Anonymous wrote:I found this document on the MCPS web site. Page 3 breaks out the scores in an easy to read format:
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/curriculum/enriched/about/Understanding%20Screening.pdf

OK, this is interesting. So, for example if your 8 yo scored a 46, he/she would be 90th percentile for MCPS but 99th percentile nationwide, correct? Also, to the pp who said it was necessary to be 97th percentile to qualify for HGC, do you mean 97th percentile in MCPS, not nationwide? I realize they are two different tests, I'm just trying to get a handle on where these benchmarks fall.

I found this document on the MCPS web site. Page 3 breaks out the scores in an easy to read format:
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/curriculum/enriched/about/Understanding%20Screening.pdf

Anonymous wrote:17:26 here.

PP, I think you're right that 6.71-7.21 lines up to "7 years." But what in the world does the "2" represent?

I don't think the link provided has anything to do with MCPS.

I do think it is likely that that MCPS is using Raven's 97th/98th percentile to benchmark HGC criteria. We have a friend who has a daughter at Barnsley and the parents had commented that the median score on some test used with her HGC process was around the 97th percentile.

Kids applying to a HGC take a separate test in the third grade. The median scores that your friend referred to are the scores on the HGC test.

17:26 here.

PP, I think you're right that 6.71-7.21 lines up to "7 years." But what in the world does the "2" represent?

I don't think the link provided has anything to do with MCPS.

I do think it is likely that that MCPS is using Raven's 97th/98th percentile to benchmark HGC criteria. We have a friend who has a daughter at Barnsley and the parents had commented that the median score on some test used with her HGC process was around the 97th percentile.

I think they approximate the ages between 6.71 and 7.21 as 7. They approximate the ages between 7.21 and 7.71 as 7.5, and so on. But what I don't understand how can MCPS benchmark be 97 or 98th percentile? Does the link PP provided have nothing to do with MCPS?

Anonymous wrote:http://www.tedaltenberg.com/cabrillo/cis132/final/scoringmatrix.php

We got our scores today. Thanks, MCPS, for sending it home the last day of school.

Based on the link a PP provided, which line is the age line in this table? The top 2 rows seem to be some sort of range (6.21-6.71, 6.71-7.21, 7.21-7.71, etc.). Directly underneath them is a decimal number (6.5, 7, 7.5, 8, etc.) and directly beneath that is a whole number (2, 3, 4, 5, etc.).

The benchmark scale given in the letter is

7 / 39
7.5 / 41
8 / 42
8.5 / 43
9 / 44
9.5 / 45
10+ / 47

which seems to correspond to the values in line 3. The "score" numbers down the side of the table that correspond to line 3 as age make me think the benchmark is 97th-98th percentile.

Honestly, this letter's information is so pathetic. I have a graduate degree in statistics and have no freaking clue what anything means.

Our school will be distributing them today. less time to complain and question that way.

Did the scores come home with your child or did they come in the mail? We haven't received anything yet.

MCPS is moving back toward mixing all levels of kids in the same class and no longer will "regroup" for math and reading. Each class will have "levels' within the classroom. This may work depending on the school and the kids overall in that school in terms of their academic levels. If you have kids that require a lot of intensive work and are below level, then that does not leave enough time for the higher level kids (in my opinion). It is an extreme amount of work for the teachers who are already working to their max (at least in my experience). Also in my experience, one of my kids was assigned to "helping" with some of the kids who needed further academic assistance.
While this can be gratifying and useful for both the learner and student assisting, once the student gets to 4th / 5th grade, it is important to evaluate individually what type of setting that GT student needs. Some kids will do fine , others need that stimulation and challenge in order to remain interested in learning in the school system.
The Highly Gifted Centers 4th/5th grade) are placed in high need schools and usually where the kids as a whole need a lot more academic assistance. There are not enough HGC,s and the school we were in did not make our kids comfortable within the setting of the school as a whole. That said, the individual classroom and the differences in how the MCPS curriculum was implemented was extremely beneficial to our kids.
MCPS is moving away from providing instruction for academically advanced kids in my opinion. In middle school, they no longer have honors course, and consider "advanced" courses "honor" at this time. This does not work for all students.
And back to the RAVEN.... still trying to figure it out

Anonymous wrote:I assume the individual schools are award of the gifted and talented designations even thought the notification of that designation comes from MCPS. If the schools are award of this, is it possible that they use these designations to divide kids into certain math and/or reading groups? I guess I'm wondering if the schools address these issues in terms of day-to-day teaching techniques even if the county/state doesn't mandate it.

No, group assignment is on the basis of achievement. If anything, they try to spread the gifted kids around.

sorry, autocorrect typo: should say "If the schools are aware of this..."

I assume the individual schools are award of the gifted and talented designations even thought the notification of that designation comes from MCPS. If the schools are award of this, is it possible that they use these designations to divide kids into certain math and/or reading groups? I guess I'm wondering if the schools address these issues in terms of day-to-day teaching techniques even if the county/state doesn't mandate it.

Yeah. Thanks a lot, state law!

I think state law mandates the indentification of gifted students but does not mandate any type of particular process after that.