+1

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's largely because of this board.

Regardless of what is posted on these boards, the majority of kids score in the low 100's, and the numbers get smaller the further away from 100 that you get on either side.

That is true nationally, but I wonder if "the majority of kids" in Fairfax county score in the low 100's. People aren't concerned about how their DCs compare to students in Kansas -

Why does it matter?
Why are the kids being compared to each other at all?
The committee will not be comparing them to each other. They will be considering their factors individually and looking for a combination of factors that will ensure success in the AAP program.

If Johnny next door scored a 150 and my kid only scored a 130, does that mean my kid is inferior?
Not at all, my kid still scored higher than 98% of kids his age in the country, regardless of where they live. That includes those living in poverty and essentially raising themselves as well as NY socialite kids who have been prepped since birth, but mostly it's normal kids with a good home life who are getting a solid education.

Why do all the parents in this county feel so strongly that their kid has to be better/smarter/stronger/faster than the other kids in their class?
That is the number 1 guaranteed way to end up with a child who spends his or her entire life feeling not-good-enough.

btw, NOT picking on Kansas, just picked a random state. Anywhere.

Anonymous wrote:That's largely because of this board.

Regardless of what is posted on these boards, the majority of kids score in the low 100's, and the numbers get smaller the further away from 100 that you get on either side.

That is true nationally, but I wonder if "the majority of kids" in Fairfax county score in the low 100's. People aren't concerned about how their DCs compare to students in Kansas -

That's largely because of this board.
If people didn't post so much about prep, most parents wouldn't have even considered it as an option

People here seem to present the image that the 120's is the worst place to be, so you better prep that 120's kid up into the 132+ category.

Regardless of what is posted on these boards, the majority of kids score in the low 100's, and the numbers get smaller the further away from 100 that you get on either side.

I'm sure there are now parents prepping their kindergarteners!

Anonymous wrote:if your child needs a prep course then they don't belong in AAP. Sorry. The simple instruction of 'answer all the questions - don't leave any blank' is enough for any smart child. If you need a 4 week summer course, get ready for tutors in ES and sad faces when the kids look around at age 10 & 11 and realize other kids actually get the ideas faster and easier than they do.

Well said!!! Prep courses for 1st/2nd grade kids are really crazy.

I know parents who prepped their first graders.

Good point - at least in 1st grade the playing field is level bc the children are all new to standardized tests and there's no parent prePping

Anonymous wrote:I've just gone through this process with my 2nd Grade DC. My child had never seen a standardized test before the NNAT and I believe that contributed to a lower-than-expected score. We got the CogAT scores this year and the score was 14 points higher than the NNAT, with no coaching or special classes. DC ended up right outside of the pool (although the verbal score would qualified for the pool by last year's standards). I parent-referred and will wait to see what happens. This year there was only one week between when we got the scores and when the referral was due, but I managed to pull it together in time. You can always do a WISC for an appeal, if necessary. I am still waiting on the scores for my 1st grader, ours have not arrived yet.

Nearly all of the kids were seeing a standardized test for the first time.

4 four week prep course is not meant to eliminate nerves or other variables. it is to teach material that may be on the test.

i agree children might be nervous. so you should tell them to answer all the questions and do the best they can. then be proud of whatever your child achieved 'ON THEIR OWN' and stop whining that you should have done something to influence their score.

Anonymous wrote:if your child needs a prep course then they don't belong in AAP. Sorry. The simple instruction of 'answer all the questions - don't leave any blank' is enough for any smart child. If you need a 4 week summer course, get ready for tutors in ES and sad faces when the kids look around at age 10 & 11 and realize other kids actually get the ideas faster and easier than they do.

Disagree that just missing the "in pool" benchmark score is a predictor for failure in an AAP Center. Seen plenty of kids get in on appeal and do great. On the other hand, getting the in pool scores save the hassle of appeals, WISC, etc if you feel your child needs the curriculum, but just didn't test well. The scores are just a snapshot...so many variables can affect the score. And prepping arguably eliminates some of those variables.

Agreed.

My DC took the NNAT both in K and in 2nd grade and there was a big change, she went from 88th to 98th percentile and is doing great in AAP. Even though it is age adjusted, kids get more experienced with test-taking in general and 1st grade seems too young to be taking a test that could impact their education from 3rd-6th grade.

I've just gone through this process with my 2nd Grade DC. My child had never seen a standardized test before the NNAT and I believe that contributed to a lower-than-expected score. We got the CogAT scores this year and the score was 14 points higher than the NNAT, with no coaching or special classes. DC ended up right outside of the pool (although the verbal score would qualified for the pool by last year's standards). I parent-referred and will wait to see what happens. This year there was only one week between when we got the scores and when the referral was due, but I managed to pull it together in time. You can always do a WISC for an appeal, if necessary. I am still waiting on the scores for my 1st grader, ours have not arrived yet.