Low MAP reading score of a bookworm
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Anonymous
| What do students do after the test is over? My kid's scores were always highest in the fall. Once he saw that his teacher allowed students to play games on the computer when they finished the test, he flew through it to get to the games. Computer based testing on little kids is BS IMO. |
Anonymous
| OP, these posters are NUTS. I am a reading specialist and while I would talk to her teacher about the drop in scores, I would not be overly concerned. MAPS is not a very good test of reading ability. Does the school use DIBELS or any other reading assessment? That would be much more indicative of any actual reading problems. Sometimes kids are just bored with the test, and sometimes MAPS asks weird questions and it adjusts as they go, so getting a few wrong in a row can make a big difference in the difficulty of the following questions and the ultimate score. The posters saying they would be concerned about anything below 99% and reading Harry Potter in first grade or whatever are crazy and not at all in touch with reality. Your daughter is reading advanced books for her age and according to your own report, she can retell and answer questions with attention to detail. She is likely fine, but if you are truly worried you can always have full testing done by a private psychologist. However, from everything you say I would not be alarmed at all. The obsession with poorly designed tests has to stop. |
Anonymous
| I would be concerned at the consistent tending down and push for more info. It may be a test taking skill though, she’s familiar with the math test questions, but not the style of test they use for reading assessments. Can you get a practice test and see if she just needs to learn how to take that specific test? |
Anonymous
The school uses Fountus and Pinell reading assessment and some other kind of spelling or vocabulary assessment but I don’t know what it’s called. The classroom teacher was not concerned at all in Kindergarten and in 1st and 2nd grade I was told she was reading well above grade level. I know several kids have been flagged in 1st and 2nd grade but DD was never a concern. The teacher doesn’t seem concerned either, it seems like it’s just me so far. I just don’t know if I should be hiring a reading specialist or tutor or something to work with her to catch up over the summer? Or if there is even anything to catch up? I don’t know that I would want to pay hundreds for psych testing, I assume out of pocket because it has not been recommended or prescribed by teacher or principal. What kinds of things are tested - some kinds of language disorders, ADHD, anxiety or what would they even be looking for based on OP? |
Anonymous
That would make sense, I think. I have not seen any reading comprehension work from her this year so it’s hard to know. But she doesn’t do the kinds of math problems I’m seeing the MAP sample tests either. Are the reading questions here the kinds of things that would be on the real test? Weirdly I can find a lot of printable MAP math questions but not reading: https://www.testprep-online.com/map-2nd-grade-free-sample-questions |
Anonymous
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I think a large part of the problem is your daughter isn’t actively learning in school. The teacher and the curriculum are part of the problem. It sounds like she isn’t being present new material in class- hence the flat scores and drops in percentile. While she may read hard material at home- she may not be learning the specific skills these questions are asking. If she scored in the 80th percentile in the fall and teachers have never had concerns- I think it is very unlikely she has a learning disorder or is behind.
I would do some work with her over the summer. Maybe a mom/daughter book club? Get a kids magazine subscription and read articles together and talk about them, have her do some vocab work. Get a Spectrum reading workbook a grade level up and have her work through that here and there. Also a good tool, an IXL subscription. IXL has assents, but my favorite part is it breaks down subjects into very specific categories and you can answer questions for those specific categories. The MAP questions are very very similar to the questions on IXL |
Anonymous
Not in MCPS. That’s done in 2nd grade before kids are even eligible to take the MAP-R. |
Anonymous
Nothing tempting enough to rush through. I agree that computer testing for elementary is BS. |
Anonymous
| OP, ignore the “your kid can’t be an above grade level reader if she’s not 99th percentile” posters. They just want a venue to feel good about themselves because it’s not cool to brag and put other kids down like that in real life. Sad. |
Anonymous
| Is she reading Harry Potter to you or to herself? There can be a big difference and I'm saying that w.r.t..my own kids, not in judgment of yours. They can comprehend most of a book like that but not necessarily be able to sound everything out or spell. Yes, spelling is super important and is a window into how well they understand the language. |
Anonymous
| I’d take her for private testing. |
Anonymous
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NP. I would be concerned about either some issue with test taking as PPs have mentioned or something else going on. I would ask for a conference with the teacher and the reading specialist at your school to go over the specifics of the results. Email them and set it up.
I'm concerned with my own DD9's reading comprehension. She's always been an above-grade level reader but when we read together I find her comprehension of the text to be somewhat lacking. Like we'll read a passage and I'll ask her, so why did so and so do this? And she won't be able to answer. I'm not asking her to get inside the character's head, the answer is in the text. Now finishing 3rd grade that lack of comprehension is showing up more in reading response worksheets. The school sent home a bunch of them over winter break when you read 4 paragraph short essay and answer 4 questions like what's the main idea of the text etc. And a lot of times she got stuff wrong. And yet, she's still 95 on the MAP-R! That led me to conclude the test should be easy for a good reader and it is probably not testing comprehension that deeply. So based on your description of your daughter I find it highly surprising that she would score so low. Also, Harry Potter sucks, I read book 1 with DD last year and found it to be really long winded and cumbersome. I don't know how kids get through it! |
Anonymous
Also recognize that reading a lot is not the same as reading well. Being a bookworm doesn’t equate to comprehension and analysis |
Anonymous
It should. What would be the motivation to read long books and several of them if you don’t understand the plot? Comprehending the story is what makes reading so enjoyable |
Anonymous
| I am going to make a suggestion since your child is 8. My oldest kid was an early reader who tore through books! He still loves to read (he is now 18). In 1st grade, his lovely teacher mentioned that although he had a great vocabulary and was a greater reader, she thought that he was memorizing the words and not really taking the time to understand the context of the books he was reading. In order to combat this, we checked out a bunch of chapter books that our public library identified as being perfect for this grade level (he was reading books that were just too advanced for him too truly understand) and we started a book club. He would read a chapter or two (or three) on his own and then I would read the same chapters and we would discuss them. This really slowed him down and he started to pay a lot more attention to figuring out what was happening in the story. If, when we discussed the book, he did not connect to a point that I made, we would go back and reread that section together. We also spent some time reading the books aloud to each other. Honestly, it was a lovely time to spend together. It took some time (all summer), but his reading comprehension greatly improved and he was able to move forward reading more difficult books and understanding them. We also got him a dictionary (an actual book one...not access to an online one) and I told him to keep it next to him when he was reading. If he was unsure of a word, to look it up! He didn't really need to do this with the easier books, but for years later, I would catch him doing this with more complicated books. Also, I brought this up directly with him and got him onboard with the process. If you can spend the time this summer to work with your child (it can be in the evening), it can pay dividends in the long run! Also, we continued to do this off and on for years, even when he no longer needed my help. I think that he enjoyed the one on one time. Best wishes! |