Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Sound like anyone you know?

Thanks for sharing the report card comments.

I wonder how well elementary school grades and standardized test scores (such as those required by NCLB) predict grades in middle and high school. Elementary school report cards have grades for achievement and conduct. Do the conduct grades have predictive power? There are numerous studies of how to predict college grades from high school grades and test scores, but I have not seen studies of students in lower grades.

We do talk to our son about the comments teachers make on his report cards and at parent conferences, but I doubt it has much effect. I think he just needs to grow up. One reason not to accelerate him further (he is one year young for his grade) is to give more time before 9th grade, when things count.

My eldest daughter, who was endlessly marked off in elementary school for "being too social" (when I was in school it was simply "talks too much") is now working for the convention and visitors' bureau, where they appear to value that sort of thing quite highly. Daughter number two, who was suspended for defending a third party from a bully, did her time in the military and is waiting to hear on a job with the NSA.
OTOH, we were informed, with much gravitas and condescension, that youngest daughter "is simply not gifted material" after her first initial screening. As it turns out, they were right about that in a sort of weird way, as well; she's PG and 2e, and the gifted program has no clue what to do with her (nor any desire to try to figure it out).

I guess the school folks could use some training in seeing the positive traits in each child, eh? As opposed to just marking them down when they appear different from some kind of norm...

Glad to hear of your kids' successes, Eldertree.

DeeDee

I myself failed "Personal Development" in the first grade. (Only failing grade I ever got.)

Thanks, DeeDee. I got lucky-- whomever is in charge of matching parents to children knew I needed easy ones.

Ultra, what is "personal development"?

Under my "comportment" grade from the beginning of first all the way through elementary, mine was always checked for "needs more self-control". I liked to talk when I finished my work, but, alas, the kids around me were never finished. So I helped them finish faster so we could chat. The teachers were never as appreciative of the help as the kids were.

I think "personal development" was basically code for "has his/her shit together," which I didn't, though that may have had more to do with some bad things that were going down in my home environment. Basically I was completely absent-minded and disorganized and prone to weeping.