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07.21.08, 20:42 PM Toddler
15 replies
Anyone else have a child get a weird ELA test score? DD got her 3rd grade ELA test results back. She is reading at 6th grade level (according to school report card, not me), but got a 3 on her ELA. Meanwhile, she's no math whiz (strong, but nothing to brag about) and got a 4 on the math test. What gives? [ Reply | Watch | Flag ]
Toddler 07.21.08, 08:42 PM Flag
 

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I hear that overall, the ELA scores are down citywide. Also, the ELAs tests some specific areas that may or may not reflect a child's reading level. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.21.08, 08:47 PM Flag
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Hmmm. Interesting. I hadn't heard that about the general downward trend in ELA scores. Also good point about the different skills being tested. My hunch is that she got cocky about being a "good reader" and was a little sloppy, while she knows she has to work a bit at math and was a little more focused for that test. Who knows, though. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.21.08, 08:54 PM Flag
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In 3rd grade, a kid who missed 2 questions got a 3. In order to get a 4 a kid had to have a perfect score or only miss one. So lots of kids who were careless missed getting a 4. In math, you could miss 3 and get a 4, and the questions aren't too difficult, so if your dd was more careful, could easily get a 4. Generally, a much higher % of kids gets 4s in math. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.22.08, 04:58 AM Flag
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^^^your dd's ela report should say how many she missed, so you can see if the score was a "high 3", very close to a 4, or not. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.22.08, 04:59 AM Flag
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It was def. a high 3, close to a 4. And, yeah, I've heard that about missing 2 questions bumping you down to a 3. I know the 3rd grade ELA doesn't matter for middle schools, so that's a relief, but I would prefer for her to get a 4 so we have a wider choice of middle schools when the time comes. (p.s. I hate this crap, and am trying to be nonchalant w/dd.) [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.22.08, 08:13 PM Flag
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I know, it's a drag that so much is based on one day's testing in 4th grade. I think the best test prep I told my dc was to check work. There could always be a question that dc doesn't know the answer to and gets wrong, but it's a shame to miss a question that dc does know just because of rushing. However, I do think a high 3 is okay for the good middle schools, so sounds like your dd will be okay anyway. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 08:58 AM Flag
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2 4s really wouldn't make a difference for any school but Anderson, I think. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 08.14.12, 03:14 PM Flag
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maybe she had an off test day. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.22.08, 05:51 AM Flag
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FWIW, my dc was the same way, and probably just an off-day or unfamiliarity with test situation. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.22.08, 06:01 AM Flag
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fwiw, I was always better in lang than math. My SAT scores were higher in math. Stranger things have happened [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.22.08, 06:08 AM Flag
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The ELA tests are really badly designed. if you go online and search around the NYS DOE site, you can find tests from previous years. You can also find the scoring guides the teachers are given. When I looked all these over, i was appalled at how badly designed the tests were. There are ambiguous questions; questions that rely on knowledge of social norms that the child may or may not share; and testing criteria that make little sense and which the child may not even be informed about. For instance, on the 3rd grade ELA, there is a listening section, then there are questions based on teh passage that was read aloud. if hte child uses words from the passage, he gets extra points; it shows that he was really listening in the view of the test makers. But the children are generally not told this as part of test prep. In fact, some children will try hard NOT to use the same word. The tests are just bad; the explosion of testing means that there is a greater demand for tests than there are competent people to create them. None of this would matter except that in some districts, you need high test scores for selective middle schools. And if you want to go to private for MS, high test scores help. YOu have the right to see your child's state tests, so you can see for yourself what she got wrong and if it's a problem that needs to be fixed, or just one of those things where she got careless. But the fact that your kid is reading way above grade level and presumably understanding what she reads, yet can't score a 4, is an indication of how unreliable the tests are at measuring what they are supposed to measure. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.22.08, 06:38 AM Flag
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There are also very specific things they look for in the writing samples. Test prep teaches the kids how to write for the test. The scorer of the test literally goes down a list and checks off if the kids used x and y. Unfortunately good writers usually don't do as well on the ELA, as they are creative and write "out of the box". The ELA actually penalizes for creative, out of the box writing and only wants formulaic, by the numbers writing. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.22.08, 06:09 AM Flag
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ITA. Friend's dc scored highest in nation on verbal section of the SCAT, a national test normed for 8th graders and the same year scored a 3 (middle 3, not high 3) on the ELA. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.22.08, 06:44 AM Flag
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Yes! I had same experience with my son. He is considered by teachers a "gifted" writer and reads at not sure what grade, but books like the hobbit and tom sawyer, and got 3 (high 3) - there was no warning of this as he got everything right in practices and did very well in predictive. so lame and it's unbelievable to me that charter schools teaching very underprivileged kids are able to get so many scoring 4s. I am particularly impressed with this achievement now - and it's not just test prep as my son's school had 2 mos of 2 hr/day test prep!!! [ Reply | More
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General Topics 08.14.12, 02:03 PM Flag
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Kids do better on the math test. And ELA is really more than reading level. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 08.14.12, 03:13 PM Flag
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