I think that talking to the ELA teacher is the best idea. If he got a B in class but below average on the state test, at least one of those grades is wrong. I bet the ELA teacher does not feel they gave out a wrong grade and that B was based on a whole year of work. Ask the teacher what is necessary to work on, if anything. BUT I wouldn’t ask expect the school district to go on record criticizing the state test…they will probably not tell you it’s invalid, even if they suspect it is. They have to give these tests, they have to stand behind them and they are required to report the results to you, no matter how crazy they seem. That’s my experience anyway. On the positive side, if asked about their own curriculum, the teacher can confidently state if your son is ready to go ahead. I bet that he is…
I hear that the state tests used robograders this year…literally machine grading as the only “eyes” on an essay test. I am already preparing to ignore my 8th grader’s writing test score…although we won’t receive it until September.
Parents these days and their obsession with how things small as this affects their kids college admissions make me so mad. So what if he gets a B? It’s not the end of the world. How about you let your kids discover the world for themselves and what they like instead of constructing the “perfect” kid.
Did you ask your son about the test? Did he take it seriously or treat it like a joke (as some kids do on these?). Did he find it too hard or not finish in time? If he took it at least somewhat seriously, I would agree with having him tested privately to see if something is going on. If he did not take it seriously, or even if he took it somewhat seriously, I might still have him go to summer school. What is the down side to summer school for a kid that just finished 8th grade? Is the June testing before summer school starts?
I also agree with talking specifically with the guidance counselor to see if there is a pattern to the results. Did he run out of time so didn’t answer all the questions? Did he get a specific type of questions consistently wrong? Or was it pretty random?
In our district, those results would impact his placement into college-prep or honors classes in the high school, which would then impact his college plans.
Well, if as a result of the test results he gets put in a non-honors track inappropriately that could effect his college choices in the long run. But I do agree that right now the question is, is there a problem or not. So yes, meet with the current teacher, have some outside evaluation done. Make sure there is no physical reason for him to be avoiding reading (trouble tracking in addition to near or far-sightedness for example.) I second the suggestion that finding reading he can enjoy would have huge longterm results. Both my kids got perfect scores on the SAT critical reading section through a diet of fantasy and sci fi. Thrillers and mysteries are fine too. As is non-fiction about sports.
As for the testing - many of the testing instruments have changed a lot in the last few years. It is much more important to infer ideas and not just regurgitate the facts. He may need to learn to take the tests better. Summer school might help with that.
Jasmine, a kid who enters HS who is not reading at grade level is going to have all sorts of difficulties. It’s not about getting B’s- it’s about reading comprehension, ability to parse sentence structure, etc.
OP- talk to the teacher. One test doesn’t mean much, but if it’s indicative of a larger problem you are being prudent trying to get your arms around the issue.
And agree with the suggestion of more reading. Sports section, articles about Prince, whatever he’s interested in. More reading leads to more reading.
@blossom I was having the same problems as OPs son but turned out fine. I would suggest he read more books and if he is taking the SRI, get more exposed to lots of words and vocabularies. My mom had the same concern regarding my test scores but I turned out fine. But if he must go to summer school to get better, then he should IG. Btw, I’m a soon to be junior.
So I just spoke to the HS and MS counselors. There were many errors in testing due to computer glitches, etc. There is a possiblity that his score is a result of that but we won’t know. Due to the issues, the scores will not be held against them. I’m waiting to hear back from his current ELA teacher to see if he she sees any gaps in his skills. I am considering private tutoring or an online summer course to get him up to speed if necessary. Many here suggested a private evaluation. Where do you get a reading evaluation for an 8th grader? Thanks!
I would not worry about scores being held against him.
I would consider the ELA teacher’s advice about whether summer school is needed. A friend was sent an invitation to summer school for her middle school daughter due to lower than grade level scores on a math test. She got the math teacher to weigh in on whether she thought summer school was needed. The teacher was actually surprised at the summer school recommendation, which was a district level recommendation based on test scores only. The recommendation did not come from the teacher.
In our urban district, low scores can lead to scheduling decisions where students are assigned a “double dose” of English or math the next year. Having to take two hours of reading in our district would crowd out an elective like music or art.
I would encourage the student to do more reading this summer.
Perhaps you could ask the school to do a follow–up assessment in-house? Schools typically have people (ex. school psychologists etc.) who can do this kind of testing. Especially if there are issues with the test that have been given it seems like a reasonable request. That way you won’t have to pay for it. Or else you can ask the school for a suggestion – there are many people around who do this work but a recommendation from the school might help you get someone with a proven track record.
^ Or why not just retake the test at the end of summer as was originally recommended? The district was already offering a retest.
I’m sorry JasmineArmani - I think you misunderstood my post.
You are smart to ask if placement in hs will be based on the standardized test.
The school psychologist should be able to help you find a list of local people who do educational evaluations. If not, start with the Educational Psychology professors at the closest college of education.
Possibly worth looking into would be evaluations for attention issues and for processing issues. As reading gets tougher, these sorts of issues can start to appear because the student’s coping mechanisms get overwhelmed. A good evaluation will let you know whether or not your son might be able to use some help with developing compensation skills for any areas of general weakness.
@Davidson700 - I found our reading evaluation / tutor at a small place that does Private HS entrance test prep and SAT/ACT test prep.
I am assuming your are in Georgia. Did your son take the ITBS this year? Many districts require it in the fall of 8th grade. I would have much more faith in the accuracy of the ITBS score than the Milestone scores. Even without the widespread computer problems, the Milestones were developed on the cheap and have no track record at all. Check to see if the score has any ITBS or CoGAT scores available - they will tell you much more about your son’s skill levels.
One of the benefits of a good psychologist who does testing is that whatever the outcome, he/she can recommend good strategies for reading, test taking, time management. But find someone soon…
The good ones often have long waits for appointments.
If your son is not really into reading novels, perhaps you could introduce him to magazines.
As a high school librarian, I was amazed that what one of my former student assistants told me about 10 years ago. He was never a reader. Then, I joined the staff of the high school during his senior year. I bought car and motorcycle magazines. He would devour them. He had suddenly become a big reader all because I introduced something he loved. I remember him telling me that he wished I had been there starting in his freshman year. Those magazines made him love reading, and perhaps if he had done more reading for pleasure, he would have landed at a four-year college, not the local community college. He eventually transferred and today is a financial planner. Oh, and he still loves cars!
Let your son find something he likes to read. My younger son was never a reader until his sophomore year. He got an honors English teacher who had the class reading “guy books.” He loved Lord of the Flies and Anthem. His AP English teacher got him hooked on Dante, and he loved All Quiet on the Western Front. Let your son dictate what he enjoys reading, and look for his scores to jump.
Believe it or not, I found Sylvan’s diagnostic assessment helpful and inexpensive. While I do think psychoeducational testing for disabilities has its place, I found that most of the reading and writing assessments done by psychologists for lds are really too easy. Look to see if your child has good fluency (the ability to read quickly and easily), good comprehension and good vocabulary. If those things are fine, then it is probably a testing problem-- whether because your child had problems with the test (anything from bubbling in the wrong answers to running out of time) or the test itself or its grading is not very good.
One of my kids had fluency issues. That kid resolved that by lots of reading, particularly along with recorded books.
Another kid had reading comprehension issues. Some of the solutions I found: individual tutoring, online book program (I didn’t use this but will pass it along because it looked good) https://www.spidersmart.com/elearning , Chinese school, a short speed reading/reading comp program that is available in many places across the country, long-term SAT tutoring once the child’s vocab was ready. (Kid did that around 10th grade and it was a weekly SAT prep class held by a tutoring center all year. My concern was less about the SAT-- my kid actually ended up taking the ACT-- than about the vocabulary and reading enrichment which was hard to find at the college prep level.) My point was not ‘test prep’ but building skills.
I agree with @happymomof1 that it quite possibly be a processing or attention problem. As children advance in school, refacing becomes more complex and requires increased attention and memory to successfully comprehend what they have read. I would consider getting an educational assessment by a psychologist.
Sound s like you are on the right path and that it may well be a testing error, rather than an issue for your son. Was his previous testing all fine? I think the ELA teacher should be able to give you some guidance. Good luck!