our school is making me furious.

[fortheluvofpooh]

my children are smart, not jus according to me. They have scored advanced on all of their testing at school. My dd is in 2nd grade and reads and comprehends on a 4th grade level. My ds is in 7th grade and has been tested at a 12th grade reading and comprehension level and passed. NOW our school is telling the children (not just mine) that they are not allowed to read the books according to their ability, but rather they have to read books according to their grade!. What ever happened to teaching the kids to strive to do their best. My dh is finally on board with me pulling them out of school and homeschooling, but only after I get to the school and push them to allow the kids to read at their ability. A friend of mine who is a principle at a neighboring school said that our school gets more money if they have lower testing scores, if they see the children are succeeding then whoever provides the funding looks at the picture and says that they do not need as much help, therefore they cut the funding back. Talk about ironic, it used to be you got rewarded for succeeding, now they want you to fail.
UGH. I just needed to vent!!!

 

[mommytoone]

That is just awful!!! My DD was reading at a higher level then her K class and would come hom with books like "See the balloon" or whatever. I called the teacher and they let her pick out whatever she could read. I never heard of such a thing. It's stories like this that make me consider homeschooling. She is in a gifted program now, but I still think about it. I thought our children went to school to LEARN, but now I am hearing it's just for the money, and I have heard this from other parents as well.

Have you talked to the teacher, and principal? Maybe go to the board office if you get no where at the school.

 

[minniebeth]

I completely understand your frustration and your points are valid. And yes, many schools get more funding for support for lower test scores, etc.
It sometimes, in my opinion causes manipulation by the system.
It doesn't sound reasonable for them to constrain children to their grade level only books. However, look at it this way....not all books at a higher grade level are appropriate for your child at their age. Not only content matter, but themes, values, humor, metaphors, etc. Even though they might be able to read and comprehend the book, they might not necessarily appreciate the literature for it's intended audience. Many schools try to discourage this since the child will most likely not go back to those books once they've read them and get a chance to appreciate them.
On the flip side of this, there is SOOOOO much great literature out there for kids, old and new that there should be a middle of the road on this. Plus, for children like yours, there should be enrichment opportunities combining their abilities and their age and extend what they are reading to include other skills such as writing, science, etc. That would be my ideal way of looking at it. Perhaps instead of homeschooling, you would consider "enriching" them at home in addition to school if they cannot get what they want/need???
It is so important to keep them motivated and that is what many schools fail to work at!

Good luck to you, I know it is very frustrating dealing with the red tape of how schools conduct business!

 

[Anonomom]

I don't have kids in school yet, so maybe that's why I'm confused. How, exactly, can the school control what kids read? I mean, I understand if the entire class is reading the same book and your kids are required to do so as well, but that still leaves the kids able to pick their own library books and read-for-pleasure books, right? If the teacher is telling your kids that they're not allowed to read certain books, then I totally understand why you're angry.

 

[disneynuts777]

Thank goodness that is not the case here!! The children are all given a reading assessment at the beginning of the year and from that report they are told what reading level they should be choosing from. After they have completed a book from that level there is a comprehension test and if they score above 70% they are told they may go on to the next level. This way the teacher can identify early on which children are going to need extra assisstance and which ones are above the learning curve. For a couple of years my older DD needed some help but after she caught up she is now reading at slightly above what a child her age should be reading and understanding.

 

[shelly3girls]

I would guess that the school is concerned about content. In 3rd grade my DD could read most books that were on a middle school level BUT many of them had content that were not appropriate. She brought a historical fiction book home that included beatings, rape and suicide. It was presented in a way that I would not have minded a 12 year old reading it but not my 8 year old. Her teacher worked very hard to get books challenging enough for the top reading group that were age appropriate. As a result most of her reading was through assigned chapter books. I wish the library would have restricted the books.

I would talk to the teacher and see if there is a compromise. There are definitely books out there that are 3rd grade appropriate but on a higher reading level.

 

[princessmom29]

my children are smart, not jus according to me. They have scored advanced on all of their testing at school. My dd is in 2nd grade and reads and comprehends on a 4th grade level. My ds is in 7th grade and has been tested at a 12th grade reading and comprehension level and passed. NOW our school is telling the children (not just mine) that they are not allowed to read the books according to their ability, but rather they have to read books according to their grade!. What ever happened to teaching the kids to strive to do their best. My dh is finally on board with me pulling them out of school and homeschooling, but only after I get to the school and push them to allow the kids to read at their ability. A friend of mine who is a principle at a neighboring school said that our school gets more money if they have lower testing scores, if they see the children are succeeding then whoever provides the funding looks at the picture and says that they do not need as much help, therefore they cut the funding back. Talk about ironic, it used to be you got rewarded for succeeding, now they want you to fail.
UGH. I just needed to vent!!!

They may get more money, but it is definetly not worth the extra work. It is an unbelievable amount of paperwork to be in "school improvment" which is where you get the extra money. Please don't pull them out and homeschool over this!!!!! I am a teacher and homeschool is NOT the answer. I have had so many homeschool children come into high school functioning above grade level in english and reading but failing math and science b/c they have never been to lab, or parents are not teaching algebra correctly ect. It is extremely difficult to homeschool math and science above about 3rd grade if you don't have a math or science degree. I realize I am going to get flamed here, but you really need to know what you are in for here. Unless you have a large network of other homeschool parents who do lots of group activities children are tipically not equipped to handle social situations. Their parents will tell you otherwise, but untill you have watched a homeschool kid being picked on without ever realizing others or making fun of him you can't fully grasp what they go through when the finally have to cope with their peers. Have you considered a private school? I woul, seriuosly push the school here. Have your kids been tested for gifted? If not I would insist on it. Please don't just pull them out without trying to make school work for them! I have seen too many parents make this mistake to the detriment of their kids!

 

[I_Know_You2!]

I don't have kids in school yet, so maybe that's why I'm confused. How, exactly, can the school control what kids read? I mean, I understand if the entire class is reading the same book and your kids are required to do so as well, but that still leaves the kids able to pick their own library books and read-for-pleasure books, right?

I can't imagine a school controlling my kid's reading material.

 

[Mickeypooh99]

I'm sorry your school is giving you such a hard time. My children sound similar to yours. Our school has been great about having the children read at their level. In fact they are required to pick 1 book in there level to read at reading time, and they may also choose 1 book from any level for fun. My oldest was in 1st grade last year, and at the beginning of the year he was reading at a 4th grade level. By the end of the year he was at 6th grade reading level. We ended up having him skip 2nd grade and now he is doing great in 3rd grade. He loves it. He is still at the top of his class. Our school was very supportive. They don't have much for a gifted program so they were eager to make me happy with this solution. I also "enrich" my childrens education at home. We do online math program, and spanish lessons. Also many, many science experiments. As PP stated it is very hard to find appropriate reading material for a 7 year old who is reading at a 6th grade level. He read all the harry potter books last year when he was 6 and I was answering a lot of questions.

If I ever have any problems with the school I would pull my children out to homeschool. I figure I'm halfway there already with all the things we do at home anyway. For now the kids like school, and I'm happy with it. If I were you, I would talk to the teacher to try to find a solution. If he/she wasn't helpful, I would pull my kids out. You have to do what is best for your kids. BTW, I have friends who homeschool, and their children are very social. The families do so much with other homeschool families. They aren't isolated at home with no social contacts. Their kids fit right in with mine when we get together. Maybe some homeschool kids are behind in math and science, but so are some public school kids.

 

[tinkerlisa]

I know how you feel. My DS(6) is in first grade. He is extremely smart for his age. He reads books that are made for older kids. Not to much older because of some of the content i feel he is too young for, but he loves Spiderwick Chronicles.
Last year in Kindergarten. his teacher said they don't do any kind of "testing" for academics. I was so disappointed because the stuff he learned last year he already knew. This year, i swear he is learning the same stuff! He came home with a book a few weeks ago. It was his homework to read it to us. He already read that book last year!!!! I remember only because it was the FIRST book he ever read to us and that was 3 weeks into the school year last year!
He has this homework sheet to do every week. He has to pick three things out each week to do from the list. One of them is "Practice tying your shoes"! What is with that?! Others on the list are count the chairs in your house and practice your colors! I feel this is beneath him and when i talk to the teacher, she just says those are age appropriate! I'm like yeah for a preschooler maybe!
They make me feel like its all in my head that my kid is smart. My SIL asked him how school was and he said its boring. She asked him what he meant and he said it was too simple!
We are actually considering home schooling because I feel his school cannot accomodate his voracious appetite for learning!

 

[allison443]

I don't have kids in school yet, so maybe that's why I'm confused. How, exactly, can the school control what kids read? I mean, I understand if the entire class is reading the same book and your kids are required to do so as well, but that still leaves the kids able to pick their own library books and read-for-pleasure books, right? If the teacher is telling your kids that they're not allowed to read certain books, then I totally understand why you're angry.

I am a bit confused also..for example, I know some schools have a literature-based language arts programs. Every kid in the class reads the same book, they discuss it, are tested on it, etc. Then I can see why they would pick a grade level book and require all kids to read it. OP might be referring to books the kids take out of the school library? Or books they bring to school for "downtime"? I don't think they should be limiting what grade level the kids read in their free time.

 

[snickerboo]

I have been through this but not for the reasons you describe. Sadly, dd's teacher just wasn't interested in getting harder reading material (or math, or science, or....) My dd learned nothing in the first grade because of it. Literally, nothing. Thankfully, as soon as she hit second grade with wonderful teachers they got her books at her level and encouraged her to read whatever she felt comfortable reading. My dd is now in third grade and I am keeping a keen eye on her teacher. My ds is in SK an dhas a wonderful teacher who has already done a DRA asssessment and is tailoring ds's reading prgram accordingly. You can bet he is not having the same first grdae teacher as dd had for next year, though!!! Where we live, there is no gifted program and kids are not skipped so there's always a huge variety in each class. I know that's hard for the teacher, but I still expect my kids to be kept challenged and interested in school. What message does it send to force a child to read books below their level that they do not find interesting or challenging enough?

 

[princessmom29]

I'm sorry your school is giving you such a hard time. My children sound similar to yours. Our school has been great about having the children read at their level. In fact they are required to pick 1 book in there level to read at reading time, and they may also choose 1 book from any level for fun. My oldest was in 1st grade last year, and at the beginning of the year he was reading at a 4th grade level. By the end of the year he was at 6th grade reading level. We ended up having him skip 2nd grade and now he is doing great in 3rd grade. He loves it. He is still at the top of his class. Our school was very supportive. They don't have much for a gifted program so they were eager to make me happy with this solution. I also "enrich" my childrens education at home. We do online math program, and spanish lessons. Also many, many science experiments. As PP stated it is very hard to find appropriate reading material for a 7 year old who is reading at a 6th grade level. He read all the harry potter books last year when he was 6 and I was answering a lot of questions.

If I ever have any problems with the school I would pull my children out to homeschool. I figure I'm halfway there already with all the things we do at home anyway. For now the kids like school, and I'm happy with it. If I were you, I would talk to the teacher to try to find a solution. If he/she wasn't helpful, I would pull my kids out. You have to do what is best for your kids. BTW, I have friends who homeschool, and their children are very social. The families do so much with other homeschool families. They aren't isolated at home with no social contacts. Their kids fit right in with mine when we get together. Maybe some homeschool kids are behind in math and science, but so are some public school kids.

I was speaking as a comparision to my public school kids who are behind where I want them to be in science when I get them anyway and I have to play catch up. I teach high school chemistry and physics and I have seen some really bad efforts to home school these subjects. It is almost impossible to teach them without a working knowledge of the subject. You can't learn this along side your kids and for the most part when people try it is a disaster and I get to fix it when they finally decide to place their children back in school. Do I think I can do a better job at home than the teachers in school with my child? sure and I think that most parents probably think they can do better. I know that I would be doing my child a disservice by pulling her from school though. The simple fact of the matter is that I feel that in order to grow up to be well rounded individuals who function well in society kids need the daily peer and teacher interaction of a school setting and the there really is no subistitute. Acedemics are important, but so is social development. There are brilliant people on unemployment because the cannot work with other people. I get so tired of hearing people say every time the don't like some little thing that happens in school that they are pulling their kids from school. I think the children would be better served by using these situations as a learning experience on how to deal with a difficult situation, not cut and run everytime you don't like something. Yes if there is a direct threat to a child's safety something needs to be done immediately, but please try to work with the school before snatching your kids out. Most teachers really are there to help your kids. I certianly wouldn't be doing this if I didn't care. I took a 20,000 pay cut to come here andteach, but I do it because I love it and care about kids. If you would just talk to the teachers and staff you would probably find that they are more than willing to work with you. They care about your kids too!

 

[jakoky]

hi there, i can totally understand your frustration...when my son was in grade 2 i spoke to his teacher about math as he was completely bored..he was doing the times tables at home and was tired of "2 apples plus 2 apples"...he was ready for 14 plus 26...she said that i would have to do that at home...poor guy was bored all year in math...fast forward 2 years....i was a parent marker for spelling and math drills in his classroom...each child was pretty given given their own words...the teacher would take words they got wrong in dictation,among other things, and that was how their lists were created BUT my son and another girl,who were great spellers, were tested on grade 7 words (he was grade 4)...this teacher went above and beyond...she also had math drills 3 days a week, and you had to have less than 2 wrong to move on...my son finished all the drills, so she found more, which he finished, and then for the first time in her teaching career she had to go out and make more...she saw what he could do and challenged him all year and he had a great year...I was lucky enough to have her for all 3 of my kids Good luck
sharon

 

[I_Know_You2!]

There are brilliant people on unemployment because the cannot work with other people.

Yeah, and most went to public school. I think that defeats your argument!

 

[seashoreCM]

A first step, but a big hurdle, for elementary school is for the kids to go from room to room for different subjects as the high school kids do. This way kids can be grouped for each subject separately by level of achievement.

When kids can switch up as they wish (provided they achieve) then there should be fewer prejudices about being pigeonholed into a particular group.

Today I contend that a kid should not graduate early or go to college early until he has mastered all subjects at the 6'th grade level (to leave elementary school) or 12'th grade level (to leave high school), etc. But if a college offers extension or part time course enrollment, then qualified high schoolers can be invited to attend selected courses while officially enrolled in his high school.

Disney hints: http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[princessmom29]

Yeah, and most went to public school. I think that defeats your argument!

Not so much most actually went to private school or were home schooled, and I don't really appreciate being laughed at!!! Its rude. Kids who go to private school or are home schooled are not better than public school kids. pubilc schools do not beed delinquents. The students who did best in the honors program i was in in college were from PUBLIC SCHOOLS!!!!! The private school kids tended to struggle in the world thought and cluture class because they had never been exposed to other cultures. Their lives had been so insulate they did not even want to consider the posibility that anyone else's culture had merit. The two homeschool kids dropped after the first semester because the were not capable of thinking on the level required.

 

[I_Know_You2!]

Not so much most actually went to private school or were home schooled.

Based on what statistical evidence? Home schooling was practically non existent until about 1985, and then very few were home schooled. Privates may have faired better, but then one is looking at a system much like the publics with regards to socializing (not socialization, a whole other animal.)

 

[Mickeypooh99]

A first step, but a big hurdle, for elementary school is for the kids to go from room to room for different subjects as the high school kids do. This way kids can be grouped for each subject separately by level of achievement.
Disney hints: http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

This sounds good in theory, but for my son the highest 1st grade reading group was well below his level of reading. The teacher said to a group of parents "we challenge the students at their level." Then she looked at me and said "to a point." She new my son was so far above the other 1st grade students, that they couldn't really help. He still had to read the same boring books, and do the same easy spelling tests. My child needed his own level of challenges, that the school could not provide. Luckily, I love helping him learn at home, and he has a great desire to learn.

 

[princessmom29]

Based on what statistical evidence? Home schooling was practically non existent until about 1985, and then very few were home schooled. Privates may have faired better, but then one is looking at a system much like the publics with regards to socializing (not socialization, a whole other animal.)

Based entirely on personal evidence I don't claim to have looked up the stats, did you???