Anonymous
02/16/2026 18:50
Subject: DS8 testing in 90-99 percentile on math and reading
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The key is really drive or maybe work ethic or maybe motivation and interest.
DS always scores super high on district and state assessments (partly because they are designed with lower standards in mind) but can’t be bothered to study or even ask for help.
In short, the state tests and such are a poor indicator of anything because they have a low bar.
Its not an indicator or Mensa but it is an indicator your child is not learning new material. If you do nothing- that’s fine, and your child will be ok. But you are squandering your child’s full potential. The young brain needs to be actively engaged and challenged in the younger years- it develops the pathways needed for advanced learning in later years.
I think you missed the point. Being 99 percentile of a very easy test isn’t indicative of anything. I am not saying one shouldn’t supplement learning or push the child - the topic isn’t about that.
Of course it is. He did better than 99% of the other kids his age and grade (probably nationally) that took that same “easy” test. Therefore, if is unlikely he has learned anything at school, which generally aims toward the kids in the middle and the lower achieving students.
Anonymous
02/16/2026 16:29
Subject: DS8 testing in 90-99 percentile on math and reading
Anonymous wrote:Yes supplement the math while he is little. They don’t teach math at schools
They teach math at our schools.
Anonymous
02/15/2026 23:17
Subject: DS8 testing in 90-99 percentile on math and reading
Anonymous wrote:Read lots and varied things. Not just wimpy kid and graphic novels. Talk to him about what he is reading, retelling the story, making inferences, who are the villains, why etc etc. For math, the test changes in 3rd grade. My kids 99% scores went down (to like 90%) as she was now being tested on 3-5grade material.
That doesn’t make any sense. The RIT scores are designed to be consistently measured across grades, and your percentile is how you scored compared to all other grade-level kids nationally. If your kid is falling into a lower percentile it’s not because of a change to the test.
Anonymous
02/15/2026 23:03
Subject: DS8 testing in 90-99 percentile on math and reading
Anonymous wrote:He's been tested the past 2-3 years at school and doing fine. Can I assume things will stay this way the next two years and he will get into advanced math and English beginning in 5th grade? Or should I be supplementing with books at home during 3rd and 4th grade. If so, which ones? I don't really want to add a bunch of work on a little kid, but don't want him shut out of the advanced track since that feeds into middle school and high school course selection.
MS kids take Honors classes if they were not in AAP and then AP/IB classes in HS. AAP does not set his academic path through HS. A lot of kids take AP or IB classes and most of them were not in AAP.
There is no Advanced English, there is just the AAP full time class or Advanced Math if not in the full time class. I am guessing that he is not in full Time AAP since you are mentioning Advanced Math.
He’ll be fine. Honors classes in MS, Honors and then AP or IB at his HS.
Anonymous
02/15/2026 19:41
Subject: DS8 testing in 90-99 percentile on math and reading
This is such a devastatingly sad thread.
Anonymous
02/15/2026 19:39
Subject: DS8 testing in 90-99 percentile on math and reading
Yes supplement the math while he is little. They don’t teach math at schools
Anonymous
02/15/2026 18:20
Subject: DS8 testing in 90-99 percentile on math and reading
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The key is really drive or maybe work ethic or maybe motivation and interest.
DS always scores super high on district and state assessments (partly because they are designed with lower standards in mind) but can’t be bothered to study or even ask for help.
In short, the state tests and such are a poor indicator of anything because they have a low bar.
Its not an indicator or Mensa but it is an indicator your child is not learning new material. If you do nothing- that’s fine, and your child will be ok. But you are squandering your child’s full potential. The young brain needs to be actively engaged and challenged in the younger years- it develops the pathways needed for advanced learning in later years.
I think you missed the point. Being 99 percentile of a very easy test isn’t indicative of anything. I am not saying one shouldn’t supplement learning or push the child - the topic isn’t about that.
Anonymous
02/15/2026 18:15
Subject: DS8 testing in 90-99 percentile on math and reading
Did your third grader learn to write a paper during English class? What sort of in class and homework assignments did he get?Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The key is really drive or maybe work ethic or maybe motivation and interest.
DS always scores super high on district and state assessments (partly because they are designed with lower standards in mind) but can’t be bothered to study or even ask for help.
In short, the state tests and such are a poor indicator of anything because they have a low bar.
Its not an indicator or Mensa but it is an indicator your child is not learning new material. If you do nothing- that’s fine, and your child will be ok. But you are squandering your child’s full potential. The young brain needs to be actively engaged and challenged in the younger years- it develops the pathways needed for advanced learning in later years.
Getting high scores on those tests is not an indicator that they are not learning anything new. My son’s detailed testing showed he was grades ahead of his grade level. In 3rd grade he was at a 8th grade reading level. That didn’t mean he wasn’t learning in his 3rd grade English class. They read Holes in 3rd grade and his reading skills allowed him to read no problem. But could he write a paper about it? Not without help.
He was also grades ahead in math when tested. In class he was sloppy and made so many mistakes from carelessness that he was where he needed to be to correct this.
High scores are great but just the beginning. If the child has focus, no huge gaps between skills, can do the secondary important tasks like writing well, organizing skills, doesn’t fidget and get bored then he’ll probably end up in the higher class. Either way he’ll be fine.