Curious, did the child take the MPG test in 2nd, or the 2-5 test?
2-5 test. I noticed something really odd about the test this year. Each year both my DD's have taken the test, in the following fall they maintained their reading (both are avid summer readers through the local library summer reading program). But this year, both DD's fall scores fell significantly. Older DD fell 10 points which was never seen before. Younger DD fell 7 points. Both taking the same 2-5 test that's been given at school since older DD was in 2nd grade (3 years now). I'm wondering if anyone else noticed something wonky like that with scores this year? We had never seen such a dramatic drop in scores before this school year.
how is she doing in school other than on MAP?
She got an F on the last reading test which concerned me. At this level they are allowed to make up tests which renders the official grades useless as so many corrections are allowed. From the combined classes of students (about 50 altogether), 7 students failed. DD and one of her friends both were in this group. The teacher had spent alot of time in class going over the unit (propaganda, bias, etc. as it relates to non-fiction, advanced reading) and the whole lesson flew over DD's head. Her teacher chalked it up to socializing during reading and has since moved her. I had to work with her for a week in order to get her up to speed. She kept saying she didn't understand. She took the test twice and passed the second time once I worked with her. Granted, she had never taken a written test like that before. But these sorts of corrections are not allowed in middle school. I don't even know why they are doing it in elementary. DD always has an A because "corrections" are allowed. Without that, she would be more of a B/B- student. With the F on that last test she would have a C.
Is the reading level possibly due to topping out at the school (since you mentioned they switch schools after 4th)?
No and that is what is unusual. DD's older sister went all the way up to level V with this same teacher. No stagnation at all. While younger DD seems to have regressed. But she is not receiving the same amount or quality of instruction older DD did. About half as much. The class was entirely changed this year in format compared to what older DD received last year. She doesn't have her assigned teacher for reading, she has another teacher who is co-teaching.
Was the Iowa Acceleration Scale (IAS) utilized to assess for the likeliness of a successful grade skip?
No. As far as I know no testing was done. I do not know how DH was able to do this behind my back. He had many conversations with the school and with the staff which I was not involved in. Should there have been some type of testing? Isn't this required? What types of metrics determine success? Shouldn't this process be more formalized? I can find so little about the formal process of grade skipping. I will be reading through the link you provided.
Some may say that because your daughter is happy, is earning As, has two friends, and the school is caring and supportive enough to have matched-up these potential friends... the grade skip is successful.
Earning A's with "corrections" and at what cost? I know others place alot of value on socialization, but in my experience, I am more concerned with outcomes. A person has a lifetime to make a friend. Unless a kid is miserable, which DD never complained about before, I feel this is overrated. What concerns me is that it seems in this district where you start at 4th grade is where you will also be in 5th grade. There is no period of "high growth" on the horizon that I can see so far.
I know the middle school environment because older DD is already there. She is in an advanced class and has had zero growth as well for the first semester. She has read no books at all this year at her Lexile and the school uses the Achieve 3000 software for instruction. This is it for next year. I don't expect younger DD will move up in any way with this. Older DD hasn't. There are no reading groups, etc. It is self-guided through the Achieve 3000 software.
And while DD may do OK in this type of environment and "get by", she will never be a top student. There is no way she can compete with those students much more astute than herself in a large district where there are alot of advanced students coming in at the middle school level without massive after schooling which DD is loathe to do.
Myself, I never would have been happy with graduating in the middle of my class. Both DH and I were in the top percentile of our own classes.
To see DD in this position as an 85% student in any grade is horrible for me. This to me is failure. I never had 85% in school and DH never did as well.
Some kids will plateau for awhile, only to jump back to grade level expectations (or above) out of nowhere.
While I do believe this in earlier grades, I feel once a child starts middle school the die is cast on placement without massive work outside of school. Kids in the low math classes don't suddenly jump to the high classes. I feel the same with other subjects. In fact, my sister who sat on the board at her school and I were just talking about how difficult it is to get out of a low placement situation in middle school. DH feels DD can "catch up" on reading but from what I've read, after 3rd grade, the gaps only get wider. It seems true with the current stagnation. DD can't catch up to 4th graders who are already advanced and maybe themselves should have been grade accelerated.
