What type of scores do you need to get into AAP in 3rd grade?

[Anonymous]

1st grade DS just received his NNAT of 120. I did not know they tested in 1st and DS has never taken a test before. DS is advanced in math, gets mostly 4s on his report card. He got 3s in music and language arts. I actually picked up a NNAT book after he took the test not knowing they even test in 1st grade. I thought they only tested in 2nd for 3rd grade AAP consideration.

DH and I are disappointed with his test score. Wondering if my child has any shot. I know he could do better. Don't think he understood many of the questions. I am not trying to make excuses for DS. I just think it would have made a big difference if my 6yo had at least seen the type of question before.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1st grade DS just received his NNAT of 120. I did not know they tested in 1st and DS has never taken a test before. DS is advanced in math, gets mostly 4s on his report card. He got 3s in music and language arts. I actually picked up a NNAT book after he took the test not knowing they even test in 1st grade. I thought they only tested in 2nd for 3rd grade AAP consideration.

DH and I are disappointed with his test score. Wondering if my child has any shot. I know he could do better. Don't think he understood many of the questions. I am not trying to make excuses for DS. I just think it would have made a big difference if my 6yo had at least seen the type of question before.

You will have to do something with your expectations first.
This is his first ever test and you are already disappointed? How about taking the test score as a data point about your child's abilities.

[Anonymous]

That score is not strong, but apparently, there are a lot of kids who have that NNAT and still get in (usually CogAT will be have to be higher, but it's suprising to me how even that isn't always required).

I have one who had 118 NNAT and much higher CogAT -- and she wasn't in pool. That year it had to be the composite above 132, not just a subscore. I hate to say this, but I wish I had pushed for her and referred her. She didn't get nearly as good an education as her brother (who had a 145? NNAT). I do think the scores were a pretty accurate reflection of their natural intelligence....but I still regret that he is getting a better education and I do think she could have handled it.

The tragedy is how many kids aren't getting a strong education although they too could do it. The difference b/t AAP and gen ed is too drastic. (at least at some schools).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1st grade DS just received his NNAT of 120. I did not know they tested in 1st and DS has never taken a test before. DS is advanced in math, gets mostly 4s on his report card. He got 3s in music and language arts. I actually picked up a NNAT book after he took the test not knowing they even test in 1st grade. I thought they only tested in 2nd for 3rd grade AAP consideration.

DH and I are disappointed with his test score. Wondering if my child has any shot. I know he could do better. Don't think he understood many of the questions. I am not trying to make excuses for DS. I just think it would have made a big difference if my 6yo had at least seen the type of question before.[/quote]

Yes, he might have done better if he understood the questions and if he had seen the type of question before, which is the very reason kids can't take the test again within a 6 month period. The test is supposed to capture the high ability kids who have NOT seen the type of testing before. Meaning: your child should do fine on these tests without prepping. You should also know that prepping would have perhaps changed the score a few points. He isn't going to go from a 120 to a 132 from prepping.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1st grade DS just received his NNAT of 120. I did not know they tested in 1st and DS has never taken a test before. DS is advanced in math, gets mostly 4s on his report card. He got 3s in music and language arts. I actually picked up a NNAT book after he took the test not knowing they even test in 1st grade. I thought they only tested in 2nd for 3rd grade AAP consideration.

DH and I are disappointed with his test score. Wondering if my child has any shot. I know he could do better. Don't think he understood many of the questions. I am not trying to make excuses for DS. I just think it would have made a big difference if my 6yo had at least seen the type of question before.[/quote]

Yes, he might have done better if he understood the questions and if he had seen the type of question before, which is the very reason kids can't take the test again within a 6 month period. The test is supposed to capture the high ability kids who have NOT seen the type of testing before. Meaning: your child should do fine on these tests without prepping. You should also know that prepping would have perhaps changed the score a few points. He isn't going to go from a 120 to a 132 from prepping.

This. You need to back off and let your kid learn. Worrying about gaming a test for a 1st grader is ridiculous.

I remember when one of my kids took either the NNAT or the CogAT. The teacher read the test to them and he couldn't even hear all the questions. I did nothing. He stayed in Gen Ed and is in all AP classes now with a 4.7 GPA. AAP, Gen Ed? It does not matter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1st grade DS just received his NNAT of 120. I did not know they tested in 1st and DS has never taken a test before. DS is advanced in math, gets mostly 4s on his report card. He got 3s in music and language arts. I actually picked up a NNAT book after he took the test not knowing they even test in 1st grade. I thought they only tested in 2nd for 3rd grade AAP consideration.

DH and I are disappointed with his test score. Wondering if my child has any shot. I know he could do better. Don't think he understood many of the questions. I am not trying to make excuses for DS. I just think it would have made a big difference if my 6yo had at least seen the type of question before.[/quote]

Yes, he might have done better if he understood the questions and if he had seen the type of question before, which is the very reason kids can't take the test again within a 6 month period. The test is supposed to capture the high ability kids who have NOT seen the type of testing before. Meaning: your child should do fine on these tests without prepping. You should also know that prepping would have perhaps changed the score a few points. He isn't going to go from a 120 to a 132 from prepping.

This. You need to back off and let your kid learn. Worrying about gaming a test for a 1st grader is ridiculous.

I remember when one of my kids took either the NNAT or the CogAT. The teacher read the test to them and he couldn't even hear all the questions. I did nothing. He stayed in Gen Ed and is in all AP classes now with a 4.7 GPA. AAP, Gen Ed? It does not matter.

You had me until 4.7 GPA. Which is mathematically impossible in FCPS, even if you are a straight A student and take all honors with a .5 grade bump and 10 APs with a 1.0 bump-- especially since you get no bump on PE, foreign language, and electives, and top out at a 4.0 in those classes. Even at TJ (where it is easier to get GPA bumps) the highest GPA this year was just over a 4.5. Maybe a 4.7 GOA this year/semester or last? But no way as a cumulative GPA once non- AP freshman classes and largely non-AP sophomore classes factor in. Nice try though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1st grade DS just received his NNAT of 120. I did not know they tested in 1st and DS has never taken a test before. DS is advanced in math, gets mostly 4s on his report card. He got 3s in music and language arts. I actually picked up a NNAT book after he took the test not knowing they even test in 1st grade. I thought they only tested in 2nd for 3rd grade AAP consideration.

DH and I are disappointed with his test score. Wondering if my child has any shot. I know he could do better. Don't think he understood many of the questions. I am not trying to make excuses for DS. I just think it would have made a big difference if my 6yo had at least seen the type of question before.[/quote]

Yes, he might have done better if he understood the questions and if he had seen the type of question before, which is the very reason kids can't take the test again within a 6 month period. The test is supposed to capture the high ability kids who have NOT seen the type of testing before. Meaning: your child should do fine on these tests without prepping. You should also know that prepping would have perhaps changed the score a few points. He isn't going to go from a 120 to a 132 from prepping.

This. You need to back off and let your kid learn. Worrying about gaming a test for a 1st grader is ridiculous.

I remember when one of my kids took either the NNAT or the CogAT. The teacher read the test to them and he couldn't even hear all the questions. I did nothing. He stayed in Gen Ed and is in all AP classes now with a 4.7 GPA. AAP, Gen Ed? It does not matter.

Sorry, I meant for this, his senior year. Last year as a junior he had a 5.0

You had me until 4.7 GPA. Which is mathematically impossible in FCPS, even if you are a straight A student and take all honors with a .5 grade bump and 10 APs with a 1.0 bump-- especially since you get no bump on PE, foreign language, and electives, and top out at a 4.0 in those classes. Even at TJ (where it is easier to get GPA bumps) the highest GPA this year was just over a 4.5. Maybe a 4.7 GOA this year/semester or last? But no way as a cumulative GPA once non- AP freshman classes and largely non-AP sophomore classes factor in. Nice try though.

[Anonymous]

How does one have a 5.0 GPA even for 1 year?

As pp said, there are classes that you take that are not honors/AP so the highest you would be able to get is a 4.0 in those classes. You can't get a weighted A in PE or certain electives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How does one have a 5.0 GPA even for 1 year?

As pp said, there are classes that you take that are not honors/AP so the highest you would be able to get is a 4.0 in those classes. You can't get a weighted A in PE or certain electives.

Not the PP on this, but you could do it your junior or senior year by taking 7 APs, and no electives and getting straight As. It's hard to believe a student would do this, should do this, or that the school would let them. But it is mathematically possible. Before 11th, when you can take maybe one AP and need PE and languages, you are going to have trouble getting above a 4.3 or so, even with straight As and all honors.

[Anonymous]

^^ a sample schedule for a kid in advanced math junior year would be: AP Calc, AP history, AP Foreign Lang. 2x AP science (Biology & Chemistry or Physics) and AP Stats. I was not aware you could get AP English in 11th-- I though it was honors only-- so you can't make a 5.0 because English honors would get the .5 bump, and not 1.0. So straight As would be a 4.8 or so, not a 5.0. But maybe some schools
Let you take AP English language in 11th and AP lit in 12th? DC's HS does not, but maybe it is possible some places? But that is on day to get at least a 4.8 junior year. Senior year: could do AP English, AP foreign language lit, the AP science you skipped, AP history, mutivariable Calc (post AP gets a 1.0 bump) and 2 throwaway classes, like AP psych and AP economics, which makes a 5.0 for straight As possible.

But, I think it's sad that kids are dropping art, band, orchestra, drama, academy classes, etc to take AP classes with marginal value (like psych) just to inflate GPA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1st grade DS just received his NNAT of 120. I did not know they tested in 1st and DS has never taken a test before. DS is advanced in math, gets mostly 4s on his report card. He got 3s in music and language arts. I actually picked up a NNAT book after he took the test not knowing they even test in 1st grade. I thought they only tested in 2nd for 3rd grade AAP consideration.

DH and I are disappointed with his test score. Wondering if my child has any shot. I know he could do better. Don't think he understood many of the questions. I am not trying to make excuses for DS. I just think it would have made a big difference if my 6yo had at least seen the type of question before.

Test scores are not the be all, end all. My DC had 111 NNAT and 122 CogAT and made it into full time AAP. The test scores for sure are lower, but the class work is solid. My DC has been in TAG (in 2 previous states) or AAP since Kindy.

[Anonymous]

Those are low scores, pp. did you have a Wisc test to counteract them?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Those are low scores, pp. did you have a Wisc test to counteract them?

Nope. I don't even know what a Wisc is. The GBRS was a 16 though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those are low scores, pp. did you have a Wisc test to counteract them?

Nope. I don't even know what a Wisc is. The GBRS was a 16 though.

That is really surprising. Typically a GBRS of 16 won't be enough to balance those mediocre scores. Indeed, I don't recall ever seeing a post with scores like that and a kid getting in even with a 16 GBRS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Those are low scores, pp. did you have a Wisc test to counteract them?