Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Second thoughts on middle school math

DD11's spring MAP scores just came in. She's at 164 264 - a 20-point jump from her winter score - with no particular supplementation at home, and 5th grade Singapore Math at school.

Does anyone know if MAP math scores actually reflect curriculum content in middle/high school math? Does this mean that she actually knows Alg I, since she's above 90th percentile for end-of-course scores, or does it mean she knows general math as well as someone finishing Alg I?

We were planning to let her slide into our public middle's advanced option, which means doing pre/post tests on 6th grade material, and lectures/homework on 7th grade material during the units she tests out of. This would fill any gaps she has (we know they existed a couple months ago!) and set her up for honors Alg I in 7th, then Geo/AlgII in 8th. It would let her be in a class with her own grade all the way through high school, which she would prefer.

Based on this score, is this plan a mistake?

I realize it's one number, from one test, on one day. It's just a startling number.

Do you mean MAP score of 264?

Yes.

164 is an odd score for MAP math test (should be around 230ish for 90% @grade5, and around 240ish for 90% @grade6).

90% @grade5 = 77% @grade6 = 65% @grade7
90% @grade6 = 80% @grade7 = 70% @grade8

In that sense, remember to lower your expectation after skip.

To my knowledge, MAP tests (on math) are separated into K-1, 2-5 and 6-8. So no matter how high your kid's score, not much algebra would be tested for grade 2-5. My DS11 just tested a month ago. He anticipated some tough algebra and geometry problems, but none showed up. So it seems like MAP @grade5 only reflect elementary curriculum.

Kids who master the material in Singapore math can do quite well on standardized tests. A kid who is doing well with Singapore 5 can easily skip 6 and move directly into prealgebra (or even algebra).

I wouldn't make a placement decision based on one test score unless that test score reflects what you already know about your child's achievement. That you're surprised about the score makes me think that additional testing might be helpful. However, for a strong math student, the advanced track you've described sounds like a good one.

Whoops. 264. I meant 264. And the test version is grade 6+.
But it's very helpful to know that MAP isn't trying to assess curriculum past 'middle school math.'
I wouldn't be surprised in the least if anyone had been trying to teach to her level in the last 4 months; I'm only surprised because I don't think anyone has. But I didn't know that Singapore comes with particularly strong test scores; that makes sense.

Thanks.

My son same age also had a huge jump with little extra help. Could something be off? Our school uses 250 for min to take a pre algebra test that could allow them to go directly to algebra. Does anyone know geometry qualifications

20 points is a large jumpb but I think your plan is still good. It sounds like your DD will get to test out of 6th grade math and basically do pre-algebra in the fall. For what it's worth, my DS started pre-algebra with a similar MAP score.

By the way, I don't think a 264 MAP score means that she has mastered Algebra I. It's still a multiple choice computer test that covers a lot of ground. For example, I think DS was able to guess some of the basic trigonometric questions even before he covered Sine, Cosine, Tangent, etc. in the basic trigonometry chapter in his pre-algebra book. (Actually, pre-algebra is a misnomer and that name is being changed in our district since "pre-algebra" actually covers introduction to Algebra, Geometry as well as a bit of trigonometry)