The issue gets even more interesting when I look at students who jumped two levels, such as Bonnie, whose score dropped more than 10 points. Bonnie rarely does her homework and needs constant pressure to do her work in class. But I have applied that pressure, and I know she has learned. My guess is that the new level was too hard. Although I can't say for sure what the problem was for any of these kids, I have noticed that most students who skip a level show a decline.
More scores raise more questions.
There's Becky, who was in tears last fall when the DALT ranked her in the first percentile in reading. My colleague pointed out her 90th percentiles in language and math. Maybe she skipped a question and was on the wrong line for the rest of the test. Or perhaps she was in the wrong section of the booklet. In any case, we all knew she could read well and that the score must be mistaken.