My magnet SMACS 6th grader PARCC scores are below expectations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:None of the kids at our school who are in compacted math got 5s on the math, but I know someone who isn't in compacted math, and did get a 5.

Don't know the breakdown at our school but given only 4 students received 5s it's highly likely they weren't in compacted or at the very least the compacted math group did no better than the regular. Of course math is cumulative and they should be able to do the previous years tasks. Also, I know DC's 5th grade compacted math quit accelerated material and reverted to 5th grade curriculum in the lead up to the PARCC testing. If Maryland doesn't drop this test and the compacted students are doing worse or no better the next step will be take away compacted math.

Not saying this is the norm, just one school but my DS ES the only 2 students who got 5 were in compacted Math. There was one other student in compacted Math, not sure if he received 4 or lower.

[Anonymous]

Wow - by reading through these posts, I can see how HGC really do attract the highly motivated.

I'd rather see a hard worker in an HGC - one who embraces challenges but who may not have the best scores - than those "gifted kids" who don't believe in putting forth an effort.

If my kids were lazy, I'd be on them. Some of you just don't seem to care. So you make excuses using the test as the real problem.

wow - What a way to bring up a generation! enabling through excuses

[Anonymous]

Just curious. How did you find out the breakdown of a particular school? (number of students who got 5s, etc.) Maybe just teachers and administration?

[Anonymous]

The breakdown is posted online. My child is in compacted math and, according to the teacher, one of the top performers in the compacted math class. Child got a 4 (high range of 4) but about a dozen kids on her class did get 5s. Oddly, child knocked the English score out of the park, even though math is usually child..,s strong suit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow - by reading through these posts, I can see how HGC really do attract the highly motivated.

I'd rather see a hard worker in an HGC - one who embraces challenges but who may not have the best scores - than those "gifted kids" who don't believe in putting forth an effort.

If my kids were lazy, I'd be on them. Some of you just don't seem to care. So you make excuses using the test as the real problem.

wow - What a way to bring up a generation! enabling through excuses

Not being obsessed with grades =/= lazy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow - by reading through these posts, I can see how HGC really do attract the highly motivated.

I'd rather see a hard worker in an HGC - one who embraces challenges but who may not have the best scores - than those "gifted kids" who don't believe in putting forth an effort.

If my kids were lazy, I'd be on them. Some of you just don't seem to care. So you make excuses using the test as the real problem.

wow - What a way to bring up a generation! enabling through excuses

Not being obsessed with grades =/= lazy.

I think that PP is confused. My HGC DC didn't care about PARCC, which is not a grade that DC sees. DC does care about grades, however, and gets plenty of ESs. It doesn't have anything to do with being lazy. Kids are kids no matter if they are gifted or not. I'm guessing that PP doesn't have a gifted child. Many gifted children are not motivated in areas that they don't care about. As a parent, I tell my DC to try DC's best no matter what, but I certainly don't flip out over an I in Social Studies, or a "barely met" on one section of the PARCC test.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just curious. How did you find out the breakdown of a particular school? (number of students who got 5s, etc.) Maybe just teachers and administration?

http://reportcard.msde.maryland.gov/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:None of the kids at our school who are in compacted math got 5s on the math, but I know someone who isn't in compacted math, and did get a 5.

Don't know the breakdown at our school but given only 4 students received 5s it's highly likely they weren't in compacted or at the very least the compacted math group did no better than the regular. Of course math is cumulative and they should be able to do the previous years tasks. Also, I know DC's 5th grade compacted math quit accelerated material and reverted to 5th grade curriculum in the lead up to the PARCC testing. If Maryland doesn't drop this test and the compacted students are doing worse or no better the next step will be take away compacted math.

Don't know the scores of other kids at our school, but my "average" kid scored a 5 in math. No HGC or compacted math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow - by reading through these posts, I can see how HGC really do attract the highly motivated.

I'd rather see a hard worker in an HGC - one who embraces challenges but who may not have the best scores - than those "gifted kids" who don't believe in putting forth an effort.

If my kids were lazy, I'd be on them. Some of you just don't seem to care. So you make excuses using the test as the real problem.

wow - What a way to bring up a generation! enabling through excuses

My child was in the HGC and the kids were hard workers, it was actually the first time most have them had been challenged in school. When I met some of the other mother's they said it was an adjustment for their kids. They actually had to work and the grades did not come easily.

My daughter was in the high 4's in the PARCC. I think HGC or magnet program parents are trying to convey that our kids are used to higher level of instruction, if they did not score in the exceeds standards section there may be a problem with the test, mainly because of the higher academic standards of the center.

Our school had a 50 percent meets or exceeds, that means 50 percent of kids are not meeting the standard. Those parents have to be very concerned. Pointing out that our usually highly motivated, high scoring kids did not score highly on the tests should hopefully help those concerned parents.

[Anonymous]

This thread confirms my belief that magnet parents (many, not all) prep their kids for the magnet tests and any other standardized test known to them prior to their child taking the test.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just curious. How did you find out the breakdown of a particular school? (number of students who got 5s, etc.) Maybe just teachers and administration?

http://reportcard.msde.maryland.gov/

Thank you!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread confirms my belief that magnet parents (many, not all) prep their kids for the magnet tests and any other standardized test known to them prior to their child taking the test.

Where do you get that from?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread confirms my belief that magnet parents (many, not all) prep their kids for the magnet tests and any other standardized test known to them prior to their child taking the test.

You seem to imply prepping is wrong. If so, why? Suppose you want your DC to go to a prestigious private school, would you just wait for the test day and do nothing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread confirms my belief that magnet parents (many, not all) prep their kids for the magnet tests and any other standardized test known to them prior to their child taking the test.

You are a person that does not understand gifted children. It's a conundrum, you have a child that will relish in learning as many digits as possible of Pi for Pi day but will refuse to say hello to a kid from their class, that they like, in public. I have two kids, one gifted and one smart but average. My gifted 12 year old was talking to me this morning about the forth dimension being time, and how it makes sense to her. She wasn't asked, we did not bring this up to her but we watched a sci-fi movie and she is interested. She reads books on the Hubble and deep space for fun.

What do we do? We are a nerd house, Star Wars and Doctor Who fans and also do things like launch rockets and go to museums on the weekends because as a parent that's what I like to do. If she asks for a book on space I buy it. The other kids in her HGC were similar, not with the sci-fi and space but when they are interested in a subject they are intense and don't need much of a push from parents.

My younger, likes the things we do, but does not have the same self-motivated desire or drive to learn more. She also has a stronger desire to be "cool' where my older gifted child could care less.

I do wish now I had pushed my daughter to study for the TPMS magnet, she made the wait list, but not the program. She is miserable in the regular curriculum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread confirms my belief that magnet parents (many, not all) prep their kids for the magnet tests and any other standardized test known to them prior to their child taking the test.

Why is it wrong to prep for a test? Do you tell your kid not to study for regular tests in their school subjects? It is a myth that the standardized tests are an objective measure of intelligence and that scores can't be improved by coaching. These tests are artificial and highly coachable -- just like the SATs or LSATs. Not all kids are going to perform to their true potential without practice and exposure to the tests. If it's worth the trouble of applying to magnets -- then it's worth at least buying a test prep book and giving your kid some practice.