At Canterbury, we believe in equipping parents with clear, meaningful insights into their child’s academic progress. That’s why we administer the Iowa Assessments—a nationally recognized series of standardized achievement tests developed by the University of Iowa.
Unlike cognitive or IQ tests, Iowa Assessments measure what students have actually learned in the classroom, making them a reliable tool for evaluating both individual achievement and overall curriculum effectiveness.
What Are the Iowa Tests?
The Iowa Tests are used by many private and public schools across the United States to assess student knowledge in key academic areas such as reading, language, math, science, and social studies. They provide:
- Nationally norm-referenced scores, allowing us to compare performance with students across the country.
- Criterion-referenced insights, which help us assess whether students have mastered specific grade-level content.
- Developmental and standard scores, which track academic growth year-over-year.
These results are not used to grade students or affect report cards, but they do help our teachers and administrators fine-tune instruction and identify areas of strength and improvement.
How Is the Data Used at Canterbury?
- To track individual student growth over time.
- To inform curriculum planning and academic interventions.
- To maintain a national benchmark of academic performance relative to similar schools.
- To provide a comprehensive academic profile for each student.
How to Read Your Child’s Iowa Score Report
We know that interpreting standardized test results can be confusing, so we’ve created a video walkthrough to help you make sense of your child’s report.
📺 Watch the Video:
Chapters Include:
- What the Iowa Assessments measure
- Sample test questions
- Norm-referenced vs criterion-referenced scores
- Understanding standard scores and developmental scales
- Real student profiles (with permission) for context