education law and advocacy since 1998.
Pete and Pam Wright do training programs about special education law and advocacy. To see if they are coming to your area, please check their schedule page.
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