LNC Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 I just gave the placement tests for my 2 children. My son got all of them right for his grade: reading, math, language. So, they placed him in the highest level available for his grade. My daughter got all right for reading and language - but missed 2 for math. She was placed in the highest level for reading and language and the second highest for math. The problem is those levels look hard! The packet says the right level is one where they miss almost 1/2 the questions. Is that right? Why wouldn't I bump them down a level and they get more right? By the way, I am required to test by my state :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 (edited) I remember being concerned about this the first year we used it, but missing half of the questions on the placement test actually places your child right in the middle of their grade-level expectations. It's only a placement test. Because your children did much better, they placed you in the higher tests. Yes, there will be some questions in the actual test that they may not be able to do, but my experience is that the placement is actually quite good according to what the child is truly capable of. It will be challenging for them, but they won't have to plow through a lot of questions either. I can usually finish the PASS with my children in three one-hour sessions versus two half-days for SAT testing in a group. The CAT-E is about that long, but doesn't give you much detail and frankly it doesn't challenge my children enough for me to see where they truly are. When you get the results, your percentiles will be for their stated grade levels, and then there will be more information that will give you information about what they are capable of. Percentiles reflect more than how many are right or wrong because they involve how many took the test and what the majority of students that age could do. A 90-percentile means that your child did better than 90% of the students at that level, not that they got 90% of the questions right. If you have other concerns, do call them. They probably can explain it better than I can.:D Edited April 2, 2009 by GVA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teresa in MO Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 I am considering using the PASS test for my 6th gr. dd. Do you know if the results will give you grade level scores. Sorry for piggybacking on your question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sumiller Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 I just gave the placement tests for my 2 children. The problem is those levels look hard! The packet says the right level is one where they miss almost 1/2 the questions. Is that right? Why wouldn't I bump them down a level and they get more right? By the way, I am required to test by my state :) Hi, I have used these tests for quite a few years now and I would not recommend bumping them down. The idea behind the test is that your children will be exposed to quite a few problems that they most likely will not know how to answer. That is okay. What they are looking for is the student who is maybe ahead of the pack and if they only put problems in that particular level that the average grade level child will know how to answer it won't give a fair reading of ability. Does that make sense? Also, by bumping your child down a level it may bring down their percentile amongst their grade level peers. Go with what they recommend. I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised. Blessings, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Wisc Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 I just gave the placement tests for my 2 children. My son got all of them right for his grade: reading, math, language. So, they placed him in the highest level available for his grade. My daughter got all right for reading and language - but missed 2 for math. She was placed in the highest level for reading and language and the second highest for math. The problem is those levels look hard! The packet says the right level is one where they miss almost 1/2 the questions. Is that right? Why wouldn't I bump them down a level and they get more right? By the way, I am required to test by my state :) One of the problems with tests like the ITBS is that every 4th grader has to take the same test whether they are an A+ kid or a struggling D-. With the pass, the child is given a test that does not make him feel stupid, but also gives him some questions he cannot answer. That is what the placement test does for you. If your child takes the easier test and gets them all right, you do not really have a good grasp on what his achievement level is. You want him to get some right and some wrong. You also don't want them to take a test where they can only do a handful of problems and then they walk away feeling like a failure--and this does not help you place the child's achievement level on a graph, either. I'd say go ahead and do the test they suggest. I think they've got a good way of setting this up--it worked for us. Jean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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