OP here. I’d really like to revisit my first question and what I came looking for advice on in this forum… please.

What tutoring programs would you recommend for a sixth grader that needs remediation in reading and math?

Mathnasium? Any of the others?

What about for reading?

Is working with an FCPS teacher from the parent resource list better?

Thanks!

Not sure why anyone (especially a teacher) would recommend against the MS Literacy. It may be exactly what this child needs.

A passing proficient grade on the SOL is effectively 67%, that would be a D. I would be worried if my kid had a D on a test or in a class. Pass Advanced is an 83%. These are not hard tests, they should be manageable for a child that is on grade level. I would be concerned with any score in the low 400s.

OP: What have her iReady scores been the past few years? If she has been falling under the 70th percentile on iReady and she has been in the low 400s on her past SOLS, I would be looking for help. I think a tutor is a great place to start. If the school offers literacy classes, take the help.

Anonymous wrote:As a high school literacy teacher I just want to say that if she retakes a 389, it could go either way. It’s only a few questions, so passing is possible. If she doesn’t, and they put her into a literacy support elective, please don’t opt out of it. The SOL is *not* a hard test, so if kids can’t pass it, even with retakes, they legitimately could use reading intervention.

Agreed.

-Former FCPS Middle School Literacy Teacher

My son failed the math SOL each time in 4th and 5th grade. Each summer following that he worked with a math tutor who was a teacher in FCPS. It really made a difference.

Did you ask your daughter if she tried and read the questions on the reading SOL? It seems obvious but my son failed one year and when I spoke to him he said he rushed through it and didn’t read most of them. I did have him sit for the retake and told him to take it seriously and he did significantly better. You know your kid, does she need help with reading or did she likely rush through these tests?

As a high school literacy teacher I just want to say that if she retakes a 389, it could go either way. It’s only a few questions, so passing is possible. If she doesn’t, and they put her into a literacy support elective, please don’t opt out of it. The SOL is *not* a hard test, so if kids can’t pass it, even with retakes, they legitimately could use reading intervention.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In addition to other things, I am looking for tutors for DD this summer.
Recommended remediation tutors?

Thinking of mathnasium for math? Other suggestions?

What about for reading?

I have tried for years on my own and I can’t keep up with it along with work and all the house related duties that come with being a mom.

DD really needs help before it’s too late!

Have you reached out to her school? They should be able to offer summer remediation programs. If not your school, then they should recommend another one in the county.

1) Have her do the retake. It might have been an off day or topics she was unfamiliar with in the passages. Only kids who were close are allowed to retake so your child probably only missed a few questions.
2) Please don’t contact anyone posting on this anonymous board. Use the FCPS family resource center, your school, or a local learning center.
3) The only schools with summer remediation this year are Title I schools because we don’t have the funding for it.

-A reading specialist.

What region is your DD in?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In addition to other things, I am looking for tutors for DD this summer.
Recommended remediation tutors?

Thinking of mathnasium for math? Other suggestions?

What about for reading?

I have tried for years on my own and I can’t keep up with it along with work and all the house related duties that come with being a mom.

DD really needs help before it’s too late!

Have you reached out to her school? They should be able to offer summer remediation programs. If not your school, then they should recommend another one in the county.

FCPS Tutor here- also SOL remediation tutor- on top of understanding subject perhaps also invest in how to test take effectively.

Shame- there is no way to connect on this on this site.

In which city is your DD’s school?

Isn't this considered prepping in the AAP forum?

I don’t believe so- it should be a given, a skill/strategy that all students should learn and know.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No thats silly. A parent can simply decline those classes.

They have that right, but with the requirements of the Virginia Literacy Act, a kid who failed the reading SOL will get pulled constantly to undergo further testing and progress monitoring. The student could fall even further behind if they are constantly being pulled from classes so the school can meet the mandates of the Virginia Literacy Act.

She could use the support at this point.

Anonymous wrote:No thats silly. A parent can simply decline those classes.

They have that right, but with the requirements of the Virginia Literacy Act, a kid who failed the reading SOL will get pulled constantly to undergo further testing and progress monitoring. The student could fall even further behind if they are constantly being pulled from classes so the school can meet the mandates of the Virginia Literacy Act.

She should just do the retake. She probably only missed passing by 1-2 questions. Thats it. If she gets a 400+, it will boost her self confidence.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is ZERO benefit to her. You know she needs help this summer shoring up her math and reading comprehension. Retaking a test to get the score above some arbitrary cut off so the school gets one more "pass" is just torture for no point.

If she doesn't have a passing reading SOL score, she will probably need to take a literacy support class in middle school. She will lose an elective because the literacy support course will take the place of a standard elective course.

If she wants to take the electives she chose, there is a benefit to taking the SOL retake.

+1 I just heard this from an administrator that middle schools will look at SOL scores to determine electives and students who don’t pass may be placed into support classes rather than their desired elective. If you don’t want that, it’s worth retaking to try to pass.

Oh goodness I had no idea. Thanks for that update!

Just another perspective—enrolling in a literacy class might be exactly what this child needs right now. I know dropping an elective is disappointing, but if it provides the targeted support to help her build foundational skills, it could make a big difference in the long run.

No thats silly. A parent can simply decline those classes.