Benchmarking

Designed for new member schools, benchmark testing is designed to help schools that have never used the SSAT to begin to compile local norms with which to “benchmark” new applicants and currently enrolled students. Some schools use a variation of this service to test a single grade annually for internal comparison purposes. It is important to remember that this test is not intended for SSAT preparation or as a "practice" test.

This type of test administration differs from the SSAT Flex Test in the following ways:
-- Scores are calculated for internal comparison purposes only;
-- The writing sample can be administered but is not scored or reported. It can be used for internal evaluation purposes;
-- Individual score reports are not mailed to schools or families. Similarly, scores may not be reported to any other organization, including in support of an individual student's application to another school.

Important considerations:
-- Many schools use this service to test a single class (such as the 8th grade) on an annual basis for comparison purposes.
-- The Benchmark Test is an authentic form of the SSAT and is not intended for SSAT preparation or use as a "practice" test.
-- Benchmark test registrations are submitted via SSAT's Benchmark Registration Spreadsheet.
-- The Benchmark fee is reduced, and therefore SSAT does not offer waivers for this type of exam.
-- Individual score reports cannot be printed for the Benchmark test administration, either for students or a school. Instead, the results will be provided in roster format and via email, approximately two weeks after the completed tests are received by SSAT.  Registrations are marked inactive after they are scored by SSAT.

The Shanghai American School in China used the benchmark test to establish a basis for evaluating incoming test scores.

Accepted/Enrolled Comparisons

How do this year’s SSAT test taker’s scores compare to those of the students you accepted and enrolled last year? To increase support of SSAT score interpretation and use in the selection process, context data is added to the score reports provided to schools. Included are ratios that place a test-taker’s scores within the context of scores of those students accepted by and enrolled in the school the previous year. Completion of a simple School Context Data Worksheet in advance of the first national test date is required for accepted/enrolled ratios to appear on your school’s official SSAT Score Reports.

Optimal Use Study

Standardized tests, like the SSAT, are designed to identify applicants that are unlikely to succeed in a specific academic environment, to order applicants, and to facilitate direct comparison between applicants with different backgrounds. For standardized tests to add greater value to a school’s admission process, test scores can be analyzed to determine their “power” to predict students’ academic performance in their first year at a specific school. This is what an Optimal Use (formerly Validity) Study is designed to do.

Given grades supplied by a member school, SSATB can produce a school-specific study showing the relationship between enrolled students’ SSAT scores and their academic performance at the end of their first year. At least 3, and preferably 5, years of student pre- and post-admission performance measures are required to complete this study. These studies offer schools an important benchmark for how (and to what degree) the SSAT works as an admission tool in their particular school. They also provide an “optimal weighting formula” which shows how much more powerful the SSAT math or reading score is in predicting academic success in the school and also give an “optimal weighting formula index” for use in school-specific weighting of SSAT test score results of future applicants.

School Profile Report

Given a variety of data supplied by member schools for their past 3 or more (preferably 5) graduating classes, SSATB can produce a report showing correlations and expectancies between SSAT scores, GPA, and SAT scores. These correlations and expectancies can show how well a student is being moved through the system, and plotting these data over several years can show if SSAT, GPA, and SAT results move together consistently or not – based on cohort, gender, and/or ethnicity. This profile report is extremely valuable in uncovering academic trends and anomalies.

Admission Dashboard

Dashboard metrics are those few “alpha” or most important, basic measurements that stand out as indicators of what’s working and what’s not. They should be consistently updated, and contain some historic data to provide context.

The purpose of a dashboard is to provide the user with actionable business information in a format that is intuitive and insightful. They tend to be tied to a specific operational goal, which is what makes them ideal for use in admission; for example, reporting where you are in relation to applications received last year and/or to your goal for the present year.

Your MemberAccess Page contains weekly reports on year-to-date and prior year counts of score reports, inquiries and applications, with percentage comparisons to the previous year. This data can be invaluable for admission office use, as well as reporting to Heads and Boards of Directors.

Dashboard indicators also help gauge your progress toward the school’s vision. Following key numbers ensures you’re on track.