Math is another story. Her end-of-1st grade MAP scores put her in the 96th percentile: 202 (Spring 2012). Her Fall 2012 MAP Math scores put her in the 89th percentile: 194. Her most recent MAP Math, taken at the end of 2nd grade, put her in the 78th percentile: 201. Am I wrong or does this mean that DD has learned virtually no math in her 2nd grade year? I do believe that emphasis was placed on bringing up the struggling math students in her classroom this year, so I suspect DD spent the year in review mode at best.
Well, not necessarily. Looking at those scores, your dd's math score actually rose 7 points (194 to 201) from Fall to Spring this school year. Now her spring score from last year was actually 1 point higher (from 202 to 201) than this year but was there a similar pattern of a lower score from the previuos Fall? Could it be that her 1st grade teacher taught some higher level stuff that your DD easily picked up but then easily forgot over the summer? Some kids (like my own dd) learn math easily but does not necessarily retain everything that well.
On the other hand, 78th percentile (national or local?) does seem a bit low compared to the SCAT scores normed against 4th graders, even after you account for her age (8.5 versus many kids who take the 2nd grade SCAT at age 7.0 to 8.0). If expense is a concern, you may want to consider ALEKS, which is only $20 a month. That way, you can determine if she is missing anything from the 2nd grade curriculum and perhaps give her some prep with the 3rd grade curriculum.
