If your kid scored super high on MAP….

[Anonymous]

And often complains of being bored in school, would you consider asking for them to skip a grade?

We just got the MAP scores back for my third grader. This is the first time they have reading added. With all the talk about how scores go down between 2nd and 3rd and how the test was renowned I was expecting to see the math go down.

Kid scored 99th percentile in both. No wonder he’s bored. 241 on math and 225 on reading. I know the lottery for CES is coming up and compacted math next year, but is it worth talking to the school at this point to see how we can support him? Besides opting for private school, anything else we can do at this point?

[Anonymous]

My dd had that in 3rd grade (with scores reversed). No, skipping a grade is not the right solution. Privates are equally boring at the lower school lelve. Magnets are the solution, or the advanced tracks at the home school. Enrich at home with challenging hobbies.

My husband and I were skipped ahead, back in the day, because there were no magnets where we lived. Socially it got awkward in high school - we were late bloomers and didn't really fit in. This is why I don't recommend skipping ahead. Secondary school has so many tracks anyway, you don't need to skip ahead in MCPS.

Both our kids are advanced academically, and did various programs within MCPS. DD did the CES, then chose her home school instead of magnets, but in all the advanced tracks. She did Algebra 1 in 6th and is now in Honor Precalc in 9th. She will take a math class at UMD in 12th, probably. Started a second language in MCPS, and keeps up her native language at a weekend native language school. She will take AP exams in both languages and like her older sibling, is on track to take at least a dozen APs.

Outside of school, she has a demanding set of extra-curriculars which take up a large chunk of her time. She started a musical instrument when she was very young, and has progressed to a proficient level. This is what has most challenged her, actually. She draws and writes in her free time.

It's all good, OP. Look for interesting hobbies for him, and plan for the CES or compacted math (which will be very boring, but better than nothing).

For gifted children, the most important part of their education is learning to be patient. DD reads in class on her Chromebook, where kids have access to an online library. She finishes her homework in class, then reads. In 9th grade.

[Anonymous]

He’s probably very bored in school with those scores. Ask about differentiation and how he is being challenged.

[Anonymous]

It gets better in 4th with ELC and compacted math, or CES if you get in through the lottery. Agree with PP that skipping a grade is not a good idea.

[Anonymous]

CES may have compact math 4/5 which will accelerate to a certain extent. Provide them challenges in extracurriculars in STEM and Lego League

[Anonymous]

Your child will not be allowed to skip a grade.

Third grade was when my DD was the most frustrated about school being boring, which makes sense because that was the year she experienced the least differentiation. In K-2nd, the entire grade was divided into small groups according to their level of mastery for reading and writing instruction. However, her school didn’t do that for grades 3-5. In those grades, all kids stayed with their homeroom teachers for reading and writing. That meant that the teacher divided the class into 3 reading groups: below grade level, at grade level, and above grade level. If students were above grade level, it didn’t matter how far ahead they were, they were all grouped together, and because they were already ahead of the benchmarks they needed to meet, they got the least instructional time.

My DD was in a CES for fourth and fifth grade, and she also took compacted math, so she completed 4th, 5th, and 6th grade math during those two years. The CES gave her the opportunity to read much more advanced books, which she really appreciated. She still didn’t find school challenging, but it was less boring.

In our experience, most teachers are stretched too thin to be able to offer challenging lessons or additional/different assignments to more advanced students.

[Anonymous]

That's not super high, but good enough to complain about boredom in school. Talk with the home teacher to see if they can give your kid some worksheet or flexibility to self-study or work on things he/she is interested in without making noise.

My DS got 260 and 240 on fall map-m and map-r tests back in 3rd grade. He received a whole year free chromebook time to kill his time. While I'm not happy about the overloaded screentime, he does self-studied something through those educational apps. He got accepted by CES and then GT all the way through HS. Pretty happy since 4th grade to finally meet some peers.

[Anonymous]

I think it's weird he complains about being bored in school. Does he have social skills deficits? Most kids that age see school as a place to have fun with friends.

Those scores are fine but not "super high." Have him read when he has downtime.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's weird he complains about being bored in school. Does he have social skills deficits? Most kids that age see school as a place to have fun with friends.

Those scores are fine but not "super high." Have him read when he has downtime.

I agree. My child is 99% as is every kid apparently. He likes being with his friends in school. Pace gets better in 5th.

[Anonymous]

Stay in public. Most bright kids take math which is at least 3 years ahead.

[Anonymous]

Don't skip grades, that's ridiculous. These are not prodigy level results. Privates get more academically challenging in HS, but by that time your kid can be in a magnet program.

[Anonymous]

Math and reading are not the only factors to consider when skipping a grade. Science, social studies, writing, etc. are all important too and it's impossible for your kid to be ahead in ALL of those things to even consider skipping ahead. Not to mention emotional readiness and the impacts of skipping as the child gets older.

Many of us on DCUM have these high performing kids and I agree with previous posters that it gets better after 4th, and especially if you are able to get a lottery magnet spot.

Give your kid other things to get excited about outside of school and hang in there. It's also only the beginning of the year when there's lots of review and slow-to-start, but once they're in the thick of the year, it will get more interesting and your kid will learn. Proof will be in the improvement of their MAP scores over the course of the year, which means they absorbed the material they were taught, even if they're already ahead. My 99%ile kids always showed improvement in their scores despite being ahead, and not because of at-home enrichment.

[Anonymous]

My kid always scored super high on MAP (99% multiple grades up, 265 on MAP-M in third) and never complained about being bored. Always enjoyed school for social aspect. Would finish work and read. Invent his own work, etc.

What you do is you fill their out of school time with something challenging like chess. Be careful not to feed a narrative that they are so smart and must be bored. Definitely do not skip a grade. MCPS does not allow this even really, but do you want your 16 or 17 year old going off to college?

[Anonymous]

Also, those scores are high but not "super high".

[Anonymous]

Please be careful about the scores posters throw around on here.

The 3rd grade 265 MAP-M score a PP just wrote about never happened. Judging by the MCPS Central Office discussions about high MAP scores, and an examination of the top scores received in each school, which are not made public but that I have seen in recent years, that number is made-up.

OP, your kid's math score is commendably high, the verbal is less special. Your kid will get into compacted math (CES or not) and still be bored. The great lesson of life for such children is that boredom should not equal unhappiness. My kids were certainly not challenged in school, but that didn't mean they were unhappy. Creativity and curiosity emerge from boredom.

My oldest is thriving in college. In K-12, they chose interesting intellectual and sporty activities for themselves outside of school, and read like crazy during school hours.

No skipping ahead. No private. You want to save your ammunition for tutoring and test prep (even gifted kids sometimes need a little boost), as well as college savings. An academically easy child like this is made for a good public school, where they can sweep all the APs without turning a hair, and make a soft landing at a great college. Money for tuition, on the other hand, might be harder to come by, even with the demographic cliff predicted for your kid's age group. My son goes to an 85K a year private university. In-state is 30-40K a year nowadays. Total cost of attendance (tuition, room and board, fees, etc). Tuition has always risen faster than inflation on average.