Leo's Standardized Testing Scores from 4th Grade

The test scores came in the mail! They are not GREAT, but Leo is still in goal range for everything except math being advanced. Like last year he was behind his school's average. The good news is that he dramatically improved from last year! He learned something after all during his mediocre year.

It is so interesting as they track each year on a big spreadsheet eventually totaling 6 years of student performance. My huge fear is that he is going to drop out of "goal" eventually in writing because he is on the low end. Maybe in reading at one point too. Although I believe the standardized testing has huge flaws, it is basically my only barometer for how he is doing compared to the regular world. And my only glimpse into any future issues as we approach middle and high school. Well, another round of testing at Yale would do it, but who'd want to go through that again?

It is validating we chose the new school we did because they have the best reading/writing program in the area. I can already see how much harder he has to work in writing - making reading connections EVERY DAY in his reading log and answer questions. Just what the doctor ordered, going deeper. Why do characters behave the way they do? What are their intentions, motives, desires? Becoming the character....relating. Theory Of Mind, our old friend. This will never be a strong area, so I'm happy Leo likes his teacher and seems more content doing the work. Hopefully we can give him as much practice as possible in finding the things he needs to look for. Here are the scores:

Reading: Leo 263 /School Avg. 282 for the category.

Specific area that was below: Making reader/text connections: 3 out of a range of 6-8.

Writing: Leo 243/School Avg. 270 for the category.

Specific area below: Composing/Revising: 10 out of a range of 12-16.

Math: Leo 297/School Avg. 286.

Specific area that was below: Geometry; approximating measures: 3 out of a range of 4-6.

None of the weak areas are a surprise! It's great to know what we need to continue to work on at that there are no surprises (yet) anyway.

Standardized Testing Results

I had a big mommy day on Saturday. First, my 7 year old daughter annouces she's finally read to get her ears pierced (I've been waiting....). Then, we come home to find Leo's standardized test results in the mail. A wave of nausea and anxiety kicked in while I sit in the car and open the envelope. Here are the results:

Overall Results
Leo scored at goal level on all 3 tests (Reading, Writing, and Math). Goal level is level 4 out of 5 levels. I am so proud of him! What the results mean I'm not sure. We have definite areas where he tested low which brought down his score significantly. Is he testing close to what he knows? Not sure. All I know is he knows how to take an inane bubble test. Here are the details:

Math
Leo: 257
School Average: 265
District Average: 276

He tested low on these subtopics:
Customary and Metric Measurements
Integrated Understandings; Math Applications
Both of these areas make total sense with visual spacial problems.

Reading
Leo: 250
School Average: 256
District Average: 257

He tested low on these subtopics:
Examining the content and structure

Read comprehension raw score: 29 out of 40 (not sure if this gap is typical or not.

Writing
Leo: 274
School Average: 268
District Average: 272

He tested low on these subtopics:
Composing/Revising

The good news is that he is testing within normal range! And to top it off, I have some low results to guide me for specific support when Leo needs it. I'm going to research these areas along with anything the Yale report says to put together stuff for when we need it. Yeah! Nothing like being prepared, if only the rest of my life were like this.

I am wondering if there is any downside to sharing the results with Leo. I don't see any, I've always been honest about his challenges. Just not sure, what if he starts to compare results to his friends at school? Not that it should matter? Or should I protect the baby as long as possible. I'll have to think about it. Anyone, anyone?