What is a Stanine?
Stanine (STAndard NINE) is a method
of scaling test scores on a nine-point
standard scale with a mean of five and
a standard deviation of two.
The Minnesota Department of
Education (MDE) provides strand
scores for students to help teachers
identify relative strengths and
weaknesses. The strand scores are on
the stanine metric. A stanine score of
5 is the statewide mean, and each
stanine point represents one-half
standard deviation. A stanine score of
7, for example, indicates the student
scored one standard deviation above
the mean. It is important to keep in
mind that stanines are normative (i.e.,
they do not indicate proficiency).
The best use for strand scores is to
identify and help students who scored
substantially lower in one
or two strands compared to the other
strands.
Student MCA/OLPA Data Report from
AIR Online Reporting System