Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy NWEA Test Results -- what about no growth?

We just received our sons NWEA scores and found that he showed no growth in math or reading over the last TWO test periods (first half second grade and second half second grade). His RIT score for Math is 197, and Reading 202. Is this unusual? Should we be concerned? At what point do you start to suspect that he needs to be challenged more in class? He has told me that "he already knows the stuff" and class is boring. The teacher told me (unsolicited) that she did not suspect he was gifted as gifted children usually find ways to be interested in class, even if they already know the material. WOuld love some advie, just not sure how big a deal to make of this. Otherwise, he is happy and socially outgoing, no issues at home... thanks for any/all feedback!

I think this is an indication that he is not getting an opportunity to learn *anything* at school. It seems that he started out the year near the 95th percentile for second grade, and simply stayed there. I would be calling for more challenge, pronto. Are you doing anything with him in reading and math at home? That can sometimes be a short-term solution, particularly if the social fit with age peers is good and your child is otherwise happy at school.

I think it doesn't say much for the teacher that she thinks it is okay to simply not teach anything to a child in her class. Your son should have the opportunity for instruction which allows him to make at least a year's worth of progress in a year. Her comment which stated that if he were *really gifted*, he would find a way to make classwork interesting when it teaches him nothing is, IMO, completely inappropriate and shows a profound lack of knowledge about giftedness and a profound disrespect for children. How is it remotely okay for her to waste his time like this?

That said, if your son is going to remain at this school, you need to be diplomatic in how you raise this issue, and communicate with a focus on how you can help the school solve *their* concerns and problems with respect to providing additional challenge. Don't use the word "bored", BTW - you can say that he feels distressed or left out that he doesn't have a chance to learn new things like the other children do, that it is affecting his self-esteem - but "bored" seems to be interpreted as a child wanting or expecting to be entertained.

Go in with a clear idea of what you believe he needs, and with ways for the school to give him that that are free or low cost, and which do not require the teacher to do significant additional work. Could you provide the teacher with more challenging workbooks for your son to do in class? You could even offer to score them so all the teacher has to do is record the grades. Could he go to the next grade up for reading and math time, while still staying officially in the same grade? These are some options that might address the issues you see that would not require any real effort or expense on the part of the school.

Yup. ...what Aculady said. You might also start asking if there is a gifted program and read up on how kids get in...which tests are done when....I know plenty of bored gifted kids as it is a personality thing. I also know some gifted kids who do keep themselves intrested in school by causing all manner of mischief. Ill bet you remember some of those.
Wink
Grinity

Thanks you so much! I am meeting with the teacher next week, and I do think I need to spend more time researching what a good "game plan" should be. We are at a small catholic school, so there is no "gifted" programming available per se, but in the teachers' defense, she has really gone above and beyond in providing challenging work for the kids. They (as a 2nd grade group) are exceptionally bright -- so she has taken note and started a math league where a subset of the kids (but really almost a majority of them) meet an hour before school once a week to work on accelerated math, and she has also adjusted her math curriculum so that they are now doing mostly what would be considered 3rd grade work. I guess that is why I am so baffled by the lack of growth given the fact that he is really in a pretty ideal teaching dynamic, especially in comparison with previous years? There is a "Title 1" teacher at the school who meets with kids who are having a hard time keeping up. I am not familiar with Title 1, but maybe that is a resource that the school should be employing for the kids that are adequately challenged as well? I also think that your suggestion to augment at home might be the most realistic solution. Thanks again for your post, any additional ideas are very welcome!!

I just remembered that there are 2 versions of the Map.Perhaps the lack of growth is due to using the test for k through 2? If the test is only meant to measure throught 2nd grade there is no way to measure a childs actual level. Good news is that the other MAP is much more flexible and goes all the way to 8th I think. Inky? Can you help?

The basic point is that if I were teaching something, I would stary by evaluating the learning goals and then I would carefully observe which goals each individual learner had already accomplished and then I would formulate a plan to use what is known to reach the remaining goals. Then I would evaluate how things are going and be willing to make chances to my plan. This is because I'm an untrained amature working alone.

From observation teachers appear to be using a different paradyme. It is great that this teacher recognizes that this group needs something different but it is possible that she isn't using the information that the MAP results give about 'what to teach next." Bottom line is that your kid is bored so that plus the lack of measurable growth suggestd something has to change. If the older version of the MAP was used ask what they suggested your son next needs to learn. See if this sounds reasonable.

Peace
Grinity

Like Grinity said, some of it could be the difference between the preliminary MAP and standard MAP. Our schools use preliminary MAP for K&1 and switch to standard MAP in 2nd grade.

As far as what he's ready to learn next, here is a link to the learning ladders that can help:

http://www.powayusd.com/projects/edtechcentral/lladder/Default.asp

These links also have practice for Math and Reading:
http://www.sowashco.k12.mn.us/ro/Pages/studentlinks/map/reading.htm
http://www.sowashco.k12.mn.us/ro/Pages/studentlinks/map/

Here's what NWEA has to say about negative growth:
http://www.nwea.org/support/article/554/negative-growth

With no RIT growth, he's not staying at the 95th % but actually moving down to around 82% for math and 89% reading (page 141 & 151):
http://pickens.it.schoolfusion.us/m...ssionid=14d1e9266e4482d198ebc39c6e6bc9c3

That would concern me but it sounds good that the teacher is adjusting the math curriculum. Title I is more for economically disadvantaged kids who aren't scoring proficient on the state tests for NCLB so I don't think that will help him.

There may be some learned underachievement going on. How does he act when you give him work that requires him to think and not know the answer right away?

I would say this is almost universally NOT true, and more so the higher you get into gifted. Would they say that "average" children would usually find ways to be interested in material they learned two or three years ago? Would high school students find a way to be interested if they were placed in an elementary classroom?