school started compacted math testing already

[Anonymous]

anyone else? Sounds like at this point there are a series of short tasks the kids have to complete to "pass" anyone know any more details from last year? Why are they testing so early. Seems weird to me.

[Anonymous]

We get a letter from our principal saying that the "testing" would start in November. Do they tell the kids when they give them the tasks that it is part of the compacted math testing?

[Anonymous]

Nope. They just bring them in a room with a couple of other kids and tell them they have puzzles to solve. My kid did it today and said it was easy, but who knows.

[Anonymous]

In our school, they told the kids - my kid came home and told me that the test was fun, and that there would be about 8 more small tests. He also knew that this was for placement into 4/5 compacted.

[Anonymous]

Why not let the kids have the benefit of math 3 before compacted testing?

[Anonymous]

Also, that placement test wasn't simple from what my kid reported about what was on it.

[Anonymous]

Is the test standard across elem schools, does anybody know? I got the feeling it was not last year.

[Anonymous]

What if a kid doesn't test into compacted math in third grade, but develops a real knack for math in 6th grade? Is third grade the last chance kids get to test into any kind of accelerated math? That sounds crazy to me.

[Anonymous]

Yes it is their last chance, at least as of today.

[Anonymous]

As it went last year from a mom who DD is now in Compacted Math. The puzzle-type problems will be somewhat related to what the the students are studying. For example, if the unit is place values, the problem may be something like "How many more 3 digit numbers can be made without a 6 in it than 4 dgit numbers without a 6 in it" Some are very challenging and some are not so much. Encourage your child to thoroughly explain her answer to the teacher as that it part of the grade. And I would request to know when the evaluations will be if your child is assessed (not all children are, you have to have scored GT on the 2nd grade InView test) so you can give your child a little pep talk before school that day and make sure she has a good breakfast. My kid is no genius but I would be disappointed if she wasn't allowed some accerlation in Math.

[Anonymous]

PP, thank you so much!!! I hadn't thought to ask for warning. My son will be extremely disappointed if he doesn't get info the compacted class. Per teacher he is at the top of the class on scores so we are hoping that nothing goes wrong with these extra tests. They had one this week that was a multiplication puzzle with symbols. He said it was kind of challenging at first but he figured it out without too much trouble.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What if a kid doesn't test into compacted math in third grade, but develops a real knack for math in 6th grade? Is third grade the last chance kids get to test into any kind of accelerated math? That sounds crazy to me.

Keep in mind that the non-accelerated math leads to Algebra I in 8th grade and AP Calculus I in 12th grade. When I went to school (not in MCPS, but in a public school system that prides itself on being good, and sends people to HYP), that was the accelerated math. In fact, it still is, the last time I checked.