Test Scores

Northside Catholic Academy students consistently exceed the national average in Terra Nova test scores in every subject. We are among the few area schools that test every student Grades 3 - 8 each year.
Why we use Terra Nova testing:
What makes the Terra Novas different from other standardized tests is that multiple assessments are part of the process. This means that the tests are not strictly multiple-choice. In every section - reading, math, language, science and social studies--students are given the opportunity to generate their own, written answers to open-ended questions. In these written answers, students are able to demonstrate their creative problem solving skills, as well as their proficiency at expressing their thoughts in writing. Results from the Terra Novas give us a snapshot of each child’s progress, and a general idea of the overall effectiveness of the curriculum. These results help us identify areas that students need to work on as well as areas of the curriculum that may need further development. Click here to read more about our testing philosophy.

The Terra Nova Testing is completely different than the ISAT which is used by Chicago Public Schools and cannot be compared. Also, the Terra Nova is nationally normed whereas the ISAT is normed by Illinois scores. Click here for the average scores of the Archdiocese of Chicago's 215 schools.

2011 NCA Terra Nova Test Scores 

Grade     Reading     Language     Math     Science     SocStud

3             77               81                87          83             83

4             75               81                86          78             87

5             78               74                83          87             73

6             75               77                82          71             78

7             84               90                92          84             90

8             83               89                80          80             85   

The above scores indicate how the average student at Northside Catholic Academy School ranked against the nation. For example, in Reading the average 8th grader at NCA ranked better than 83% of the 8th grade students nationally. (Keep in mind, the 50th percentile is average, and anything above the 58th percentile is significantly above average. So, NCA’s average students are well above average nationally! Great job, NCA!