Plucky Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 We are in a public school /homeschool program. My 8th grader recently took a standardized test and our advisor called me about the results. I know that my son is smart and self-motivated. He does well and tries hard. He has always scored very high on standardized tests. So this teacher tells me he scored very high in all categories (not new) but that if he was a 10th grader in their school and scored as high he would be in the Gifted & Talented Math class. Help me understand this. My son is only halfway done with Lial's Introductory Algebra. He is doing well in it and doesn't need me much, but come on. How is this equivalent to being in a 10th grade gifted math class? Is this a reflection of the public school math standards and texts? Can someone explain this to me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karenciavo Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 I guess I would just take the information and see if what we were doing is enough. Standardized test scores don't mean much more than that to me. So, do you think your son should be at a higher level of math? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plucky Posted April 8, 2008 Author Share Posted April 8, 2008 I think he is doing great where he's at. I don't understand how a corelation between the two can be had though. Unless Lial's is farther along than other Alg. 1 texts found in the school. It's just perplexing and doesn't make much sense to me. I'm one of those people who likes to understand the why's and what for's though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 Was it an aptitude test or a knowledge based test? Did he qualify for a particular 10th grade course or was his score as good as that of a 10th grader? (Percentiles on standardized tests often mean the latter.) Which test was he given? If you can identify it, you might get some better feedback here. Jane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plucky Posted April 8, 2008 Author Share Posted April 8, 2008 It was a new state test. It looks like it's content driven and based on grade standards. He scored above 12th grade but the teacher said that 10th graders at their school take this test to qualify for the Gifted and Talented Math class. He scored high enough to qualify. I will probably call the teacher and clarify. Really it doesn't matter. It's not going to change what we do or how we do things. I just don't understand how one qualifies based on this test if they haven't even completed Algebra I. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carol Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 I'm sure your son not only does well with his math he's in but also has the ability thru common sense to eliviate some possible choice answers for the higher math he hasn't encountered. He probably also has great test taking skills. I have 1 child good in spelling the other one not as good. The excellent speller did poor and the poor speller did great on the test. Some kids can tell which choices are obviously wrong. Carol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.