Directions for selecting appropriate norms/criteria to use in AIMSweb reports

1. Which AIMSweb norms/criteria should I be comparing my students’ scores to?

a. School-based norms (called “AIMSweb Defaults” in AIMSweb system)

i. These norms would compare the students in your school, grade or classroom only to students at your school.

ii. For example, if you used these norms to identify the students in your classroom who are below the 25th percentile on the AIMSweb R-CBM Oral Reading Fluency test, you would by definition identify 25% of your students.

iii. You might want to use these norms if you were interested in breaking up your classroom into equal groups of relatively higher or lower performance on the R-CBM (e.g., your top third, your middle third and your bottom third in your classroom).

iv. This would NOT tell you anything about how your students’ performance compares to the performance of students across the country.

b. AIMSweb national aggregate norms (called “HVED 09-10” in AIMSweb system)

i. These norms would compare the students in your school, grade or classroom to all students across the country whose data have been entered into the AIMSweb system.

ii. For example, if you used these norms to identify the students in your classroom who are below the 25th percentile on the AIMSweb R-CBM Oral Reading Fluency test, you would be identifying those students whose scores are lower than 75% of students at the same grade level across the country.

1. If most of the students in your classroom are particularly advanced in their reading achievement, you might identify fewer than 25% of YOUR students who are below the national aggregate norm 25th percentile.

2. If most of the students in your classroom are particularly delayed in their reading achievement, you might identify more than 25% of YOUR students who are below the national aggregate norm 25th percentile.

iii. You should use these norms if you are trying to identify students in need of more intensive Tier II or Tier III support within an RtI model and/or if you are trying to determine whether a student qualifies for Special Education services. iv. In fact, Minnesota state Special Education regulations REQUIRE that teams compare data used to determine a student’s “level of achievement” as part of the new RtI Specific Learning Disability (SLD) criteria to state or federal norms, NOT local (school-level) norms.

2. If I am looking at a report that has already been printed, how can I tell which norms were used in creating it?

a. In the upper lefthand corner of the first page of a printed report, you should see a section that is labeled “Reporting Method.”

b. If after “Reporting Method” it reads “AIMSweb Defaults – Norm Referenced,” then the report was created using school-based norms.

c. If after “Reporting Method” it reads “HVED 09-10 – Criterion Referenced,” then the report was created using AIMSweb national aggregate norms.

3. How do I select the norms I want to use within the AIMSweb system before I print a report?

a. Once you have selected a report to view within the AIMSweb system, you should see a gray section at the top of the screen labeled “Report Options (Expand).”

b. To change the norms for the report you have selected, click on “(Expand).” This will expand the Report Options section revealing several buttons and drop down menus that allow you to change your preferences for the report you have selected. c. The top line should read “Report: Method:” with two choices: “Norm” or “Criterion.”

i. To choose school-based norms

1. Click on “Norm”

2. Use the “Criteria” drop down menu on the next line to select “AIMSweb Defaults.”

3. Click the “Display” button at the bottom center of the Report Options box to apply the changes to the report you selected.

ii. To choose AIMSweb national aggregate norms

1. Click on “Criterion”

2. Use the “Criteria” drop down menu on the next line to select “HVED 09-10.”

3. Click the “Display” button at the bottom center of the Report Options box to apply the changes to the report you selected. d. Once you have selected norms once, as long as you do not log out, the norms should remain selected for any future reports you create. If you log out and log back in, however, you will need to re-select the norms you want.