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DS-almost-7 is in 2nd with a math acceleration to 3rd grade (skipped K). He was placed in a 2nd grade daily RTI group (in addition to the 3rd grade math daily) because they thought that they could challenge him sufficiently there. His 3rd grade math teacher thought he could use more practice speeding up his addition and subtraction facts and that this could be done in the 2nd grade RTI group. So, he has to get 100% right on three addition tests (100 problems in 5 minutes) in order to move on to the subtraction test, and then do the same in order to move on to the multiplication test and so on. (BTW: the goal for 2nd grade is only 80% right on these tests by the end of the year.)

They only take one timed test a week, spending the rest of the week doing simple addition and sequencing activities that are way too easy for DS. Since I learned that he needed to pass these tests in order to actually get work at his level, I had DS spend 5 minutes a day doing a timed fact test, and within 3 days he was getting 100% correct every time he took it. He had always known the facts and just needed to practice getting faster with it.

So, the problem is that since they only take the timed test once a week and he has to get three perfect tests, it will be a minimum of 3 weeks before he can move on to subtraction and then a minimum of 3 weeks until he can move on to multiplication. In the meantime, he has to spend all his RTI math time doing math that is far below his readiness level. I guess I should add that multiplication facts are what he should be working on now since he knows his 1s, 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, 10s, and 11s multiplication facts.

Should we just suck it up and go with the flow and have him spend the next 3 weeks working on addition when he knows it easily or should we say something to his teacher to let him know that he's ready to move beyond addition facts and see if maybe they can make an exception to the 3-test rule? I feel like we're always asking why things are so easy for him and can they make it more challenging (math, reading, writing, spelling . . . ). I don't want to them to get the impression that we're pusing him, especially because DS is saying how easy everything is. But they don't seem to have a contingency plan that accounts for him learning things quickly.

Any thoughts on what I should do?

I vote talk to the teacher!

I think it is important to consider the difference between whether a student knows their math facts and how fast they can spit them out, i.e. I am speaking out for those who have slow processing speeds, like a couple of my kids, one in particular who could never have finished the 100 facts in 5 minutes at that age - more like 8 or 9 minutes - yet obviously knew the times table as well and soon thereafter was calculating simple exponents in his head. He has obvious mathematical talent, he's performing about 2-3 grade levels above his age, and yet his slow processing speed (as documented on the WISC) means timed tests can be huge problems for him. Fortunately his teacher understands this.

If you are certain your son knows his addition facts (and it sounds like he does - try the 100-problem worksheet untimed), I think it is counterproductive to require them to be completed within a certain time, and a shame that the teacher/school is holding him back from learning concepts due to timed tests on computation. (another example - my other ds, the twin brother of the one I mentioned above, is in a classroom where the teacher does do timed tests, but she does NOT hold him back from learning new concepts - the timed tests are just something they work on in addition to the concepts/alongside the concepts).

Also, I'd question the double-standard of requiring 100% vs 80%.

this article may help http://mathsolutions.com/documents/9781935099031_message18.pdf (there are a couple of citations at the end of this article as well that may be helpful if you end up in a situation where you need to prove your case)

As for how to approach this situation, I don't have any answers - I'm terrible at confrontation, especially teachers - I'd probably first try to have a casual conversation with the teacher. I might say things like "my understanding, from what I've read about timed tests, is...."

We had to do these tests too. Still do. In 2nd grade, we needed one right at 100% (100 prob. in 5 min.) to move on. Problem was, we moved all the way through addition, sub., mult. and division before the year was over. There wasn't much way around it. I finally told DD, it was good practice. DD skipped 3rd and went into 4th this yr. They do mult. and division timed tests this yr (not nearly as freq. as last year.) The only thing is, you don't pass (in other words, if you get 100% you still have to stay with mult. the whole quarter, then division the whole second. quarter and count it as an easy A, I guess.) I really don't get why they put so much emphasis on speed. I am all for knowing your facts and knowing them well, but how fast you can do it is pointless, in my eyes. I just ignore the tests now and don't bother. They just seem to be a part of what is required so we suck it up. I would be more concerned with being challenged where it really counts. We weren't at all, which is why we pushed for an overall skip. We got it and guess what.... we still aren't challenged! HOWEVER, we are in a better place than we would have been without a skip though. Just figure out what is more important, challenge overall? If so, can you overlook the time tests and focus on approp. challenge across the board?

Thanks for the responses so far. I think I got too wordy in my original post (I have a terrible tendency to that) and may have made my real question too murky.

DS has been able to add and subtract in his head (including 20 digit numbers) since he was 3.5 or 4ish. So, he's known his facts well for quite some time and when I compared him to his classmates last year (when I worked in his classroom) I could see that he knew them much more quickly than the other kids. So I'd never worried about speed. But, apparently, both his 3rd grade math teacher and his regular 2nd grade teacher wanted him to be able to do the 100 problems in five minutes.

When I learned this, I printed out some 100 problem/5 minutes worksheets at home and had him do one a day. Within 4 days he was able to do them easily. Yesterday, he scored his first 100% on the timed addition test. BUT, the rule is that kids have to get 100% THREE TIMES before they can move to subtraction and then subsequently on to multiplication.

So, since they know that DS is good at math, do you think it is within my rights to ask that he not have to get 100% THREE times (and thus spend 2 more weeks on simple addition) or do you think we just have to play by the rules? Is the teacher going to roll his eyes and think, "There they go again asking for special accomodations!"

I think I'd pick my battles, unless you think it's going to be a huge issue for him.

I don't know the answer there, but I have the same issue with my DD's reading. (They have to read 5 AR books at one grade level before they move to the next, and DD didn't realize that any out-of-level book reset the clock, plus the AR software has been down for the last 2 weeks so she's been reading but the books haven't counted, plus they're limited in how many tests they can take in any period. I've been really wanting to say "She's aced the tests on the next-level books she accidentally got - just let her move to that level," but have so far managed to keep my mouth shut.)

So if my kid were your kid, I'd probably wait. My 7yo is a slow writer, and it takes her 5 1/2 minutes just to write the number of digits in the answers to 100 addition problems, and 8-9 minutes to solve and write. If it were her in that same situation, I'd be lobbying for the teachers to agree that math acceleration did not mean "do both 2nd grade and 3rd grade math." Fortunately for us, her teacher uses a 10-minute standard, and volunteered that she didn't think DD would ever be able to meet the 5-minute standard due to writing speed.

Nice suggestion MON - very smooth...
Waiting is likely to be ok, and behind the scenes advocating is likeley to be ok as well - no wrong answers here.
Smiles,
Grinity

Okay, turns out DS ended up getting a 99%, not 100%, on his timed test because he made a small mistake. So, he's essentially still at the beginning. I think I've come up with a plan, though, that I will try to casually mention the next time I see one of his teachers. Since 3rd grade math has begun to work on multiplication and will in January, I think, start testing on multiplication facts, I will ask that he be allowed to discontinue the addition and subtraction timed tests at that point. I just feel like if he's having to focus on addition and subtraction still at that point (purely because he has to get at least 3 perfect addition tests and 3 perfect subtraction tests, which will take at least 6 more weeks from now, and not because he doesn't know his facts) that it will interfere with his being able to concentrate on memorizing his multiplication facts. Of course, he already knows at least half of his multiplication facts, but still.

Does that solution seem like a reasonable thing to request?

I agree... I think you should choose your battles. Like I was trying to say before, figure out what the top priority is (getting out of proving mastery 3X, or focus on challenge level overall.) If you can focus on challenge level overall, then perhaps the issue with the 3X rule will disappear. My take, with my child was, regardless where we were at, the rule was the rule and didn't go away so we focused our energy on the overall challenge level vs. that small part.

GOOD LUCK!