Ask an Expert: Jim Cox and Pat Puleo
Measuring Up: A Parent's Guide to Testing, Grades, and Assessments

Questions from past months (most recent at top):

Are there any good studies on combination classes?

How can I encourage my bright son to perform more consistently in school?

How can I compare schools in California to schools in Massachusetts?

What do the "statewide" and "similar-schools" API rankings mean?

How can we find out about private schools in our new town?

Is it fair for teachers to post students' grades publicly?

What are norm-referenced tests?

If I enroll my child in a school with a higher API, am I doing the right thing?

When test scores vary by grade level, what could that mean?

Can my daughter graduate from high school early if she has the credits, but can't pass one test?

Can I attend a high school in another district?

Are there any studies that show whether students year-round schools or schools on a traditional calendar score better on tests?

When is a teacher qualified to diagnose a learning problem?

What can I do when a teacher assigns my daughter to the wrong reading group?

What's the eighth grade curriculum in Los Angeles county?

What real difference is there between an API of 880 and 818?

What is difference between the SAT-9 math problem-solving score and the math procedure score?

How can I tell if my son's SAT-9 scores are okay compared to his classmates' scores?

What can I do to help my daughter prepare for the new CAT-6 test?

Is private schooling better than public in most circumstances?

What are the limits of standardized tests?

Where can I find the STAR tests to give to my kids at home?

What's included in the API now?

A private school in Whittier will be testing students with the "Stanford-10." Is this the next version of the SAT-9 (Stanford Achievement Test, Ninth Edition)?

My first-grade daughter normally gets straight A's, with scores in the upper 90%. But on the SAT-9, she scored in the 88th percentile in reading—except in Word Study Skills, where her score was 63%. Her math and other scores were all in the mid to upper 90s. I'm wondering what Word Study Skills are, and how I can help her raise her score.

My children (in kindergarten and second grade) attend a private school. I wonder how and when they should be tested to get into a good high school. Can I take them to a public school site to take the SAT-9? Also, I understand that the top five percent of students in upper elementary grades take the SAT-9 early, and that private schools can assess their scores for admissions purposes.

Our son's test scores this year have dropped compared to last year. He is now in the second grade. The scores of half the other students have dropped, too. Can you tell us what this might mean? Is there a way for the children to improve?

My daughters' teachers have told the kids that if they don't take or pass the SAT-9 test, that they won't go on to the next grade. Is it legal to obligate kids to take the test? And can they make a kid repeat the grade because she didn't pass or take the test?

How much "weight" should I put into the API test scores? My son attended school in Virginia where their Standard Of Learning test scores averaged in the low 90's. The school I'm thinking about sending my son to in California has an API score of 725. The school's SAT-9 scores are 76% in reading and 82% in math. Should I be concerned about the large difference in scores?

The past two years my child has scored over 95 percent in all categories on the SAT-9. This year she scored 10 points lower in just about all categories. How should I interpret this?

My son, who's in the sixth grade, scored at the 35th percentile in total math. His teacher told me that this is well below the norm. Should I be concerned?

If my daughter scored at the 90th percentile in math, but gets C's for grades, is she an underachiever? She is in fourth grade.

I just saw the API for my son's school. They assigned it a score of 550, and said it needs improvement. What does the score really mean?

My daughter's middle school has an API of 350. Most of the students are not yet comfortable speaking English. So what does the score really mean?

What would be a better way to compare schools? I don't like this API because it doesn't measure how much students have learned. I do accept the premise of accountability. Isn't there a better way?

The teachers at my son's elementary school met with us parents and told us that they were going to be focusing on only some of the students next year because of the API. What is it about the API that encourages teachers to spend more time with only some of the students.

My daughter's fifth-grade teacher told me she wasn't reading at grade level, and was in fact one and a half grade levels behind. What exactly does this mean?

I am concerned because our district is ending social promotion. I'm not sure whether my daughter will test high enough on the SAT-9 to get promoted to sixth grade.

My son's elementary school is one of those low scoring schools, according to the Academic Performance Index (API). Their score of 450 resulted in some extra resource teachers coming in to help some of the students. Why are only some of the low-scoring students getting this help, while others get no assistance.

Why is my son's eighth grade social studies class going from five days a week to three days a week? The teacher is working with the students on writing for the two days a week they normally study American history. I thought this core course was a full-time requirement.

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