Kansas Students Will Receive Quantile Measures Statewide to Link Assessment With Mathematics Instruction

DURHAM, NC--(Marketwired - May 26, 2016) -  MetaMetrics®, developer of the widely adopted Quantile® Framework for Mathematics and Lexile® Framework for Reading, today announced they have expanded their partnership with the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE). For five years, students in grades three through eight and 10 have received Lexile® measures from the Kansas Reading Assessment. Beginning fall of 2016, students will receive both Lexile and Quantile® student measures from the Kansas Assessment Program (KAP). 

Quantile measures accurately match students with instructional materials by measuring both mathematical capability and the complexity of mathematical skills and concepts on the same developmental scale. There are two types of Quantile measures: a measure for students and a measure for mathematical skills and concepts. The Quantile student measure describes what the student is prepared to learn next. The Quantile skill or concept measure describes the difficulty, or demand, in learning that skill or concept. Both measures are represented as a number followed by the letter Q (e.g., 640Q) on the Quantile scale. Quantile measures can improve mathematics teaching and learning by helping educators target instruction and determine if students are on track to pass year-end assessments and succeed in college and careers. To report a Quantile measure from the KAP, MetaMetrics will complete an initial research study to link the Kansas test to the Quantile scale. Over the past twenty years, MetaMetrics has engaged in more than 100 studies in 25 states and 24 countries to link assessments to the Lexile or Quantile scale. 

"I commend Commissioner Watson and his leadership team for using universal metrics to connect students with materials that match their unique abilities," stated Malbert Smith III, Ph.D., CEO, President and Co-founder of MetaMetrics. "To progress in mathematics learning, students need to fully understand the skills and concepts they encounter. Quantile measures help strengthen understanding by delineating what skills and concepts a student is ready to learn and identifying gaps in knowledge."

The Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) provides leadership, resources, support and accountability to the state's K-12 education system. KSDE administers the state's governance of education, standards and assessments, special education services, child nutrition and wellness, title programs and services, career and technical education, and financial aid. It is the goal of the agency to provide all Kansas children with equal access to a quality, high-level education that promotes student achievement and prepares all students for global success. In 2015, the Kansas State Board of Education announced a new vision for education where Kansas leads the world in the success of each student.

"Kansas' commitment to its new vision for education requires that teachers be able to target instruction to the academic needs of each student," said Dr. Randy Watson, Kansas Commissioner of Education. "We see these measures as being able to help guide educators as they develop these individual learning strategies."

The KSDE's reporting of Quantile measures also connects students and teachers with free resources like the Find Your Textbook tool, Math Skills Database, Math@Home® and the Quantile® Teacher Assistant. Kansas continues to use Lexile and Quantile tools in their summer learning efforts year after year. This summer marks the first year that the state has used the Quantile Summer Math Challenge to encourage mathematics practice during the summer months. The Summer Math Challenge is available this year to students who have completed grades 1 through 7 to help ensure that skills learned during the school year are not lost. KSDE also promotes summer reading in collaboration with the Read Kansas Read initiative and encourages readers to visit "Find a Book, Kansas." "Find a Book, Kansas" matches readers with books based on a reader's Lexile measure and personal interests.

About MetaMetrics
MetaMetrics is focused on improving education for learners of all ages and ability levels. The organization develops scientific measures of academic achievement and complementary technologies that link assessment results with real-world instruction. MetaMetrics' products and services for reading (The Lexile® Framework for Reading, El Sistema Lexile® para Leer), mathematics (The Quantile® Framework for Mathematics) and writing (The Lexile® Framework for Writing) provide unique insights about academic ability and the potential for growth, enabling individuals to achieve their goals at every stage of development. Connect with the organization at: http://blog.lexile.com.