How are Khan Academy assessments scored?

For Beta and Live assessments, student performance is reported as both a score and a performance level. Khan Academy Interim Assessments use three performance levels to classify student performance:

• Beginning (Lowest): Students have some foundational skills but are performing below grade-level expectations. They demonstrate limited understanding of grade-level standards and require considerable instructional support to build toward proficiency.
• Approaching (Middle): Students have a good grasp on some grade-level standards, but have not yet achieved consistent performance across all expectations. They are approaching grade-level proficiency and need targeted support to address remaining gaps.
• Demonstrating (Highest): Students demonstrate proficiency across the full range of grade-level standards. They consistently meet, or exceed, expectations and can independently apply their knowledge and skills in various contexts.

How scores work

Scores are calculated using Item Response Theory (IRT), a statistical scoring approach that accounts for the difficulty of each question a student answers, rather than just counting correct answers. This is part of why the assessments can adapt to each student, while still producing scores that are comparable across different students and test forms.

Scores for assessments within each subject (Math and ELA) are placed on the same continuous scale (about 300–900), though each individual assessment has its own range of possible scores. Each assessment also has two cut scores — marking where the Approaching and Demonstrating levels begin — set by groups of subject matter experts (teachers, curriculum specialists, and administrators) in each subject through a process called Standard Setting.

A note on Explain Your Thinking and short response questions

We're currently evaluating the use of AI to help score Explain Your Thinking conversations and short response questions. AI is not currently used for scoring. EYT Conversations and Short Responses are not yet factored into a student's reported score.

Score ranges and cut scores by assessment

To see how these scores show up in your reports, visit the following articles:

• How can teachers use interim assessment performance reports? or
• How can administrators use interim assessment performance reports?