Why is the compacted math test verbal?

[Anonymous]

This makes no sense. I had a horrible time with my child. He is shy and quiet. He's very, very strong in math. Its his thing and he loves it. I was told last year that he didn't do well enough on the compacted math test but could be retested. I didn't question it. In the fall, I had to push for the retesting when it didn't materialize on its own. Our school doesn't have a math specialist. We just have a reading specialist who is awful on all fronts. She told me that the retest is harder than the initial test and he probably wouldn't do well. This is in contrast to his current teacher who told me that he has the one of highest MAP-M scores in the grade and should be in compacted math. The reading specialist didn't let the current teacher give him the test. She told me that he was just under the bar for compacted math so he'll need to stay in his current class. His current teacher told me that the compacted math class is so full that he could have performed Calculus and she wouldn't have let him in. The principal and the reading specialist will not allow a second compacted math class even though the teachers pushed for it. My kid is not the only one in this situation. I asked to see my son's score and learned that it is verbal only so there is nothing other than this women's word on how he did on the test. I asked his teacher from last year whether she could remember how he did. She said that he is very good at math but the test is about verbally articulating and verbally answering questions - not showing work, answering the questions correctly, or even explaining in writing. She said that the more extroverted kids did do better because they talk much more and its a problem with the approach.

We're considering pulling out of MCPS for this and starting private school in 6th grade. We may have an opportunity to move to VA. I feel so guilty that I haven't pushed back more on all this MCPS crap. We can get out so it doesn't effect my younger child as much but I'm realizing now how much better how my older child would have been if we weren't in MCPS.

[Anonymous]

It is only partially oral, most is written. Call the county administrative offices and tell them your resource specialist and principal refused to show you your child's test score. It just isn't right. My kid is a 5th grader and has been in compacted math for two years. It has always surprised me that it was so exclusive. I am sure at least 25% if not 50% could handle it just fine. Daughter is pre 2.0 and would not have fought to get her in compacted if she was 2.0 but had my son not been placed in compacted math, I definitely would have made a stink. I am sure you are right OP, keep trying.

[Anonymous]

Seems like some schools do it differently. I think I heard that some teachers allow the kids to explain their answers using illustrations.

[Anonymous]

OP, what school was that?

[Anonymous]

Agree that I would appeal this beyond the school (if principal is no help). Start here: http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/directory/directory_Boxoffice.aspx?processlevel=32237

[Anonymous]

My understanding from my daughter is that it is written but then you explain your method/reasoning to teAcher. 5 questions over course of year, teacher can give up to 10 points per question. You should be able to get total score and also score per question. Cutoff this year was 38, last year was 40.

[Anonymous]

My son just told me that the tests were written. At least that was how it was done at our school.

[Anonymous]

I don't think it is different at each school. There is a written part AND then the student has to explain answer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think it is different at each school. There is a written part AND then the student has to explain answer.

That's how it was at my kid's school.

And answering the questions correctly does count.

[Anonymous]

my son told me he was only pulled out once to be assessed for compact math. I don't know if the test was verbal or written but am sure it's short.

[Anonymous]

We were told some points are not based on the testing, they are qualitative points given for a history of being in the challenge group, etc. My daughter lost points there, because she was not receiving acceleration/enrichment in 2nd grade. She still had a score well over 40 and will be in compacted math next year.

[Anonymous]

This is horrible. Basically kids from states/ counties other than MCPS that are new to MCPS will score higher because they didn't have deceleration/"let's teach everyone the exact same at the same time in math" for grades 1-3 and/or parents that prepped their kids outside of school will be the ones having a huge advantage getting into compact math. And the decision in 3rd grade impacts math tracking all the way until high school. In addition, this should be a test that ALL third graders take - not the "selected ones only." This increased the achievement gap, not decreases it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is horrible. Basically kids from states/ counties other than MCPS that are new to MCPS will score higher because they didn't have deceleration/"let's teach everyone the exact same at the same time in math" for grades 1-3 and/or parents that prepped their kids outside of school will be the ones having a huge advantage getting into compact math. And the decision in 3rd grade impacts math tracking all the way until high school. In addition, this should be a test that ALL third graders take - not the "selected ones only." This increased the achievement gap, not decreases it.

Where do you get that idea from?

My dc, in compacted math, started in mcps at 2nd grade. Most of DC's classmates in compacted math came through mcps. Granted, I don't know if the classmates prepped or not, but I know my DC didn't. I'm going to guess that not a lot DC's classmates didn't prep. They are also in HGC so, these kids are pretty bright to begin with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is horrible. Basically kids from states/ counties other than MCPS that are new to MCPS will score higher because they didn't have deceleration/"let's teach everyone the exact same at the same time in math" for grades 1-3 and/or parents that prepped their kids outside of school will be the ones having a huge advantage getting into compact math. And the decision in 3rd grade impacts math tracking all the way until high school. In addition, this should be a test that ALL third graders take - not the "selected ones only." This increased the achievement gap, not decreases it.

There was no deceleration. All that MCPS did is remove the option to skip a grade (or more) in math in grades K-3. Which I, personally, fully support.

What's more, from what my child told me, the math questions were not questions you can "prep" for, or questions you will do better on if you skip a grade in math. They were questions that required good number sense and a thorough understanding of grade-level math processes -- exactly the things that Curriculum 2.0 math is supposed to promote.

And finally, empirically it seems that there are informal opportunities for advancement even after the decision in third grade. It's not a case of getting into compacted math in third grade or being doomed to the on-grade-level track through 12th grade no matter what. What's more, even if it were, the on-grade-level track you'd be supposedly doomed to would get you to AP calculus in 12th grade, which was (and still is) the HONORS track in the well-regarded, university-town public school system I grew up in.

[Anonymous]

Stop drinking the cool aid. Math has been decelerated within MCPS. MCPS does not develop a deeper number sense. It just caps out how much math is taught to allow the bottom to catch up. Yes, kids from other school districts can score far higher than MCPS students that aren't learning math at home.