Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy decline in standardized test scores

Would love some advice here on whether or not to panic over the following trend in dd12's state test scores. We just got her scores for the testing they did last fall. The scores below are so-called "scaled" scores- they can be compared from year to year, with increases providing a measure of individual growth.

Math:
4th grade: 650, this was the maximum score possible
5th grade: 612
6th grade: 580

I realize there are many possible explanations for this downward trend. The issue is that *some* of the possible explanations are worrisome, if unlikely. I am wondering whether to approach the school about this or whether they'll just think I'm a PITA - any advice on that??

Other background --
-she is generally having a great school year.
-She is taking Honors Algebra for math (3 years accelerated) and has been earning a strong A in that all year.
-Her reading scaled score on the state testing also dropped from 5th to 6th grade, with the 6th grade and 4th grade scores very close.
-Her school did MAP testing at the beginning of this school year (6th grade), and the math and reading scores were both 99%ile for 6th grade, and about 97%ile based on the 8th grade norms.

Maybe find out whate exactly is tested on the 6th grade math test she took and didn't do as well as you had hoped. Maybe she missed a few dumb things or a few concepts that you can teach her at home.
Our teacher sent everyone last year a little packet to do at home right before the STAR tests, which is our state test. I realized my then second grader, for some reason, thought that 2:30 on the clock was 1:30. So I got the clock out and went over that with him,a nd he aced the real STAR test.

Since your daughter is taking algebra, ask her if she is interested in taking the SAT this academic year or next. If she
does well on that and is getting good grades, I would not worry much about the state test scores.

If she is three years accelerated and being tested at "grade level," she may just be a bit rusty on some of the content. I know that this often is an issue for the kids in our gt program who are being tested on things that they haven't reviewed for a year or two. I've heard that this tends to be a bigger issue as they they advance, i.e. they know the concepts of geometry but can't recall formulas they haven't used in two years. Alternatively, she may be making mistakes because the material is too easy so she isn't close enough attention. Does your state give you any feedback about content areas that she missed (ours doesn't)?

Thanks! I am hoping the problem is that she is a bit rusty on the content they are testing for. They do give some breakdown into subtopics for the math scoring on the state test, but it is not quantitative. I don't think we can get our hands on the actual test or find out exactly what she missed, but I may inquire about that just to be sure.

My guess would be along the lines of what knute974 said. Wolf is doing the practice for the STAR test and he's a couple grades ahead in math and a bunch in language arts. It's really easy to see what EPGY hasn't gone over in awhile! He remembers as soon as we discuss it though, so I'm not really worried. I mean when you have a kid who is writing novels, basic stuff that was learned years ago isn't necessarily kept in the instant access area of the brain.