Another WWYD

[NewRVLady]

One of my kids graduating class had 5-yes 5- Valedictorians and they ALL gave a speech

Actually the last one made the whole auditorium cry-it was a tribute for their classmate that died Junior year-very touching.

 

[RitaZ.]

IMO stay out of it. If your DD is indeed on a path to be valedictorian she needs to get their on her own steam. Support her education & do what you can to supplement where appropriate, but if she's indeed a legitimate candidate she's got to make it happen.

I won't say anymore because I think anything else I have to say will be offensive.

I second this. These kids rise to the top on their own. Mommy and daddy don't need to circumvent the rules or run interference for them because they're self-motivated by nature and know what they have to do to get there.

 

[vintagemomma]

I haven't read through all the thread, but I have to ask, does she have a GIEP? If she is supposedly so far advanced and above all the rest, does she have one?

 

[Ginny Favers]

I'll never forget the end of 6th Grade Honors English. The teacher, Mrs. Fischer, called everyone up to the front of the room to get their summer reading assignment. But there were two she didn't call up, and I was one of them. After all the books were handed out tot he other 30 students, she said, "Ginny and Edward, you two did not get a book because you are not going to be in Honors English next year. You'll be demoted to level 1."

I was so embarrassed.

Now, I have no idea where any of those Honors Englishers are. However, I know that I have internationally published 7 novels with major publishers. And so to all the Mrs. Fischers of the world, I can politely go tell them where to stick their Honors.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I'll never forget the end of 6th Grade Honors English. The teacher, Mrs. Fischer, called everyone up to the front of the room to get their summer reading assignment. But there were two she didn't call up, and I was one of them. After all the books were handed out tot he other 30 students, she said, "Ginny and Edward, you two did not get a book because you are not going to be in Honors English next year. You'll be demoted to level 1."

I was so embarrassed.

Now, I have no idea where any of those Honors Englishers are. However, I know that I have internationally published 7 novels with major publishers. And so to all the Mrs. Fischers of the world, I can politely go tell them where to stick their Honors.

Great post!

 

[deedeetoo]

I'm just surprised that the kids are tracked this soon and in what appears to be an inflexible manner.

First I live in a smaller town that the op based on the fact that someone posted his town was 13,000 - we are about half that size. Yet I couldn't tell you who was in line to be valedictorian. That just sounds absurd.

In middle school we do have tracking for math. There is fast, regular, and slow math. The kids take a test every year and a recommendation is made. Parents are allowed to override the recommendation but have to sign something saying that they know their kid was recommended for a different class and may have trouble. There isn't tracking for any other subject.

The same process is used for high school when they decide on Honors and AP classes. The teachers recommend and parents can override. In high school there seems to be a lot of moving up and down between these classes from year to year as kids find that they are weaker or stronger than expected at the high school level. The level of an 8th grade class should not be that important.

 

[jrmasm]

I'm just surprised that the kids are tracked this soon and in what appears to be an inflexible manner. First I live in a smaller town that the op based on the fact that someone posted his town was 13,000 - we are about half that size. Yet I couldn't tell you who was in line to be valedictorian. That just sounds absurd. In middle school we do have tracking for math. There is fast, regular, and slow math. The kids take a test every year and a recommendation is made. Parents are allowed to override the recommendation but have to sign something saying that they know their kid was recommended for a different class and may have trouble. There isn't tracking for any other subject. The same process is used for high school when they decide on Honors and AP classes. The teachers recommend and parents can override. In high school there seems to be a lot of moving up and down between these classes from year to year as kids find that they are weaker or stronger than expected at the high school level. The level of an 8th grade class should not be that important.

I agree. It seems that the district is taking a very short sighted approach. Or maybe the OP isn't 100% clear on how things work.

 

[NHdisneylover]

I haven't read through all the thread, but I have to ask, does she have a GIEP? If she is supposedly so far advanced and above all the rest, does she have one?

PA is one of very few states that considers giftedness a reason for an IEP. Besides, there is nothing written by the OP to indicate this girl is profoundly gifted--she is just high achieving on general things--many kids who would qualify for an IEP are not doing as well on those test--they are overthinking them, or not doing as well in class, as they struggle to concentrate on material so far below them, etc--I don't get that sense from the OP about his kid at all.

Personally, I am having a hard time getting past parents, and one of them being a district employ, labeling their child as the valedictorian at such a young age and assuming this is likely. A teacher really ought to know better than to pick out the high achiever in highscool based on things in lower grades--and no kid should have that kind of pressure put on them. I am really glad my kids were never in a school that stuck children in such rigid tracks from day one.

 

[Hannathy]

Are there high schools that don't do weighted grades?

Yes there are. Our school system doesn't weigh grades. So an A in outdoor recreation for life counts the same as an A in AP calculus! Out of the 5 valedictorians in my DD's class there was a student who may have taken 1 AP class -maybe, to someone with 8 AP's.

Another thing with the OP,most school districts and colleges don't even count the GPA of classes until the high school level for admission or for figuring out valedictorian, so someone could be in the wings that may do fantastic in high school that didn't apply themselves in middle school.

 

[rigs32]

My high school weighted grades, but not enough to over come the difficulty level. Of those of us who graduated in the top ten, only one other girl and I took all the honors classes available. The valedictorian and salutatorian took only one per year, in part to maintain their GPAs rather than risk a slightly lower grade since we had numerical grades and a 99 in a regular class could be much easier to achieve than a 93 in an honors class and the weighting didn't quite make up for that.

 

[princess barbara]

I live in a town slightly smaller than the OP. By high school, a number of bright kids from public middle school are enrolled in private schools- many are the very bright ones that also have a talent- be it musical, artistic or athletic. Also people move out/in to town so by the end of high school, who knows what will be.

I think I would let the teachers decide if your daughter can handle the workload as it sounds as if there are a few other kids that can handle the work of being placed in that honors class. Do they ever move kids out of the class after it has started if they are unable to handle the increased workload?

Also in our town, the kids can take virtual on-line classes for high school credit and this extra work enables some to get into high school honors classes. Not sure if that's an option.

 

[NewRVLady]

I'll never forget the end of 6th Grade Honors English. The teacher, Mrs. Fischer, called everyone up to the front of the room to get their summer reading assignment. But there were two she didn't call up, and I was one of them. After all the books were handed out tot he other 30 students, she said, "Ginny and Edward, you two did not get a book because you are not going to be in Honors English next year. You'll be demoted to level 1."

I was so embarrassed.

Now, I have no idea where any of those Honors Englishers are. However, I know that I have internationally published 7 novels with major publishers. And so to all the Mrs. Fischers of the world, I can politely go tell them where to stick their Honors.

Wowser!! You GO girl!!!
I hate labeling kids that young and letting them think they can't do great things!! Terrible

 

[KennesawNemo]

PA is one of very few states that considers giftedness a reason for an IEP. Besides, there is nothing written by the OP to indicate this girl is profoundly gifted--she is just high achieving on general things--many kids who would qualify for an IEP are not doing as well on those test--they are overthinking them, or not doing as well in class, as they struggle to concentrate on material so far below them, etc--I don't get that sense from the OP about his kid at all.

Personally, I am having a hard time getting past parents, and one of them being a district employ, labeling their child as the valedictorian at such a young age and assuming this is likely. A teacher really ought to know better than to pick out the high achiever in highscool based on things in lower grades--and no kid should have that kind of pressure put on them. I am really glad my kids were never in a school that stuck children in such rigid tracks from day one.

Can't agree with the red part more.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

It does seem quite odd that all of the students accepted into the honors class came from one out of three teachers. I would expect that the principal would want to examine why/how that happened. It sounds like Mrs. F will handle it appropriately, I'd leave it at that.