Anonymous wrote:My kid also failed the 5th grade science, which was a shock to everyone. We had him retake it and he got a 450-something, so he just had a weird morning the first time.

Now on 4th grade math, which is not his strong point, he got a 399, they drilled him and he got a….401 on the retake. I found it funny how his school thought some great thing had occurred, when essentially he got the exact same score.

I can't believe you made your kid retake tests two years in a row. For no point.

Our teachers encourage re-takes.

Every teacher I know says they would not have their own child retake an SOL. Retakes were a discussion today during our lunch and we were talking about how some opt to retake even though the teacher lightly discouraged it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My minority kids fail SOL's in a high achieving school- and we always get a fair amount of pressure to retake (b/c the failure really pulls down the passing percentages) and I always say no. There is zero advantage to the child to retake an elementary SOL. The failure can help them get additional services and support.

+100

NEVER EVER EVER have your child who has failed an SOL retake it. FCPS is trying to push kids along. If your child has failed an SOL, that is data that they need additional help.

I would hire a tutor for next year and ask FCPS to pay for it. They are paying for all sorts fo things for parents right now who are pushy.

Great advice! Do tell where we send these bills for payment.

https://www.doe.virginia.gov/parents-students/for-parents/k-12-learning-acceleration-grants

The SOLs are written to make sure that the kids are paying attention. The majority are multiple choice (4 options) and two answers always seem reasonable on the surface. Of course, one is the wrong way of doing it, but if you aren’t concentrating fully and are just trying to move it along, I can see how kids get tripped up. I could see how these tests could be particularly difficult for kids with poor attention spans even if they generatknow the material.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My minority kids fail SOL's in a high achieving school- and we always get a fair amount of pressure to retake (b/c the failure really pulls down the passing percentages) and I always say no. There is zero advantage to the child to retake an elementary SOL. The failure can help them get additional services and support.

+100

NEVER EVER EVER have your child who has failed an SOL retake it. FCPS is trying to push kids along. If your child has failed an SOL, that is data that they need additional help.

I would hire a tutor for next year and ask FCPS to pay for it. They are paying for all sorts fo things for parents right now who are pushy.

Great advice! Do tell where we send these bills for payment.