Kind of irked at the PASS test

[Maverick_Mom]

I've given this test to my kids for years. The publisher (Hewitt) used to send out placement tests for each of the tests (reading, language, and math), and after you took the placement tests to determine the right levels, then you took the actual test at the appropriate level.

 

They don't do that anymore, at least not after your first year. After the first year, they determine your level based on where you tested before. The thing is that although the PASS test covers grades 3-8, there are more test levels than there are grade levels. The reading test has levels 1-8, the math test has lower math levels 11-17 and upper math levels 13-19, and the language test has levels 21-29. (I don't know why there's the overlap in numbers in the math tests.)

 

Last year ds2 took reading level 5; this year he was placed in reading test level 6. No problem with that.

 

Last year he took language level 24; this year he was placed in language test level 26. They skipped over a level, and I'm guessing it was because he did so well on level 24. Kind of presumptuous, but I can deal with it.

 

Last year he took lower math level 15; this year he was placed in upper math test level 17. In order for him to be placed there, they had to skip over lower math levels 16 and 17 and upper math levels 13, 14, 15, and 16. (Maybe it's not that straightforward -- obviously they don't expect kids to pass through each level.) He did well in last year's level, lower math 15. But this year, in upper math 17? I've looked over his answers, and he's not doing well at all. It's obvious that this level assumes knowledge of certain concepts that we simply haven't covered yet. And really, is it reasonable to expect that just because a child does well on a math test, he will cover concepts at an accelerated rate before his next test?

 

I don't have to report these results. I plan to use them to guide my teaching. But I do feel that it is a waste of my son's time, my time, and my money to take a test at a level that someone assumed was right for him. And I'm sure that if I took this up with Hewitt, its response would be that "placement is an inexact science." Which it is -- and which is why they should bring back their placement tests, rather than making a guess at which levels are right.

 

If you're familiar with the PASS test or have run into this, I'd like to hear your thoughts. Thanks. :)

[EKS]

With the math test, they only skipped over level 16. Lower and upper level tests are the same (so a level 16 in the lower level group is the same test as in the upper level group). The levels correspond roughly to grade levels BTW, so level 17 corresponds roughly to 7th grade.