On Alaska's AK STAR (and, through 2019, PEAKS) tests, Grade 9 ELA is reported on a scale from 1450 to 1850 (2023 to 2025), and each score falls into one of 4 performance levels. Reaching Proficient, at 1619 or above, is the state's proficiency line.
The score ranges changed during these years, so each period has its own table below, newest first.
From 2023, Grade 9 ELA has new cut scores.
| Level | Score range | What it means | Statewide 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Needs Support | 1450–1589 | The lowest level, well below the state standard | 43% |
| Approaching Proficient | 1590–1618 | Approaching the state standard | 27% |
| Proficient | 1619–1667 | Meeting the state standard (the proficiency line) | 24% |
| Advanced | 1668–1850 | The highest level, above the state standard | 7% |
From 2022, Grade 9 ELA has a new score scale (1450 to 1850) and new level names, so a score from before 2022 is not directly comparable to one from 2022 on. Percentiles are, because each year is compared with its own students.
| Level | Score range | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Needs Support | 1450–1599 | The lowest level, well below the state standard |
| Approaching Proficient | 1600–1628 | Approaching the state standard |
| Proficient | 1629–1673 | Meeting the state standard (the proficiency line) |
| Advanced | 1674–1850 | The highest level, above the state standard |
| Level | Score range | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Far Below Proficient | 400–470 | The lowest level, well below the state standard |
| Below Proficient | 471–499 | Approaching the state standard |
| Proficient | 500–534 | Meeting the state standard (the proficiency line) |
| Advanced | 535–600 | The highest level, above the state standard |
Statewide in 2025, about 31% of the students counted for Grade 9 ELA reached Proficient or Advanced. The bar above shows the share at each level (left = lowest).
These numbers are the Alaska public school students in grade 9 tested in ELA and math, and in grade 10 tested in science, by the school where they tested: PEAKS and the older science test in 2018 and 2019, AK STAR and the Alaska Science Assessment from 2022. Alaska hides a group's whole row when it is small; the statewide figures add up the district reports, since Alaska publishes no statewide breakdown by level.
More on who is counted, and how: see how we count.
A score's meaning depends on where it lands in the ranges above, and on how it compares to other students who took the same test. Our free tool turns a Grade 9 ELA score into an estimated percentile versus the school, district and the whole state, so you can see where a score stands, not just its level.
Look up a Grade 9 ELA percentile →