Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Elementary School Expectations?

Good luck with the meeting, here's hoping everyone receives the opportunities they deserve.

Our school program does differentiation fairly well, and they also send home a log sheet to log books read and even the pages read each day. If your schools send home folders, maybe making your own log and recording books read may help illuminate the chasm.

Sounds like progress.


My approach is to work to get the time in school to be spent appropriately. This is hard with kindergarten math. I have politely declined extra homework as a means to differentiate. If they want to send home replacement homework, that's great. I see no reason for my kids to see extra. First and foremost, however, our goal has been to have the time in the classroom be well spent.

Zen Scanner- the log sounds like an interesting idea. Think I may try that. Would you include all the books he reads in a day or just the new one we're reading together? Also, I keep hearing the school differentiates well (with examples), yet for one reason or another, it's not happening for my son:(

geofizz- I agree about additional work. I am not pursuing math right now as we supplement math at home which my son is happy with. I just thought it was interesting the teacher thinks I am, especially since my DS doesn't even think he does math at school. I wonder if he's telling her that? However he was very excited to be able to use the teacher's computer during math time today:) I just want DS to like school and learn something....

Hi Melessa, I'd just include all the books he reads by himself. Seems so many layers to pass through, from state to district to principals to coordinators to teacher. And the teacher is the weakest and strongest link. So far for us the 1st grade teacher seems less intuitive than his K teacher was about challenges. But we had found out from the K teacher she had two gifted sons.

Zen Scanner- I guess it makes sense the K teacher would have more interest, because of her own experiences I'm sure. Hopefully, the 1st grade teacher will recognize your child's needs soon!

Update- DS k teacher said tomorrow he will take a star test for AR placement. I am hoping this will help her to differentiate reading and language arts (even though I was told that's what Map testing would do. sigh) I will be hopeful for now.

Sounds like good progress, Melessa!

We finally have a meeting with ds' teacher and principal. I hope the teacher doesn't feel we usurped her authority. But my questions were assessment-based to determine appropriate work. I'm hoping to get my dh to come also. The principal and teacher are very nice (from my experiences and other reports), but I'm struggling with the scenario that they look at me like I'm crazy to ask for harder work. I need someone else there with me who knows the level of work ds does at home.

Evemomma-
Yay for the meeting! I'm sure if you explain how important it is to dh that he goes, I'm sure he will. I know the feeling of wanting someone there. I have been struggling on and off with not wanting school to think I'm crazy or exaggerating his abilities. Yet, since my dh has realized that ds was different from age mates, he is totally onboard for advocating (which btw didn't happen until homework came home at week 6.) Anyways, I'm sending positive thoughts for your meeting! Keep us posted.

Thanks Melessa!

My dh is planning to go. Ironically, my ds brought home a "reading folder" today with a "b" level stapled book. My ds could've read this book 3 years ago. So...that helped my dh to see how badly we need to get school on board with ds' level.

I have a lot of worry that the school will think I'm crazy too...and I worry that ds tanked his reading assessment thus making me look completely idiotic. I have lost all perspective as to what a typical kindergartener should be doing. I feel totally in the dark.

This week in dd's K-1 room, the youngers are reviewing the middle of the alphabet, finishing writing single digits, and moving on to shapes. They begin individualized reading instruction at the end of October, and from her sister's experience, the sky's the limit in reading then.

There is plenty going on in the room socially, and she's learning to count by 10, 5, and 2's. We are quite happy. But this is a reasonable expectation for a high achieving district. Anything more would probably require acceleration in most places.

Evemomma-
Don't think ds did badly on reading evaluation. I wonder what method the teacher did to send that book home. My ds's teacher did DRA eval, where the student reads to the teacher and she takes notes. The teacher told me that she asked ds to read a level 8, and since he did well, she leveled him as a 10. At least in our case, the teacher and assistant have both told me they know he is above kindergarten level, but they're not sure where his level is. I realize my ds is not the only student, but I'm sure in the teacher 20+ years experience, she has seen this before and/ or would ask someone else for advice/ guidance about what to do with ds. At this point, I am waiting to see what AR level he will fall in, then I will have more objective information to get differentiation in language arts, too. Unless, the teacher realizes he will need that too. For now, I will continue to stay in close contact with the teacher.
This is leading me to wonder if there is anything I can do for next year to prevent (somewhat) dealing with this again. Would it be appropriate to have a chat with the principal? (I know I'm thinking ahead, but that's what I do. Having a plan is a comfort, even if it has to be revised.) any thoughts?