Scientific Vocabulary
Report

What this report shows

SVKPI ranks students by their Scientific Vocabulary Index (SVI), a score from 0 to 100 for how well a student knows and uses the words of science. The table lists the top 25 students who match the filters, ranked first by the hardest vocabulary quiz level they have taken, then by SVI, so a high score on the easiest quiz alone does not outrank a strong score across every level. A student with no vocabulary-quiz answers and less than 40 words of writing in the chosen period has no SVI and is not listed. Students with no grade on their profile, or one we can't read (for example a year such as “2025”), are not listed either, and they don't count toward anyone's percentile.

Where the SVI comes from

Two signals, both taken only from things the student did on Rainflower:

1. Knows the words (receptive), 60% of the SVI. Answers on the five Scout Words of Science vocabulary quizzes. For each question we take the student's best answer, then weight it by difficulty, so a hard question counts more than an easy one (difficulty 2, 3 or 5). The result is the share of difficulty-weighted points they earned, 0 to 100. Practice attempts do not count.
2. Uses the words (productive), 40% of the SVI. The student's own writing: their blog posts and the questions they ask Thunder. We need at least 40 words. We look for terms from Rainflower's scientific word list (158 terms, each tagged with the grade at which a strong student is expected to command it, from grade 9 up to first-year university). Each distinct term counts once, weighted by its level: a grade-9 word such as measure is worth 1 point, a university word is worth 5. Forty points is a full score of 100.

SVI = 60% receptive + 40% productive, or the receptive score alone if that is higher. Writing is a bonus: it can raise a student's SVI but never lower it, so taking part in writing is never a disadvantage. A student with only one of the two signals gets that one as their SVI. The “Score evidence” column shows the quiz questions answered (Qs), the hardest level taken (Lvl) and the science terms found in their writing. Point at it for the full detail, including when writing was left out because it would have lowered the score.

The columns

• Current grade: the grade the student entered on their profile, shown as they typed it. A dash if they haven't set it.
• SVI: the score described above, 0 to 100.
• Percentile: the share of other scored students ranked below this student in the same period, using the same order as the table (hardest level taken, then SVI). 90 means the student is ahead of 90% of the other students.
• Equivalent grade: the grade whose vocabulary this SVI matches, measured against the expectations of top school systems (Singapore, the US and the UK). The cut-offs: under 30 is grade 8, under 43 grade 9, under 56 grade 10, under 69 grade 11, under 81 grade 12, under 91 university year 1, and 91 or more university year 2+. The equivalent grade can't go higher than the hardest quiz level the student has taken shows: Level I tops out at grade 9, Level II at grade 10, Level III at grade 11 and Level IV at grade 12. Level V unlocks the university grades.
• Band: equivalent grade compared with current grade. Exceptional is 2 or more grades ahead, Advanced 1 ahead, On track the same grade, Approaching 1 behind, Emerging 2 or more behind. Incomplete means the level the student has taken holds their equivalent grade below their own grade: they need to take a harder level before we can tell.

Time periods

All time uses everything a student has ever done. This month, Last month and Year count only quiz answers and writing from inside that calendar period (UTC), and the percentiles compare students within that same period. A short period has fewer students and less evidence each, so scores move more from month to month.

What it is and isn't

The equivalent grade is a curriculum benchmark based on our word list and quizzes. It is not a standardized test, and we do not test students in other countries. Treat it as a guide to who is growing and who needs encouragement. The figures are recalculated at most every 15 minutes.

Students who chose not to appear in public lists on Rainflower are left out of this report.