We just had a discussion with our son's gifted specialist at his school (at year's end). Our son is 9, almost 10, and finishing 4th grade at our local public school. His MAP test scores were 240 in reading and 255 in math in the spring (99th percentile for both). I'm having trouble interpreting those scores a bit and knowing what they mean in terms of grade-level ability. He's headed to a new school (a 5/6 upper elementary) in the fall, and I'm wondering how to advocate for him. In all honesty, we've sort of let him move through elementary school with the resources provided - some pull-out enrichment with two very talented gifted specialists. He was pushed up to high reading group in first grade when he was still in kindergarten, but it did seem that some of the other kids caught up enough to at least have some peers in reading by the end of second grade. I'm not sure he's ever really had peers at his school in math. We've always known he was bright and when he was 3-4 yrs old, I had the "just what are we dealing with" moment, but I've sort of pushed it aside for the past 5 yrs. The gifted specialist really brought us back to reality - saying she wasn't sure that he would be adequately challenged (or that he even could be) at the next school. I don't think there's any way we can pull him out of the system - he loves school (mostly - except for our state standardized tests and the prep involved), and he has good friends, and is looking forward to playing an instrument next year and soccer, etc.
Any suggestions on 1) what the MAP testing really means and 2) general suggestions on navigating the transition to 5th grade would be appreciated
