A Normal-Curve Equivalent (NCE) is a way of standardizing scores on a normal distribution with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 21.06. NCEs are used in education to compare student performance across different tests and grade levels.
Key features of NCEs include:
- Range: NCEs range from 1 to 99, corresponding to percentile ranks.
- Equal intervals: Unlike percentile ranks, NCEs have equal intervals, allowing for arithmetic operations.
- Conversion: They can be converted to and from percentile ranks and standard scores.
- Comparability: NCEs facilitate comparisons between different tests and across time.
NCEs are particularly useful in tracking student growth over time and in program evaluation. However, they can be less intuitive for parents and students to understand compared to percentile ranks or raw scores.
