For most of us, the thought of being evaluated by someone we haven't met using a set of standards we don't know quite know is not something we are used to. In fact, many teachers and families purposely seek out Catholic education because we do not place a heavy emphasis on standardized testing, unlike our public school counterparts. But while our freedom from national testing requirements allows us greater flexibility to rely on innovative teaching and learning methods, there is no doubt that we recognize the importance of purposeful standardized testing at planned intervals that do not interfere with the curriculum.
Parents with children at Catholic elementary schools, and those considering making the switch from public middle schools to Catholic secondary schools, are by now well aware of one instance of standardized testing that remains integral to Catholic education. Commonly known as the "COOP Test" or simply "the COOP," the Cooperative Admissions Examination is independently created and scored and used by secondary schools throughout the Diocese of Paterson and the Archdiocese of Newark to evaluate candidates for admission across seven areas. These areas, known as subtests, are aligned to the New Jersey Core Content Curriculum Standards, and allow schools to compare the academic qualifications of diverse pools of applicants from an even more diverse pool of schools statewide. The subtests include: sequences, analogies, quantitative reasoning, verbal reasoning - words, verbal reasoning - context, reading and language arts, and mathematics.
Understanding Scoring
Unlike the everyday tests we commonly see in school, standardized tests like the COOP are scored in ways that may be unfamiliar to families, and sometimes even difficult to understand. Whereas we normally think of a test score resulting from the ratio of questions answered correctly to the total number of questions, the COOP test and other tests like it are actually able to pinpoint a student's performance as compared to the expected performance of another student his or her age. Though all students are of course unique, standardized test makers are able to account for such differences by repeatedly giving their tests to many groups of students over a long period of time. Using complex statistical measures, test makers eventually collect enough data about a wide range of students to be able to accurately predict how a student should perform given his or her age and grade level.
Scale Scores vs. Percentile Scores
If your child took the most recent administration of the COOP, you will soon receive a score report from your elementary school. This report offers the same information that is released to the high schools to which your child will apply, and it will offer both scale scores and percentile scores. Scale scores provide information about how many questions your child answered correctly and will allow you to compare your child's actual performance with the expected performance of a similar student, as explained in the section above. Percentile scores, on the other hand, provide information about how your child performed when compared to other students in the same group of test takers. Percentile scores essentially tell you how many students in the same testing group scored lower than your child, and they may range from the lowest score percentile of 1 to the highest percentile of 99.
Local and National Percentile
Your score report will make note of two different percentile ranks: the national percentile and the local percentile. Just as it sounds, the national percentile rank is determined by comparing the individual student's scale score with data from other students in the same group across the entire country. Similarly, the local percentile rank is derived from comparing the student's scale score with data from other local test takers in the same group across the Diocese of Paterson and the Archdiocese of Newark.
Total Battery Score
Your score report will also provide information about your child's total battery score. To reach the total battery score, your child's scores in the sequences, analogies, quantitative reasoning, and verbal reasoning subtests are collapsed into one score (known as the total ability score) and then combined with the collapsed scores in the reading/language arts and mathematics subtests (known as the total achievement score).
COOP Preparation
The best way to prepare for the COOP is simply to be aware of its importance throughout elementary school. Because the exam is designed to measure skills which ought to have been developed cumulatively throughout the elementary school years, it is difficult (if not nearly impossible) to "cram" for such a test. There are, however, some strategies test takers may utilize to help boost their scores.
Study Guides and Practice Tests
The test publishers have released some sample questions and brief practice tests students may use to get a feel for what the test will actually be like. These free resources are limited, but helpful nevertheless. One of those sample tests is included in the resources at the end of this post. For more extensive preparation materials, we recommend searching on a site like Amazon, which has several prep books on sale for around $10. These guides usually include a combination of study tips and reference materials as well as practice tests you may use to test your skills and gauge your progress. Test prep books are useful on their own, or may be used in conjunction with a tutor who has knowledge of the exam.
Registration & Test Administration
COOP Exam registration may be completed using the paper form or online at www.coopexam.org. Traditionally, students in the Archdiocese of Newark will register through their elementary schools using the paper form. Students in the Diocese of Paterson, on the other hand, will be responsible for their own registration. We recommend these students register and submit payment online for a more streamlined experience.
In the past, registration for the exam has opened online in early September for the single test date in November. It is important to pay close attention to deadlines and dates, not only because there will be only one test date, but also to avoid additional fees when signing up for the test. To learn more about timelines and fees, please visit the COOP website. You may also sign up for email updates from the Office of Admissions to be alerted of important test related news.
Interested in learning more about the test? Check out our roundup of free resources and guides available here!
Stay tuned for an upcoming post explaining how test results are used in the Admissions process. Never miss another post! Sign up for blog post alerts today.