Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment If you request test results from the school.....

with the all the top testers ranks, but with their info blacked out do they have to give it to you or can they legally? They gave us our daughter's ranking, but we would just be curious to see them. We had been discussing grade advancement with the district and our last conversation was that she would have to rank number 1 on the NWEA in math and reading to consider it. She did not, but my husband is skeptical on the results unless they will show them to us not that he thinks she did for sure rank 1, but he just feels without being able to see them he doesn't trust it. He also felt that requirement was put there almost so it would be virtually impossible for her to do it and thus not having that on the table as they are strongly against advancement for grade or subject. Their theory is that they would have to advance all other students who ranked ahead of her. She is ranked 6 out of 370(I believe that is the total number of students) K students in the district. She is 189 in Reading(176 was her ealier score) and 186 in math(that score stayed the same as her winter score). I am surprised about the math b/c that is her strongest area. She is in the 99.9% ranking out of all K according to the coordinator. Thanks!!

I don't believe that they have to give you that information. As to whether they can give it to you, I'd suspect that they could give you her relative ranking but maybe not the exact scores of other students. I'm not much help!

I guess that I'm mostly posting b/c I agree that this sounds like the stupidest reason I've ever heard for saying no to a skip. It does sound like setting the bar at a place they hope she won't reach so they don't have to provide what you want. So what if they have to skip 5 or 6 kids? What if 5 or 6 kids need to be skipped?

Do you have any other data to support a skip such as group or individual achievement scores? Would the district GT coordinator be willing to help out or have you tried contacting him/her?

That is the GT coordinator I am dealing with, but we have had a couple of meetings so far. We have psychological testing that was done at Northwestern, but that was a short evaluation. She scored very high on that test.

They have differentiation in place that is not working anymore. They aren't following through on some points, such as weekly communication log(haven't had one in weeks when I finally called), the amount of what they were doing has decreased. If this was working I would be happy about next year b/c they are going to try to cluster her with a few kids that are testing high(though she wasn't sure which of the kids above her will stay at her school). They break off into 3 schools after K.

We are having a meeting in May with the 1-4th principal as well as her future teacher to write a plan for next year. Some of her suggestions are her testing out of each math chapter and getting other work in place. That the teacher will do small group instruction with the small group who tests out of the unit. She said we will discuss more ideas like that in May.

The "must be number one" rule doesn't make sense. At all.

I agree . Originally they were going to have her take the next level of the NWEA b/c they felt that the K version had a cap in place compared to the harder one. Then out of the blue I got a call from the super. telling me she would have to score two grade levels above for them even to consider it. I told them she already did, but he said he wanted these to support her first test. Then I get a call a week later saying they had her test that week, but with the K version b/c they decided she should be number 1 for them to consider it. I knew with those calls that a game was being played.

So sad and disappointing as this is a good district and once she is old enough for thier gifted program it is good. It is just from now to 3rd grade seems so far off and she is sooooo frustrated. Friday is the worst day of the week for her and she often melts down after school. She just tells us "she just wants to learn something". We work a lot with her at home, but she spends 6 hours a day at school. Plus she is a total perfectionist and a people pleaser. So I think she spends all day acting perfect, pretending to love school and then comes home and erupts b/c she feels safe venting with us. It has just gotten so bad over the last couple of weeks

On the NWEA k,1st and 2nd grade take the same test. MAP for primary grades.

For my son to skip kinder this fall and go to first grade, he must score over 90% on the spring (end of year) MAP for a K. For reading that means 170 and math 174. Using the same concept for you for skipping first grade, a 186 math is 76% and 189 in reading is 96%. Perhaps they are looking at the math at only 76%. A 90% math score is 192.

ETA.. the concept of MAP testing is if the child answers the question correctly the next question is harder. If they answer incorrectly the next is the same level or easier.

I understand how the Map test works and the different tests, my post must have been confusing.


In our district the K and 1st take the same test. B/c she was testing at a 2nd grade level they wanted her to take the next level(that they start in 2nd) of the test.



For the scores I have for the district she is in the 99.9% based on the peers in her district for K. With a 187 in math she is just above a Mean score of a middle of the year 2nd grader and 187 in reading just above a mean score for the middle of second. I am not sure that her math score is accurate reflection as she had the same score when she took it in the winter. That is her strong suit, so I think she maybe had an off day or something. I also think more than one thing needs to be used to evaluate grade/subject acceleration so that they cannot just look to that. To me it is a red flag that her score stayed the same that something was up.

Sometimes the teachers urge the kids to 'hurry up' and just say 'don't know' just to get the darn test to end because it can go on for so very long with high G kids.

Imagine how confused the AI would be if somehow your DD was sometimes able to 'intuit' the answer to 5th grade math questions, but since she hadn't been taught, she would sometimes answer wrong. Enter loop.

Not sure if the MAP 1-2 grade even has 5th grade questions, but at least theoretically, MAP can turn into a very very long test for highly gifted kids.

The bottom line is that any child that is scoring similar to your DD should be grouped with your DD for Math and it's a shame if they do all fly off to different schools. I know this is too idealistic, but it would be great if their could be a pilot program allowing her to be cluster grouped with those other high scoring kids.

In the long run it doesn't matter what the other kids score - only that your DD is suffering emotionally, and your family is suffering, and the plans need to be firmed up. Take some deep breaths and become the most polite and insistient PIA in world history.

Love and More Love,
Grinity

Just a few thoughts, a lot will depend on how much energy you have to spend advocating, and how aggressive you want to be.

Have you researched your district policy re: acceleration? Is there anything in writing. If you haven't already, you have to find this out.

It sounds to me that the super. is making it up at he (she) goes along. I would argue their standard is not evidence based and is arbitrary and capricious and does not provide an appropriate education for your child. Get a copy of a Nation Deceived and the Iowa Acceleration Scale and tell them they need to use research for their decisions (you can of course do this in a nice way). Point out that there are a number of factors that should be looked at in acceleration and scores are just one (using the IAS). Only using one criteria and holding one child back because the parents of others do not request it strikes me as completely irrational.

If necessary, I would argue this to the Board of Education if I had to. Possibly propose an acceleration policy if there is not one (problem with this is it might take longer than just getting accommodations for your child).

Keep us posted.

That is my thought Grinity...that she was rushed/bored just not in the mood that day. The fact they are using it as one of the only measures is suspect.

This was why the person in charge of doing the Map testing wanted her to take the next one. She felt that she may score much higher given the other one. I also agree about keeping them together. It would be such a great thing...for all the kids!