Placement

Post 218

Around this time of year most schools are thinking about placement of children in classes for next year. In my district that involves each classroom teacher making a list of which next grade class they think their current students should be put into. (Keep in mind that students must be placed evenly over the grade level to ensure equal class sizes.) All of our First Grade teachers are excellent and they work together to plan curriculum so I personally try to place students by personality and learning style fitting in with the teacher more than anything else. Then I attempt to put children who are friendly with each other in the same group.

But that’s only the beginning. After teachers compile their lists, we meet together with an administrator as a grade level. We each put our students in a group under each First Grade teacher’s name. Then the fun begins! Lol. Classes for next year need to be balanced in a number of ways. Each group should have an equal balance of top, middle and lower level learners. We try to keep the boy/girl ration as equal as possible. We also make sure that each student has friends from this year’s class in next year’s class with them. And of course students who have discipline problems cannot all be put in the same class but are spread out over the grade level.

That’s how it’s done in my school. Each has their own procedure. But I think the goals are the same. I know we are all trying to give our students the best learning experience possible. And that starts with being comfortable in their respective classes. So if you truly feel there is a teacher your child would do better with next year, I would encourage you to chat with their present teacher about it. I would also advise you to listen if they think there is a different teacher your little one would do well with. This year’s teacher knows your child very well by now and will try to place them where they think they will be most comfortable and excel. Another word of caution…please don’t make a request based on rumors or popularity but actual observation or experience with a teacher. I have seen teachers being misjudged both ways…as being “good” or “bad” based only on gossip. If you are truly concerned, rely on your child’s teacher to guide them.

All that being said, some schools do not accept any sort of request for placement. That’s fair and you should abide by it. But even then, you can always discuss with your child’s teacher the type of educator you feel your child would do well with. Then leave the ultimate decision to them. Trust that we are all trying to do our best for our students and that we won’t let them (or you) down!

Take Care. 🙂

Report Cards

Post 156

Report cards should be coming out soon or they already have. They are meant to tell you how your child is doing academically and socially in school. And the first thing to do is to read them! I know that sounds pretty basic but I have had parents tell me at the end of the school year that they never looked at their child’s card. That’s something I find unbelievable. Teachers spend a lot of time and thought on them. We gauge each child’s progress so families will know if there is a problem anywhere. If there is, the idea is to take care of it now and not wait until the end of the school year and panic. They are also meant to let you know if your little student is on track or even above average in some areas. So, please, check out your child’s report card online or pull it out of the backpack. It’s important information. 😀

If there is a place where a grade is “below average”, check with the teacher on what exactly that means and how to help your child. You are not being a “pain”. Educators truly welcome concerned inquiries. We are here to help all students and to work together with you to have your particular student succeed. We are in this together. Your child’s teacher really knows them by now and will have specific ways to move your son/daughter along. So email or set up a conference.

If your little one is above average in some areas that’s great! Relish the fact that they have excelled and tell them how proud you are. Keep up whatever you are doing to support your little learner at home. Obviously, it’s working!😀

Most students are in the “at grade level” range. And that’s terrific.It means your student is right where they should be. Everything is going well and they are moving along as expected. I know that can sometimes seem a little flat. But a lot of effort goes into being “at grade level”. It’s not easy to achieve so, again, let your student know how proud you are of them and keep on doing whatever you can to support them.

And please really look at the social development side of your child’s report card. Think back to September and the concerns you had about your child starting school…would they make friends, feel comfortable in a classroom, listen to the teacher, be able to sit still, etc. So much growth has taken place since then. By now they should be sharing, thinking of others, listening, contributing to class discussions, etc. That’s all so important. It’s the base for your child’s whole time in school. Again, bring up any concerns with the teacher, but if there is an “above grade level” or its equivalent there, be really proud. Your little one is doing just fine!😀

Take Care.😀

• Any thoughts or questions about a specific grade? Please post in the comments. Thanks.:)

Testing

Post 147

Testing in the primary grades? Is that even a thing? Yes. It is. Children in Kindergarten are taught how to “bubble”. And how to only bubble in one circle per line. (I have had students who want to fill them all in. They feel sorry for the “ones left out”. Lol.) There’s a joke that Kindergarten children should only have to deal with the kind of bubbles that come in jars. I have to say I agree with that!

There are different kinds of testing in school. Teacher-made tests which are those your child’s teacher and/or those on the grade level have designed to see how student learning is going. There may be evaluations that the district has implemented based on state standards and/or the companies that provide their curriculum. Most teachers use the results to “drive their teaching”. They help show where students are weak or strong. (There’s a saying that when one student does poorly on a test, it’s the student’s fault but when a class does poorly, it’s the teacher’s fault.) Most teachers on the PreK, Kindergarten, and First Grade levels know their students well and base their grading for report cards on classroom evaluations.

Then there is standardized testing. Lots of schools use some variation of it. They need to provide scores to the state for different reasons. Most of these tests are timed. Teachers try to make them as unintimidating as possible for their students but children can tell this is something different than usual.

At this age there are so many factors that can throw off scores…where the test is given, how much time is allowed for each response, if it is a one on one or a whole class situation, time of day, etc. (I had one little girl, a really great student, who kept daydreaming looking out the window because it was Springtime. I’m sure her grade didn’t reflect her abilities!)

The point is if your child gets a grade on his/her report card or on a standardized test printout that you are concerned about, first contact his/her teacher for clarification. If it is the first timed test your little one has taken, there are a lot of factors that are in play besides what your child has learned. Definitely see if there are things you can do to reinforce your son/daughter’s learning but don’t get overly concerned. Most likely as your child gets used to taking those tests his/her scores will improve. And some children are simply not test takers. Their scores on tests are not a reflection of their intelligence or what they have learned. If the testing is teacher-made, again, ask. If there is an educational problem, better to catch it now and correct it rather than let it go until half the school year is over.

Testing is not nor should be the main focus of your child’s school year. Acclimation to school, social skills, and emotional growth are just as important as grades. And the important grades should be the ones that are based on classroom performance.

Take Care. 😀

Testing

Post 69

Somewhere in the last month or coming up shortly, your child’s teacher will probably be doing some baseline testing. That means trying to find out where each student in the class is academically. It’s not a reflection on your child, just a way for the teacher to know where to start with each one and the class as a whole in reading, etc.

But what if your child’s teacher mentions something to you that has come up in the course of the testing? If it’s academic, such as, “Your son/daughter doesn’t know the difference between letters and numbers. Maybe you could reinforce it by….”, follow the suggestion. That’s pretty obvious. But what if it is a little more vague? A comment such as, “I noticed your son/daughter couldn’t sit still long enough to complete the page in one sitting”. That can be upsetting and lead you to start worrying about hyperactivity, focusing problems, etc. What should you do, if anything?

First of all, think about your child at home. Can he/she focus on a project  or story and stay in one place long enough to complete it? Remember, that length of time varies with age. Maybe a 4 year old has only a 10 minute attention span where a Kindergartener should be able to sit for 15 minutes at this time of year. (It increases as the year goes on.)

The other thing I would strongly encourage you to do is to talk to your child’s teacher. So many parents are afraid to be “that parent” and bother the teacher, especially at the beginning of the school year. No teacher ever minds talking to a parent who is concerned about his/her child. That’s what we are here for! Also, remember, as an educator, we are obligated to let parents know anything we may observe in a student that could affect his/her academically. Before you get overly worried, find out if this seemed serious or if it was just something that occurred during the testing situation and is no big deal. That way you can either catch a possible problem early or relax and realize all is well. Either way, find out exactly what was observed before you react.

In the end, you know your child the best. If a comment seems strange, ask! There’s no point in worrying or waiting until conferences to find out what’s going on. Better to straighten it out now.

 For more on this topic, please refer to Post #27 (Fear of Testing). I would also recommend reading Post #6 (Regression). It doesn’t deal with today’s topic but is very applicable to children in Preschool, Kindergarten, and First Grade at this time of year.

Take Care.  🙂

 

Fear of Testing

Post 27

Fear of testing….there are two kinds…..the first is your child’s where he/she is afraid of taking tests in school. That doesn’t really happen much in Kindergarten. Most teachers make any tests the children take at this age as non-threatening as possible. And usually they are teacher administered such as reading level checks, math quizzes, etc. But even Kindergarteners have to learn to “bubble” in preparation for standardized testing later on. (Don’t get me started on this! Have you seen the cartoon that says 5 year olds should be playing with bubbles not learning how to fill them in?!?! )

And then there is the other fear of testing….yours when a teacher or psychologist or someone else in the school community suggests that maybe your child should be “tested”. That’s a tough one.To you, deep down, your chid is perfect. You know his/her faults superficially but, really, he/she is perfect. And that’s as it should be. If you don’t believe in your child, who will? So, there is usually a knee-jerk negative response when someone, anyone suggests that maybe there is something “wrong” with your child.

First off, don’t look at it as something being “wrong”. Think of it more as a way to help your child be better in school. No, those two thoughts are not the same. Why is it being suggested to test your child? Probably it’s either for academic or attention concerns or a combination of the two. Think about it. If your child had a physical illness, you would want a doctor to find out what was wrong and treat it. You would expect some sort of medicine. No problem. So, if your child needs help in school, why not diagnose and treat it? Why do we get so concerned about school testing? Because someone is suggesting your child is less than “perfect”. We expect children to get physically ill from time to time but don’t expect them to need “doctoring” for school related problems. Testing is just a way to diagnose what, if anything, is going on with your child, and trying to come up with ways to help him/her reach his/her full potential academically. After all, that’s what schools are there for….to provide academic learning of children!

So, please, if you are approached to allow your child to be tested, go for it! Understand that it is being suggested in your child’s best interest. “They” are just trying to help your child do his/her best. Pay close attention to the results and remember, you are your child’s best advocate. Together, you and your child’s teacher can use the information to make school a fun and intellectually stimulating place for your child to spend the day!

As always, comments are welcome!