The first trimester is over and DS5.3's Kindergarten teacher has been slowly uploading the grades / assessments on the website and looking at the scores, I wonder if she's ever even met DS? Not sure if all Kinder kids are graded on the 1-4 standards scale? But that's what we're getting with 1 Below Basic, 2 being Basic, 3 being Proficient, 4 Exceeds ... and while he's doing OK, I don't see a lot of his "grades" corresponding to reality? He's "proficient" in pretty much everything with few exceptions but this is a kid who's doing math 2 levels above ... I have only seen him make mistake on a class assignment ONCE (when he said he was too bored and was just guessing answers) ... if what he's doing at home isn't "exceeds" category than I can't imagine what is? Or is the school only grading up to Proficient and does not even use exceeds? One of his Social Studies grades is "basic" ... kid that can have an adult conversation with anyone about pretty much anything? It's not that I think my kid is a genius ... The younger one might be ... this one is more on the very bright / gifted trajectory. But objectively (and I can be pretty objective even about my own kid), if I was teaching a kid like him, I'm pretty sure the grades would be higher! He's getting quite a few lower grades for "self control" and some other related categories, and I know that's where he has problems ... too impulsive, energetic, talkative (to him everything is a two way conversation) but it makes me wonder if the behavior is what's making his grades lower? Any Kindergarten parent out there who has experience with this? ... overall it's just one more reason why I think I'm right wanting to pull him out and homeschool after Thanksgiving. But I just wonder if this is normal? My expectations were more along the lines of all 4s in Math and Science, 4s and 3s in Social Studies, 3s in reading and 2s in writing (where he really suffers). I haven't seen any grades from Language arts yet so I wonder how on the spot or off I'll be in that area.

oh, he did get one 4 ... from a different teacher ... in MUSIC class! lol

At our kindergarten they do 1-3, and they told us in advance to expect 2s if kids are doing what everything they should be doing, and 3s are only given for consistently extraordinary work. (Consistency being important)

Is that on an actual 1-3 scale or is it 1-4 scale and they simply don't award the 4s?

I just looked up more info on the grading scale that our school is using and 4 / Exceeds is defined as "Applies knowledge independently while demonstrating a thorough understanding of skills and concepts beyond what was explicitly taught."

I'm pretty sure that if not for more than this would definitely apply in Math for him ... I've even sent some work he does at home to his teacher so she'd have a better understanding of where he's at. Science should be the same thing for him. We have parent teacher conferences next week so I know I'll find out more but I've sort of given up at this point. It's all about behavior and not about anything else ... and least from what I've seen.

We had the same last year when DS was in 1st grade. Using your 1-4 scale DS got 2s and 3s in language arts and reading. He got 3s in everything else - the occasional 4 in science. When I asked the teacher about it, usually the issue was that he wouldn't do or didn't understand some intermediate step that the teacher was asking for. Example: he wouldn't write out what "3+4=7" looked like. He would just write the answer and not "explain his work" or write out 3 balloons + 4 balloons = 7 balloons. So, in the teacher's mind, he couldn't be gifted or advanced, because he wouldn't do all her little steps.

DH has told me all along our public school journey, that report cards don't matter. I didn't understand him until last year. If your child is HG+, the report cards really don't matter because they don't reflect your child with any accuracy (IF your child is in a regular gen ed public school).

DS has been subject accelerated 3 years in math. He will skip a full grade next year - even with very average looking report cards.

This year, I have told the school that we don't need any report cards - that they shouldn't waste a moment on them for us. We let them know that they should call us if there is some kind of problem, but we don't need a report card. We'll see what actually happens in a few weeks.

They'll probably give him 3's next trimester and then 4's. That way they can pat themselves on the back because he has made so much progress.

My son's school has a huge packet with lists of skills. The kid either gets a "X" for mastery, a "/" for having had an introduction to the skill or it is blank.

So for counting it might have

1-10 X
1-20 X
1-100 X
1-1000 X

The lists cover everything from standard academic skills to consistently washing hands and using a tissue when needed.

Even though your school doesn't use that system, you might ask the teacher to explain what skills she wants him to have and how he has or has not demonstrated mastery.

somewhereonearth - thank you! Makes me feel better that I'm not just imagining things! Not sure why I was expecting miracles. I had two amazing teachers 1st/2nd and 3rd/4th grade who saw me for who I was right from the start so I wrongly assumed DS's teacher would see HIM too. Most people usually pick up on how different he is very quick (his therapists realized he was probably gifted before I even gave it one thought). But he does have problems with paying attention because it's all moving too slow, he's now started complaining about Math being "always oh so easy!!!" so it's probably affecting his performance that he's being graded on.

I just had an AHA moment! I remember reading the schools last "report card" where the school hasn't been making consistent progress the last two years, mainly in kids with special needs who have IEPs ... I also recall the special ed lady once saying something like "he'll make us look great on standardized testing in a few years!" ... so jumping from 2s & 3s to 4s at the end will make them look great!

This is exactly what our elementary school did - when I saw my ds' first "report" with 3s on it and questioned it, I was informed that "4" correlated to having mastered grade-level curriculum requirements, so "of course" none of the students would have a "4" mid-year.... (no matter what they actually knew or were capable of). The kids who had variations from 3s were only the kids who were technically falling "behind" and hadn't mastered basic skills. The teacher simply said that the 3 reflected where the class was at in being *introduced* to the curriculum. So if the class was doing single-digit addition and hadn't seen single-digit subtraction yet, but that would happen before the end of the year, the class couldn't be *at* level 4 yet because they hadn't learned single-digit subtraction yet. Even if any one individual child had been single-digit subtracting since they were two

On the flip side, this type of reporting also had no correlation with the type of challenging work ds was offered in the classroom - way back in K when he was receiving "3s" his teacher was giving him independently challenging math work and reading/spelling word lists that she had to create just for him because she'd "never had a child that advanced before". But, um, yeah, he was only at "level 3" until it was the "appropriate" time for him to be an official "level 4".

I agree with somewhere that report cards from elementary school were basically meaningless to us as parents. They are much more relevant now that our kids are in middle school and receiving actual grades on the work they turn in and tests they take and those grades in turn are put together into an actual grade on a report card. Oddly enough, my kids are also much more motivated by the grades-for-actual-work system... go figure!

polarbear

Ugh! I can see how elementary school grading is going to drive me crazy! I grew up with scale 1-5 with 1 being the best and 5 failing and the grades always reflected nothing but real knowledge and work put into the assignments and then we had a separate grade for behavior. Even as a Kindergarten student or 1st grader I would have serious problems coping with not getting the grade I thought I deserved.

Our elementary used the same system polarbear describes; no one got a 4 until the end of the year because the system measured the curriculum for the entire year, and "some concepts had not yet been introduced, so could not yet be assessed."

Also, like polarbear's experience, the report cards had nothing to do with what was actually going on work-wise in the classroom. We basically ignored them through all of elementary. We used to consider them tools for the benefit of record keeping, necessary for the teachers and school but of no practical use to us.

And yes, it is a huge relief to get to the point in school where they are evaluated on the work they actually do.

so much for hoping I could use the report card (and some issues that have been popping up) to push for testing and some differentiation.

DS must had really impressed the music teacher since she gave him a 4!

Good for you. I'd love to hear how they respond to that.

How frustrating. I remember not really paying too much attention until 3rd grade when a letter and a percentage was given.
I love the idea that somewhereonearth had to tell the school report cards won't be needed.

I think that many times teachers in elementary school aren't grading kids against fixed standards (even though they are supposed to be) but that they are actually grading kids against themselves. So if something is a relative weakness for a kid who is actually above grade level in all subjects including the weakness, it will get graded down. I also believe (and have some experience/evidence to back this up) that they will grade a kid who is obviously *below* grade level in all subjects *up* if a particular area is a strength or if progress is being made.

The little ones who get straight As on their report card tends to be the favorite student type who are compliant enough to spill out what their teacher wants to hear/see and have that bubbly & sweet personality. My DD who tends to annoy adults by marching to the beat of her own drum probably won't have too many 4s on her report card during her early years.

DS is pretty sweet and "lovable" as many describe him most of the time too. He's annoyingly talkative but has a sweet way of going about it. The teacher is very nice too but I do get a feeling that she sees all the kids as equal. It's definitely about helping those behind while those who're at level are just fine

I have to admit though that I don't give a hoot about them scoring DS low on their scale for "self control" and "knowing when to speak" and in all the other "lets raise sheep that follow" categories. What they consider a weakness is what really drives his thirst for learning. He doesn't act out ... he's asking for more information. Yet another reason why I think homeschooling for now will be a better choice. His self control and behavior is just fine when he's at home or out in public with us, his parents. But I have been to his class once and had a chance to see how easily lost he gets in there and feels the need to talk and ask more questions because we keep telling him that he goes to school to LEARN.

Yeah, I think my DD is pretty lovable in general except when she is being excessively bossy but objectively speaking, I don't think she'd be the type most teachers would see as an ideal student with a halo around her head. This could change in the next few years but she is the type who would be a decagon if someone tells her to stop being a square and be a circle so unless she gets a teacher who thinks that's actually clever and funny, she won't be coming home with the student of the quarter ribbon, not that I think that's important.


K has gotten a little bit more academic since Common Cores but I think most experienced K teachers still believe K is about socialization, readiness skills, and learning to be at school. Even if you don't have a super genius at hand, I think the first 3 years (K,1, & 2) are problematic for precocious learners unless they are complete extravert who are happy as long as they are around their friends.

How would having your DS1 at home full-time affect your DS2?

lol ... DS also gets along with his classmates ... but wants to be friends with those kids 2-3 years older that he can have actual conversation with.

It will make things a lot harder on me because I'll get no break (I love those 3 hours of quiet when DS5.3 is at school! lol) ... but for DS3.5 it will be actually BETTER if the older one is home all day. The younger one doesn't handle well going from loud house to quiet house and back to extremely loud house when DS comes home from school and has a serious urge to talk nonstop because he had to be quiet at school. The whole house atmosphere is a lot better when things and noise are at a constant level Plus now that DS is in Kindergarten we can't go out anymore on any trips ... gyms, play areas, museums or anything like that because there's no time during the school days and we can't go on weekends because then it's too crowded and DS3.5 can't deal with the crowds. So homeschooling will give us all that freedom we had back!

I don't pay much attention to grades right now. My twins are in first. One of my DS's received a "low proficient" rating on a common core standard recently because he obviously wasn't paying attention for one sheet out of six that he had to complete that week. That one sheet had several incorrect answers that were obvious inattention mistakes (as in his work showed the right answer, but he marked the wrong one on multiple choice), but he got everything on the other five sheets right. At home he is doing much harder math- I guess he was just thinking about something else.

This has been our experience as well. Our "emerging reader" has finally emerged, now that he independently tests at fifth-grade level.

We also had some rubric issues, where he would rush through an easy sentence and be dinged when he didn't slow down for punctuation.

Exactly this! The teachers don't get raises or credit if the kids enter kindergarten knowing how to behave, how to count and do addition and subtraction, how to read at second grade level, make letter sounds, write rhyming words etc. Then these kids would show zero progress from one trimester to the next when their report cards come out. And it would look bad for the teacher that some kids never progressed under their teaching - they always had a 4 on all subjects!
This is what made me cynical about the motives of public school teachers. My child got a "meeting requirements" in counting up to 30 in his first report card - he was working on Singapore Math 2B at that point. He got a 5 on social behavior (which was the only grade that truly reflected his abilities). And he got a 3 in PE - he has an advanced belt in martial arts and plays little league baseball - his coaches would give him a far better rating than what his teacher thought his PE score should be. And the funny thing - he got a 4 in "Art" - this is the kid with small motor delays, is color blind and hence picks awful color combinations and who cannot hold a crayon correcyly and whose drawing is just scribbling - I would have given him a "1" rating on art.
My point is - what you see in the early elementary report cards do not reflect the true abilities of your child!

I think some teachers in lower grades seem to issue report card grades on how hard they think a child works (among other things). This does not bode well for kids who enter kindergarten ready for third or fourth grade. My kids are in a virtual school now and, I love that their grades are based on whether or not they answer questions correctly on tests and quizzes.

well, at least ONE positive! DS brought a finished math assignment from school where he was supposed to count the counters and write how many there are so he decided it's too boring and wrote 10 + 10 = 20 ... and got a smiley face from the teacher for it. Normally they get stars so at least she appreciated the effort on his part! lol DS also said that the other kids were telling him it's wrong and he shouldn't do it and the teacher said it's ok for him to do things "differently". ... one little step at a time ...

I just realized I posted this in the Preschooler section! I guess I still haven't gotten used to having a child in Elementary now! lol

As for the theory about schools grading lower so there's room to improvement ... I just watched DS's Music grade that's been a 4 for a long time now change to a 3. The official report cards go out on Friday so it looks like all the teachers are adding the final touches!