The z-score measures how many standard deviations a specific data point is away from the mean. It is calculated using the formula:
$ z = \frac{X - \mu}{\sigma} $
Where:
Substitute the given values into the z-score formula:
$ z = \frac{12 - 16}{4} $
First, calculate the difference between the score and the mean:
$ 12 - 16 = -4 $
Next, divide this difference by the standard deviation:
$ z = \frac{-4}{4} $
$ z = -1 $
The student's z-score is -1. This means the student scored 1 standard deviation below the mean.