Hi...
We moved in June 2011 from Napa, CA to Lexington, KY. A big reason for our move was that the schools are so much better here in Lexington. This was a big adjustment for our kids (DD 7th grade, DS 5th)...it was almost like skipping a grade for them.
My son (5th grade) recently received his Spring MAP scores. He scored 261 in math and 227 in reading. Because of the reading score, he does not qualify for the "accelerated cluster" middle school program, which is housed at a different school than the one he will attend. He will be placed in the advanced math class, so I guess I should be thankful for that, but....I'm really disappointed! The school he currently attends is very test score oriented (it's the best in town and they want to keep it that way). He gets 2 hours of homework every night, which has been very stressful to us all. Since he came to this school as a 5th grader, he has not had the advantage of being challenged to do his best the way those who have attended since kindergarten have.
His Dad and I feel that the stress of the move, the amount of homework, and the higher standards of his new school have crushed his love of reading. This is the first time ever that he has not scored "off the charts" in reading. And his reading score actually got lower with each MAP test this year.
There's a question in here somewhere! I guess my big concern is that he will not have another chance to get into the accelerated cluster now, and he really does belong there. His history of CA scores reflects this, but KY does not take out-of-state test scores into consideration. I don't think that he'll be challenged enough next year, even in the advanced math class (he's currently doing 7th grade math in his advanced math class).
Should we just accept this? Or should we try to get him re-tested for reading next year and see if he can transfer to the other school? Any advice and/or opinions would be greatly appreciated.
