Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment NWEA Reading RIT Score

Hi,

My daughter, who is 9 and in the 4th grade, took the NWEA this fall and I just got her results today.

I was curious about her Reading scores, because IMHO, they are really low and she is an avid reader and her recently tested AR level range is from 4.6 to 8.5.

Here are her Reading Scores:

SP11 (Spring 2011)/ 1st Grade / RIT 203/ 96th percentile
FA11 (Fall 2011) / 2nd Grade / RIT 213 /99th percentile
SP12 (Spring 2012)/ 2nd Grade / RIT 216 / 96th percentile
FA12 (Fall 2012) / 3rd Grade/ RIT 216/ 96th percentile
SP13 (Spring 2013)/ 3rd Grade / RIT 221 /93rd percentile
FA13 (Fall 2013) / 4th Grade / RIT 213 / 82nd percentile

Edited to add her Lexile Measure is reported as 735-885, which is a 7th to 8th grade level on the Lexile to Grade Correspondence chart I reviewed online.

I talked to her teacher in October about the NWEA and two things she mentioned to me were: The test changes between 2nd and 3rd grade, so you can't compare 1/2nd grade to 3rd or higher (which seems useless to me, but OK, whatever) and she also said that she doesn't really think that the NWEA scores are accurate since they are not testing for the curriculum that is being taught (so why on earth are our kids taking them at all!)

Anyhow, I am concerned about the RIT dropping steadily and then plunging this year. DD is a great reader, has excellent comprehension and can read books up to the 8.5 level. I have parent teacher conference next week and given the previous comments the teacher made in October, I am wondering what are the sort of things I should be asking her about this test score.

Do you think I should be concerned.

All other areas of the NWEA were, IMHO, great scores. 95th percentiles and higher, all showing growth. Reading is perplexing me.

My daughters a 6th grader and has taken NWEA test three times a year (winter) since kindergarden. Her scores from the period you gave went from 221 to 244.(end of first - Beginning of fourth). Maybe others can correct me but I thought the change happened in second grade not third. I would be asking why aren't they teaching stuff that isn't going to be on the NWEA. It sounds to me the teacher is just making an excuse since it doesn't appear your daughter is having problems with the other areas of NWEA.

The change depends on the school. Primary MAP is k-2 and MAP is 2-6. Our district changes to regular MAP in 2nd grade.

What are the group scores doing? Are they dropping as well, or is it just your daughter's scores?

They really shouldn't be going down, they should be going up. I don't think we've ever had a drop, except maybe two points over the summer.

Our school changed the tests in 3rd. I know this for a fact because both her 3rd and 4th grade teachers told me the same information, I have no reason to doubt what they say. They are both great teachers.

Nautigal, her test result printouts show the District (there are 5 elementary schools in our district, so not just her school) and it does show a small drop across the district (but not quite as dramatic as my DD). Thanks for bringing that up, I will ask the teacher at conference about it.

Another unusual thing about the results this year is that normally they indicate with a "status" such as High or HighAvg or Low or something similar, in the different category breakdowns, but this printout shows a number range with no key to explain what that means.

Her "Foundational Skills and Vocabulary" area, as well as "Informational Text" seem to be the two number ranges that are lower, so I wonder if these are the two areas that she is struggling with and might need some extra help. It would be nice to know how to interpret this part.

I found these charts, which I downloaded, and can print. They will allow me to use the range to determine what area(s) my DD needs extra help in. Just wanted to share.

http://www.nwea.org/node/4863

Kelly0523, do you feel the school has been adequately challenging your DD in reading? Does she select some challenging reading material on her own, or does she prefer books well below her lexile level (being an avid reader definitely helps, though!)? It sounds like she is making nice progress in all other areas in school, but I would want to take a look at what she is/has been doing in reading to make certain she continues to make progress. Her early scores indicate that she would have needed something "well beyond the norm" for second and third grade reading to progress. Did the school somehow differentiate for her or can they do that for her in the future?

My DD had similar scores in 2nd grade. The school did some differentiation in reading (including daily pull-outs with an enrichment specialist), but I also think just being an "avid reader" (like your DD) helps. From what I understand, MAP scores can dip and then rise higher, so I do not think any one score is overly concerning.

Loy58, I have assumed she was being challenged. We do not have any G&T funding in MI, thus no G&T program at her school, but as far as reading goes, they have independent reading, so she has always been able to read at her own level. I think I need to discuss your points in greater detail with the teacher because I don't think she is being challenged in vocabulary or in reading anything other then fiction. I may have to homeschool her in these areas (something I have just gotten used to doing) to supplement the gap between school and where she should be. I believe she can physically READ the higher levels, I am not sure she has an 8th grade knowledge of vocabulary. I feel terrible that I haven't figured this out sooner, but 4th grade is still early, my goal now is to help her and hopefully her spring test will show an improvement. I don't care if she is in the 90's, I just don't want to see any negative growth. Very frustrating.

kelly0523, I don't think anyone has suggested the first thing that came to my mind when I saw the scores - is it possible she simply had an off day? Things like that happen - and with a solid record of previous scores, that's the first thing I'd suspect unless you've seen other reasons outside of the test itself to be concerned.

Best wishes,

polarbear

polarbear, I wondered that myself. NWEA testing was at the end of Sept and she was sick at the time with a horrible cold that turned into walking pneumonia. She could have very well been feeling under the weather on the day of the reading test. I do remember, in fact, one day she got off the school bus and I asked her how her testing had went and she said she felt she blew it because she didn't feel very good. When I asked her about the Reading test yesterday, she said she thought the test was hard. That being considered, I just tested her on 4th/5th grade vocabulary and she was struggling, so at least part of it is that she needs to be more challenged in that area.

IMHO, one of the problems with having an overachiever in a normal classroom is that even their "worst" looks pretty good, so the teacher is probably going to think I am looney when I go in there to discuss "the problems" she is having. That being said, our district motto is one years growth in one years time, so I think that I do have a leg to stand on because even if she is in the 80th percentile currently, negative growth is negative growth and defies their promise to the parents of our district.

Our new superintendent is currently trying to implement a G&T program (non state funded) into our schools. Her 4th grade teacher and I discussed how supportive he is of the G&T kids who are not being adequately challenged, Unfortunately, she said she can only come up with creative ways to challenge DD, but she is tied to the curriculum for the grade (which is why I often supplement with activities, learning, etc. at home). But I think that her being aware of this and him being sensitive to it, might give DD a better shot at getting some extra help at school.