I don't know what to do? School related

[ntburns22]

Thanks for all your replies. They really have made me feel a lot better. I talked to the principal at the catholic school today. She gave me some really good stats-17 of the 21 students that went on to middle school this year have been on high honor roll every quarter and in the past 5 years the top 2 in the graduating class have been from thier school also. So we have alot to think about. The tution is a little more then I expected so DH and I have a lot of thinking to to do.

 

[lbgraves]

WOW this information amazes me! I was worried that NC schools were below the national average but that isn't the case when comparing the requirements for the kids to move up to first grade. Here the kids HAVE to read at a 5-6 level in order to not be kept behind in Kindergarten. DD5 has been having spelling tests since the beginning of February and has been doing addition / subtraction worksheets for homework. I was fully prepared for DD to repeat Kindergarten since she wasn't getting it before Christmas. She turned 5 after school started so was on the young end of the class. When she was tested for reading in February she passed the 5-6 test so we knew that she would be ok. There was no way that I would have let her go on to first grade knowing what DS7 started the year doing.

 

[kydisneyfans]

Remember that various opinions on this board are coming from different parts of the country-state standards vary widely by state--by experience, Ohio standards are behind those in our current home of KY. We prepared our DS for kindergarden based on ohio standards-he was way behind day 1 in KY. It did not take too long for him to catch up though. Reading really was not started until 1st grade-but the kids are pushed hard during that grade level. It is not unusual for our son to read the same book in 1st as our niece in 3rd grade in Ohio.

I would not hold your child back for that reason-it is your decision on the Catholic School.

 

[golfgal]

WOW this information amazes me! I was worried that NC schools were below the national average but that isn't the case when comparing the requirements for the kids to move up to first grade. Here the kids HAVE to read at a 5-6 level in order to not be kept behind in Kindergarten. DD5 has been having spelling tests since the beginning of February and has been doing addition / subtraction worksheets for homework. I was fully prepared for DD to repeat Kindergarten since she wasn't getting it before Christmas. She turned 5 after school started so was on the young end of the class. When she was tested for reading in February she passed the 5-6 test so we knew that she would be ok. There was no way that I would have let her go on to first grade knowing what DS7 started the year doing.

Making kids read in kindergarten doesn't mean your school system is good. I think that holding KINDERGARTNERS back for not reading at a 5th grade level is completly ridiculous. Minnesota is #1 in the nation for ACT/SAT scores, a pretty good indicator of the quality of education and reading at a 5th grade level in kindergarten is NOT on any curriculum list I have ever experienced. On top of which, Minnesota has a Sept 1st cut off, your DD wouldn't even be in kindergarten here this year. Eventually forcing kids to work so far above their developmental ability is going to backfire on the schools.

 

[Mkaz]

Making kids read in kindergarten doesn't mean your school system is good. I think that holding KINDERGARTNERS back for not reading at a 5th grade level is completly ridiculous. Minnesota is #1 in the nation for ACT/SAT scores, a pretty good indicator of the quality of education and reading at a 5th grade level in kindergarten is NOT on any curriculum list I have ever experienced. On top of which, Minnesota has a Sept 1st cut off, your DD wouldn't even be in kindergarten here this year. Eventually forcing kids to work so far above their developmental ability is going to backfire on the schools.

Amen. My husband and I have been saying this all along. It's as if they don't want them to be kids anymore. Once they hit kindergarten it's all over.

 

[jen0610]

Been in your shoes and this is how we delt with it.

DD has an early June birthday, so we knew that she would be a very young 5 when she started Kindergarten. She had been going to preschool since she was 2. Starts out as a playgroup, getting use to share and play nice with others, and works it's way into learning skills, ABC's 123's.

Her teacher reasurred us several times that Delaney was very ready to make the move to 1st grade. She couldn't read much, but she had the skills she needed. Now, understand, we were more than ready and willing to have her repeat Kindergarten, if she needed it. Since the teacher reasurred us, we agreeded with the school and moved her into 1st the next year.

We go to the 1st parent/teacher conference of 1st grade and in talking with her teacher about the work she is showing us, I made the statement that we had thought about holding Delaney back. The look on her face and body language spoke volumes and I knew the information that we given by the kindergarten teacher was not to Delaney's benifit, but hers, the teacher. The 1st grade teacher asked what made us choose having her go into 1st instead of repeating. I let her know that it was based upon several reassances of the kindergarten teacher, that Delaney was ready for 1st. According to the testing that they do at the begining of the school year, Delaney was reading at an early kindergarten level. She was tested for the reading recover program we have here in our school for 1st graders, and her score qualified her for the program, BUT there were several other students who's scores were much lower than her's and she was not able to get into the program until the last month and 1/2 of school.

By the end of the school year, at the last P/T conference, she had only gotten to a mid K reading level. It was at that point, that I made the decision that she was go to repeat 1st grade. For me it is very simple, if she can't read and understand the words, she can't read her math questions, she can't read her science questions, she can't READ any of the instructions she needs to complete any of her other studies. She has to be reading before she can do any other work. It is the base fundimental skill needed to learn the other subjects. Her teacher did not disagree and was very happy that I was choosing the best path for my daughter.

So, Delaney repeated 1st and for another how long story, her brother, also repeated, but he was in 3rd grade. Both know that is not because they are dumb or that they couldn't learn, but that they needed just a little bit of help and that by repeating, they would get that help and make school a bit easier for them, instead of a struggle. Both of them have been on the honor roll the last 2 years since repeating. I will tell you, that I know with out a doubt, that holding them both back was the best decision I have every made in my life and theirs. Easy to make - no. Did I feel like I had somehow failed them, yes, but to not struggle with them and homework, because they can read and understand what they have to do, makes me feel better know.

 

[Brier Rose]

My DS who is 7 is just now learning to read!

We homeschool, so I haven't felt the need to push him to read by a certain age/grade, and have just been gauging when to proceed based on him.

For whatever reason he just has not been ready until now. It's like something just wasn't clicking.

Oddly enough he can do math on a third grade level, and we just finished doing one of his favorite "fun" things to do which is figuring probability and showing it as a fraction!

At the same time, like I said he has just started reading 3 letter words, but is really picking it up so fast now! It's like now that he is ready, it's no problem, where before it was such a struggle!

I guess what I was trying to say is, if I was in your shoes my first step would be figuring out if this is a reading readiness thing or a lacking curriculum thing.

If it's a readiness issue, I'd say hold her back, and give her a little more time.

If it's just a curriculum issue, maybe some private tutoring. We went that route with my DD. She wanted to read, and was ready to read, but just was not picking it up through the curriculum her school was using at the time. We starting her in a program at Sylvan Learning Center, and I swear to you in 2 months time, that child was reading like never before!

Good luck with whichever way you decide to go!

 

[Disneyrsh]

I am so glad to see others who don't believe in pushing kindergarten kids. I've seen many bright kids who didn't read in K - my two kids included. I always tell the story about my dh, who didn't read until 3rd grade - but was high school valedictorian, brain bowl champ, etc.

If you are worried that the schools might not be adequate - check out the older grades, junior high, and high school. THAT is where you will be able to tell if the kids are getting what they need.

My kids K teacher was not particularly good. While it was disappointing, I didn't sweat it because I knew that overall my kids were lucky to be in their school/district.

I always sort of roll my eyes when people (not saying anyone here, just in general) brag about how advanced their preschooler or young child is. In my experience, it doesn't necessarily mean they'll be doing well on their SATs.

There is a correlation between high performance in early childhood and success in school later. It's not a given, but it is an indicator.

Plus, you have to ask yourself, is my kid "not getting it" because the teacher can't figure out how to teach them? My daughter has a really weird way of processing words, and the kindergarten teacher had this *one* way she taught reading, and when my daughter didn't get it, then it was my daughter's fault!

Drove me totally nuts that some teachers have their little book of how to's, and any kid that's not a round peg is nothing but a bother to them. The kindergarten teacher was like, I'm not going to spend more of my time trying a different method with your daughter because this is what works for me."

What! Holy sh*t! What kind of teaching is that!

It also makes it increasingly harder for my kids when half the class is a year or more older than they are because it's become the new "thing" to hold kids back for 'emotional maturity'. What IS that?

And how can you say yeah, the kid is a little immature this year, but what if they're MORE mature socially in 5th grade, do you bounce them forward or do they become the only girl with a bra and a social life?

My five year old in kindergarten is in class with SEVEN year olds! How fair is that for her? The teacher says, well, her writing is messy. I'm like, yeah, for a seven year old but NOT for a five year old!

Seriously, this school stuff is giving me way too many worry lines....

 

[disykat]

There is a correlation between high performance in early childhood and success in school later. It's not a given, but it is an indicator.

...

Ah yes, but I believe a child can perform well in early childhood without having a clue about reading. In my experience, you can tell by talking with a child if they are intelligent. If you've got a sluggish child who does poorly in all areas, of course they'll have problems later as well. If you've got a bright, inquisitive child who just isn't ready to read yet - that's a totally different story.

Kids learn differently, and at different speeds.

All of the theories we learned in education classes about childhood development have been thrown out in the trash with current curriculum standards. The funny thing is, I asked a friend who just finished her student teaching - and go figure, they're still teaching the same theories.

 

[Disneyrsh]

Ah yes, but I believe a child can perform well in early childhood without having a clue about reading. In my experience, you can tell by talking with a child if they are intelligent. If you've got a sluggish child who does poorly in all areas, of course they'll have problems later as well. If you've got a bright, inquisitive child who just isn't ready to read yet - that's a totally different story.

Kids learn differently, and at different speeds.

All of the theories we learned in education classes about childhood development have been thrown out in the trash with current curriculum standards. The funny thing is, I asked a friend who just finished her student teaching - and go figure, they're still teaching the same theories.

There's also a correlation between prodigious math skills and terrible penmanship-I think that kids who are very bright but are slow to take to reading are just working on the other parts of their brain development at the moment.

It just annoys the snot out of me when teachers find this one way to teach that works for them and stick with it, regardless of the kids that come through their class. That's the thing about theories, you can't prove them

 

[disykat]

It just annoys the snot out of me when teachers find this one way to teach that works for them and stick with it, regardless of the kids that come through their class.

I totally agree with you, and that's why I'm irritated that the trend is to throw out everything we've learned about child development. We seem to base our curriculum on what people wish the children knew to keep them on track for state testing, instead of what is realistic for each child.