Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Spring MAP results for Ist grader

Hi,
I am posting here for the first time.

MY DS7 just completed his MAP testing for spring. His math score is 213 and Reading score is 204.

How are these scores?
During winter test his math score was 208. I had pointed out to his teacher about him good at multiplication and division to which she had replied that a lot of our students do that...
Would requesting for math acceleration class be a good idea?
At this point how should I help him in math? He is pretty good in getting math concepts quickly. Any books or suggestions for continuing math during summer.

You should check out this thread: http://giftedissues.davidsongifted.org/BB/ubbthreads.php/topics/75032/MAP_tests.html#Post75032

You'll find links to percentiles, ranges of challenge and a lot of other good info!

As for a math score of 213 in 1st grade, that is an excellent (literally off the charts) score for 1st grade. With only that info and getting the same range more than once, I think you have an excellent case for subject acceleration.

Thanks CAMom, I read the link you mentioned above, it is helpful.

DS7 has never been on the same grade level on Map score since kindergarten, Every time he is tested (3 times a year, 6 times so far) he has jumped a grade.

When his teacher says a lot of our kids do what he is doing I do feel surprised.

How does one know that the test is Primary grade or 2-5 or 6+?

The easiest thing to do is ask your child if the test was read to him by the computer- if so, that would be P-MAP (the K-2 test). My guess is that in 1st grade they use the P-MAP still. Some school switch over in 2nd grade but very few seem to switch over in 1st.

A lot of kids doing that? I'd say that's a pile of baloney. Unless you somehow live in an area that is so far above the MAP norms or you are in a private, GT school or something! 213 in math is 97.5th percentile for 2nd grade. It's not even on the 1st grade chart. So it's not likely.

Reading is a little more subjective in the 1st/2nd grade range. My personal opinion is that P-MAP for reading is very low level and doesn't really have a good range. If your child knows beginning letter sounds, rhyming and can sound out words, they could score well without really "reading." So it's possible more kids scored in that range on reading if you have a strong reading program at your school.

As far as scores more than once, I meant that you can use the data to advocate because clearly it wasn't beginner's luck or just random guessing. I was told the first time my son took MAP that he was a good guesser... then his score went up 8 pts the next time. Evidently he was an even better guesser two months later!

That being said, because MAP is untimed, kids do have the ability and freedom to back into answers that they may not otherwise be able to figure out. My son doesn't have his multiplication tables memorized, but he's very fast at addition. So he can add 12X12 fast enough on paper to put the right answer. It appears that he can multiply- which he can, but not in the way that teachers might expect.

I hope that makes sense!

CAMom thanks for editing and adding more to the information.
My son goes to public school.

The school still makes him do simple addition and subtraction.
I don't know what to do with these results because if we don't teach him at a level he is showing readiness for I think he will go down in his scores.

I have a meeting with the teacher in a couple of days. For next year, I am thinking they should accelerate him in math, I don't know if every school district has subject acceleration policy.

With reading, he is pretty good, been reading almost by himself since he was 2.5 - 3 years old, I don't make him read to me at all. He is reading or building stuff with legos almost always.

I have also gotten him tested for school's gifted program, have not heard from the school yet. His probelm is "Not completing langauge arts writing work" . Not sure if that would be a big consideration in entry to gifted program but I know he is smart.

When does your school begin the gifted program? Some schools start in 2nd grade, some in 3rd or 4th. There are programs before that but they're more rare.

Not doing language arts written work is very vague. Does he not do it because it's too long? Too repetitive? Too boring? Does he struggle with handwriting? There are so many reasons! I don't think any of them are a reason to deny him an education at his level though!

I think the best place to start is to find out what his test results are from the gifted testing. If they didn't do a full IQ test, you may want to consider individual IQ and achievement testing. Data often makes it easier to advocate at school. With MAP testing already plus the gifted testing, you should be able to make some ground.

Trip, your child sounds very similar to mine. Her old school did the MAP testing beginning in kindergarten and she scored off the charts every time she took the test. We didn't find out just how well she had done until winter conferences when they showed us the results and had the principal join us to explain our options. At that school, the options were fairly limited. They did give us the option of subject acceleration for both math and reading, or whole grade acceleration. They did not however have a gifted/talented program in place (it was being developed). We ended getting her into a 1st grade math class for the 2nd half of the year, and she did very well. For this school year (1st grade), we switched to another school district that had a much better program for GT kids and was also willing to build her class schedules around where she needed to be in regard to math, reading and GT time. She has been in a 2nd grade advanced math class this year and has done very well. She just took the spring MAP test, and scored 212 which is high end for 2nd graders. For a first grader, her score is off the charts. So your child with a comparable score should be at minimum accelerated a year in math. I'd have to imagine that if he scored that well and he isn't in a higher math class, that he is bored to death and losing interest. My daughter's school starts their GT program in 1st grade. We had contacted the GT coordinator when we enrolled there, and explained our daughter's talents and needs and they were ready for her when school started. They tested her and placed her in 3 different GT pull-out groups. Initially, it was only her and 2 boys that were in 2nd grade. As the school year progressed, they identified more kids that qualified for the program, and her groups have grown to generally around 8 or 9 kids, some 2nd grade and some 1st grade. We had looked at a magnet school for GT kids, and they didn't start their program until 2nd grade, so it was nice for her to have these opportunities as a 1st grader.