Understanding the reports
Standard age score (SAS)
The standard age score is based on the underlying raw score and enables you to compare your own pupils with a larger, nationally representative sample of pupils of the same age that have taken the test prior to publication.
The national average standardised score is 100, irrespective of the difficulty of the test, and so it is easy to see whether a pupil is above or below the national average.
Stanine (ST)
Stanines (short for ‘standard nines’) are a simplification of the standard age score that divides the SAS into nine broader bands. They show how a pupil performed on a test in comparison with the national sample, with 9 being the highest score and 1 being the lowest.
National percentile rank (NPR)
The national percentile rank indicates the percentage of pupils in the national sample who obtain a standard age score at or below a particular score. For example, a pupil with a standard age score of 108 has a national percentile rank(NPR) of 70: he or she has performed as well as, or better than, 70 per cent of pupils of his or her age group. An NPR of 50 is average for an age group.
Raw score (RS)
The Dyslexia Index
| Letter code | Description |
| A | No signs of dyslexia |
| B | Few signs of dyslexia |
| C | Mild dyslexia |
| D | Moderate dyslexia |
| E | Severe dyslexia |
The Dyslexia Index value ‘A’ generally means that no evidence of dyslexic tendencies has been found and no further action is necessary as a consequence. However, there are some profiles yielding an ‘A’ that suggest the need for follow-up and these are noted in the individual and group reports.
Flat low profile
Pupils who produce uniformly low scores need further investigation into the nature of their difficulties, to find out if they really have general cognitive difficulties or if their current low performance stems from emotional or motivational roots.
Flat high profile
Pupils who produce uniformly high scores need highlighting in case their educational potential has not yet been recognised.
Reverse dyslexia
A few pupils may yield an anomalous ‘overachievement’ profile, in which they appear to be performing better in literacy than their ability level would indicate was likely. These cases need further investigation, to identify why their ability scores were unusually low, given their educational achievement.
Low attainment
Pupils who do not produce a dyslexic profile but nevertheless show low attainment in literacy need highlighting, as they might not be able to access an ability-appropriate curriculum without support.
Recommendations
Recommendations provided in the individual reports are based on the author’s wide experience of working with dyslexia. However, local procedures and resources may need to be taken into account in determining an implementation plan. The effectiveness of specialist help depends upon the programme of study fitting the individual circumstances. General prescriptions are likely to be of little use.
There are many products and services that may be effective in providing support to individuals. Individual, diagnostic assessment may be carried out using GL Assessment’s Dyslexia Portfolio and intervention planned using the Dyslexia Guidance handbook.
Visit our website https://www.gl-assessment.co.uk/products/dyslexia-screener-portfolio-and-guidance/ for further details of these products and for a more comprehensive guide to the Dyslexia Screener, including further advice on managing outcomes from the reports.