Your child came home saying they did a “PAT test”, or the school has sent a report with a scale score, a stanine and a percentile. What do they all mean? Here’s PAT explained for parents: what the tests are, how to read PAT Reading and PAT Maths results, which number shows growth, and why there’s nothing to prepare.
What is a PAT test?
PAT stands for Progressive Achievement Tests, made by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). ACER says: “PAT assessments measure what students in Foundation to Year 10 know, understand and are capable of across domains, and help monitor progress over time.” ACER also says “more than half of all Australian schools use PAT”.
The two your child is most likely to sit are PAT Reading and PAT Maths, which ACER describes as assessing reading comprehension and mathematical ability and measuring growth “from Years 1 to 10”. Each is “administered in 40 minutes”. There are also early-years tests for the first years of school.
| Test | What it covers |
|---|---|
| PAT Reading | Reading comprehension, in four strands: retrieve, interpret implied, interpret explicit, and reflect. Multiple choice and some interactive questions, about 40 minutes. |
| PAT Maths | Number and algebra, measurement and geometry, and statistics and probability, with fluency, understanding, problem solving and reasoning. About 40 minutes. |
PAT is a low-stakes test. ACER’s information for parents says: “Unlike ‘high stakes’ assessments, such as university entrance exams or scholarship tests, PAT is low stakes and designed to help teachers build a picture of where students are in their learning, their strengths and areas for improvement.”
Is PAT the same as NAPLAN?
No. ACER is direct about it: “There is no direct connection or alignment between PAT results and NAPLAN results.” The two tests “use different scales and bands to report student achievement.” So a PAT score can’t be converted into a NAPLAN level, or the other way round. Our guide to NAPLAN for parents explains that test.
How to read PAT results
A PAT report can show up to four numbers or labels. Here’s what each one means, in ACER’s words where possible:
| On the report | What it means |
|---|---|
| Scale score | “An estimate of where a student is in their learning progress.” It is the number that shows growth from one test to the next. |
| Achievement band | Describes “the skills and understandings students typically demonstrate at different points along the scale”. |
| Percentile | “The percentage of students who achieve less than that score”, compared with Australian students in the same year level. |
| Stanine | A ranking “from 1 to 9”, also compared with students in the same year level. Stanine 5 is in the middle. |
A worked example from ACER: “a student with a percentile rank of 75th compared to year 3 has a scale score that is higher than 75 per cent of Australian year 3 students.”
And the stanines, from ACER’s explainer: “Stanine 1 contains the proportion of students with the lowest test scores, up to the 4th percentile”, “Stanine 5, in the middle of the distribution, contains the next 20% of test results, up to the 60th percentile”, and “Stanine 9 contains the top 4% of test results.”
The scale score is the one that shows growth
Percentiles and stanines compare your child with other children. The scale score tracks your child’s own learning. ACER says: “Teachers can measure a student’s growth over time by looking at how their scale score increases from one testing period to the next.”
It goes further on stanines: “Stanines provide rankings but do not provide a reliable or useful measure of students’ learning growth.” And: “If a student’s scale score has increased, then they have improved in their learning, regardless of their percentile or stanine rank which only compares them with the norm.”
A few more things help when you read a report:
- Reading and Maths scores aren’t comparable. “A score on a Reading scale, for example, has no meaning on the Maths scale.”
- Year levels can overlap. “Students at different ages or year levels may achieve the same scale score, indicating they are at similar points in their learning.”
- Timing matters. ACER notes that students tested at the beginning of the year “would likely perform differently from those at the same level who are tested at the end of the year.”
Will I see my child’s PAT results?
That’s up to the school. ACER describes PAT as “specifically designed to help teachers and school leaders understand where students are in their learning”, and says “some schools may choose to share PAT results with students, parents and carers”. So not every school sends PAT results home.
If you’d like to know, ask. ACER’s advice to parents is: “Please contact your child’s school if you would like to discuss their PAT results. Remember that PAT reports are designed for teachers, so they may be difficult to fully interpret without guidance from your child’s teacher.” A parent–teacher interview is a good place to start.
Does my child need to prepare for PAT?
No. ACER says: “No special preparation for PAT is required or advised.” The test questions also stay with the school: ACER says its items “should not, under any circumstances, be provided to students outside of the testing environment.” So there are no official practice papers to buy or drill.
The best support is ordinary learning at home:
- Read together every day. Talk about the story: what happened, why, and what might happen next.
- Talk maths. Money, time, cooking and sharing are full of real problems. Our post on everyday maths talk has ideas.
- Keep test day ordinary. A good sleep and a calm “just do your best” are plenty.
PAT is one source of information among several. Your child’s school report shows how they are going against the curriculum: see how to read a Victorian school report.
Questions parents ask
What is a PAT test at school?
PAT, the Progressive Achievement Tests, are low-stakes tests made by ACER. PAT Reading and PAT Maths measure reading comprehension and maths from Years 1 to 10, and each takes about 40 minutes. They help teachers see where students are in their learning.
What does the PAT scale score mean?
The scale score is an estimate of where your child is in their learning progress. When it goes up from one test to the next, your child has grown in that learning area.
What is a stanine on a PAT report?
A stanine is a ranking from 1 to 9 that compares your child’s scale score with Australian students in the same year level. Stanine 5 is in the middle. ACER says stanines don’t measure learning growth.
Is PAT the same as NAPLAN?
No. ACER says there is no direct connection or alignment between PAT results and NAPLAN results, and the two use different scales and bands.
Can I see my child’s PAT results?
Some schools share PAT results with families and some don’t. Contact your child’s school if you’d like to discuss them, because PAT reports are designed for teachers.
How do I prepare my child for a PAT test?
You don’t need to. ACER says no special preparation for PAT is required or advised. Everyday reading and maths talk at home are the best support.
Sources
- PAT assessments, Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER)
- PAT: information for parents and carers, ACER
- Understanding your child’s PAT report, ACER
- How can I share information about PAT with students, parents and carers?, ACER
- Using results from PAT Reading Adaptive, ACER
- What are stanines?, ACER
- PAT Reading Australian norms, ACER
