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District presenter: new NWEA norms change how DeWitt's winter benchmarks compare nationally
Summary
A presenter told the board that updated 2025 NWEA norms raise national percentile baselines, which makes DeWitt's test results look improved relative to peers; the district reported steady or modest gains in reading, math and SAT performance.
A district assessment presenter reviewed winter NWEA benchmark data and warned the board that recently updated national norms (the 2025 norms) shift percentile baselines, changing year-to-year comparisons. The presenter said the updated norms were calculated from post‑pandemic data and that a student who previously ranked in the middle percentiles may now be scored higher relative to the new national distribution.
Using quintile displays and a geometric-mean summary across metrics, the presenter said DeWitt has generally held ground and in some cases gained a few percentage points in reading and math relative to national peers. "You'll see a jump here," the presenter said, noting the change reflects the new norms rather than a sudden local performance surge.
The presenter compared DeWitt with state peer buckets and local-area districts and said DeWitt ranked first or near the top on several measures of reading and math when using available public comparisons. He also reviewed SAT trends, noting that concentrated efforts in 2024 produced a bump in SAT scores for DeWitt students even as statewide performance dropped.
Board members asked how the district will depict norms going forward; the presenter said staff will likely create a new chart to display scores using the 2025 norms so that future comparisons are apples-to-apples. He closed by stressing that the observed changes reflect both the district's efforts and a broader national shift in testing norms.
The board did not take action on assessment policy during the presentation, but staff said additional slides and data would be posted online for board review.
