... says on their website that they have kids work at their own pace in math and reading, they are continually assessed, and they are in leveled groups, going to a different grade classroom if necessary. This sounds ideal but I of course have to verify that it really happens that way. The one parent I talked to says that it does but her son is only in first grade.
You may wish to learn whether this is provided to the whole student body, or if this is considered a program for the advanced academic achievers or gifted... if so, what are the qualifying criteria?
You may also wish to learn whether this is a teacher-led program, independent learning, teacher as a guide-on-the-side, an online program, or a hybrid combination.
When individualized pacing with continuous assessment is provided for an entire school population, it may be facilitated by means of an online program which is continuously assessing student work and assigning easier or more challenging work. I believe Compass Learning / Odyssey is one such product.
You are wise to realize that something touted on a school's website may exist for only selected grades within the school. Take notes and clarify what they say by feeding it back in your own words as a question (active listening). This can often prevent potential misunderstandings... eliminating occurrences of "what they said" being different than "what I heard".
