Overcoming truly awful HOPE

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I requested and received my child's HOPE scores and they're terrible, which feels completely misaligned with her academics. Any advice on how to overcome this during the appeal process? I know HOPE weighs heavily into the committee decision making, so it's clear now why my kid didn't get in during initial review despite what seemed like decently high (though not off the charts) test performance.

Pyramid: Marshall
In/out of pool: In pool

Tests submitted by school in original packet
CogAt: 140 (138 Q, 139 NonV, 125 V)
NNAT: 129
Fall 2024 iReady math: 99th %ile (454, looks like just %ile submitted)
Fall 2023 iReady reading: 99th %ile (I don't see the raw score submitted/can't find the old paperwork; fall 2024 VALLS similarly high but not submitted by school/not really supposed to be used for this type of determination anyway)

WISC (not in original packet, done over spring break): 134

HOPE: 2 often, 5 sometimes, 4 rarely (!!!), no subjects checked/no comments.

I'm floored at the HOPE. It doesn't sound like my kid at all. The work samples weren't great (mostly because of terrible handwriting) but I had felt confident we could overcome those until I saw the HOPE. Now I'm also concerned about what's going on in that classroom, because I see my child exhibiting significantly above-grade-level talent in math and reading as part of our daily life, and if the teacher isn't seeing any of that, it feels like a huge problem (maybe my kid is totally checked out, maybe there's a behavior issue no one has mentioned, maybe a weird peer dynamic, could be any number of things that mean a completely different kid at home than at school, I suppose).

Any advice from people who have addressed a really bad HOPE during appeal through samples or the cover letter (or, if you were denied 2nd grade appeal, how to set up a conversation with 3rd grade teacher to make sure there isn't so much of a gulf between the at home and school experiences?).

First and foremost, your child is smart. Don't let this process make you think otherwise.

These scores are the start of how they evaluate your child's eligibility into the program.

You need to remember, the academics are part of the equation. These schools are looking for students that are both academically smart but also certain type of students that fit the mold. Aka, they don't want any difficult students or trouble makers.

With the ratings you posted on the HOPE scale, it'd be a really difficult / long shot to change the mind of the AAP board.

As some other parents have stated, this could be an indicator that your child is either bored or could have something like ADHD.

A lot of snowflakes in here ready to crucify anyone that says that but it does you know harm to get that ruled out.

You would have a better chance the subsequent year and hope that your child gets a different teacher that better aligns with your daugther and how she operates.

2E kids are found in every AAP classroom. I think AAP is one way that parents try and move their quirky to a class with more quirky kids.

[Anonymous]

The HOPE score that doesn't match your child is, unfortunately, not a rarity in this process. Last year my kid got almost exclusively "Rarely" on hers, and this year she got almost exclusively "Always". My kid didn't somehow become an entirely different person. She just got a teacher who actually liked her and payed attention to her.

She's never had disciplinary issues in class, though she does have ADHD (inattentive type, so it looks like daydreaming when she's bored...which is often, as she's bright enough to catch on quickly to new things). But according to her 2nd grade teacher, she's a just a ditsy little daydreamer who rarely cares about anything and isn't worth a second glance. And according to her 3rd grade teacher, she's an extremely creative, gifted kid who needs a lot more than the gen-ed curriculum can offer in order to challenge her. Again, my kid didn't magically change personalities the summer between 2nd and 3rd grade. It's all down to a teacher who takes a moment to notice your child and see them for who they really are.

Sucks, but them's the breaks for some of us. DD is in for next year, at least. So there's that.