Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy "Just right reading levels"

Just as a funny aside, DS (3rd grade) is taking his own book to school, an encyclopedia of wars. It is a scholastic book so I figured it can't be that bad, but I paged through it and there is a photo of a dead body in a trench. DS loves that book so no way would I ever take it away, I just hope no one at school looks too closely at it! So far no one seems too interested in what he is reading. Everyday he comes home and says "I finished the Civil War!" or "I am now on the Korean War!" Makes me wonder why I'm sending him to school, since he can do this at home, but that's another topic. I'm just glad they are letting him read (it sounds like half the day) rather than forcing him to do a silly curriculum instead.

Yes, but a child not progressing is a serious concern. A child not happy with book selection? Not always considered much of an issue by schools. I suppose that this may differ by state and state regulations, but, in our state, a child *needs* to make adequate progress (and that, by law, is regardless of where the child starts - so if I child starts at a grade above they still have to make appropriate progress... the school is not allowed to permit the child to stay at the same level); if they do not, that is not only a legitimate "parental concern," it is legally a school's concern. It has legal implications when you put in writing that you are concerned about your child not making progress adequately. When I phrase things like, 'child is losing love for reading at our school... child is sad, etc.,' the school responded basically that child was just being manipulative and wanting his own way (yes it was stated more tactfully but it was the fundamental response and "concern" was dismissed). No such response when I said "child has been held at same reading level for x number of months - why? Is there a potential reading problem/disability? a child should make x amount of progress (schools understand these terms that is hwo they operate) and my child appears not be. School, you have an obligation to find out why." The school immediately and I mean *immediately* that morning pulled him right out and started testing him.

I can't speak for other states, but here I don't think they care about progress as long as a child is meeting the grade level standards (and even that they don't seem to necessarily care about, as evidenced by the fact that they refused to write DD an IEP even though she's about 2 grade levels below for writing). Their logic is that she's not failing (according to standardized testing and letter grades), therefore nothing needs to be done. If in say, 3 years, there is no progress, at that point she would be in the lower percentiles and would be "failing". They are totally unconcerned with any child who is meeting the standards, esp. a child above the standards. I'm actually surprised that you got your way with the school, considering my own experience.

Well, it is in the case law (that children need to make progress)... So, there's that.

My friends who were too uncomfortable with advocating, who did it they way you suggest? Got nowhere and child was punished with recess being taken away. They also resorted to lying on the reading logs which did not seem to help matters.

Ever since then for us? No problems, whatsoever. That was two years ago.

ETA : Also, you say "here I don't think they care about progress as long as a child is meeting the grade level standards" Thing is, people make the same assumption here, too. And it is a wrong assumption. Schools know it, are banking on it and have no obligation to inform them otherwise. Unless, a parent tries and/or looks into it, one does not know.

Here it is all about growth. Measured growth. So a kid getting 99%tile on a computerized adaptive testing (STAR) doesn't show growth necessarily. But really what can they do but let the child read above level books for independent reading? My son's school really didn't have a ton of materials at his reading level for a small enrichment group and when they found a book that he adored no one else in the group liked it (probably above their level) and so they abandoned it and he read it on his own.

In class I was okay with him reading some below level stuff because it was still good literature to be explored. What they had to realize was that in 4th grade what was a novel study for one group (Stone Fox) was a short story to my son. They were all okay with that and just worked around it. But really that was the problem with some things that he could read them so darn fast. You better have something to entertain him while the others were reading so slow. And if you want to send him to the library every 30 minutes for another Geronimo Stilton book that is more of a pain than getting him the complete collection of Sherlock Holmes.

Irena--I think it depends on the school/teacher/culture, etc. but I've had more success with gifted advocacy by stating "My child wants..." There seems to be far less push-back if the teacher is the type who sees the parent as hothousing. There are teachers out there who think that if a child is happy, there is no problem, but an unhappy, anxious, stressed child who doesn't want to do homework or go to school is more of a real problem to them. I wouldn't outright lie (if the child is actually happy with the curriculum), but it's the approach I'd try first, and I'd try to do it in a diplomatic fashion, not say "My child is bored, so you need to make your classes more interesting for him..."

edited to add, DS was at basically the same reading level for 3 years. In K he was at an O then the next teacher moved him down to an L, etc. If I had said "Well he's not making progress so I think we need to have an assessment" they probably would have completely blown me off (or laughed). He was above grade level, that was all that was important to them.

I have found it to be the complete opposite here. Progress and growth is mandated here, so schools need to show it and it really motivates them. Also, law motivates them. My friend in another district has a son with pretty severe adhd but an IQ of 148. They would not give him a gifted IEP or let him in the ATP program. No amount of "my child is anxious/sad/..." whatever made a darn bit of difference. I was appalled. She had no idea they were not allowed to prevent him from being the gifted program or refuse to give him a gifted IEP due to his adhd. One letter stating this was all it took. They changed their tune. They knew what they were doing was wrong but because the mother did not know it (and assumed they could do what they were doing), they did it anyway and no amount of "my gifted child wants..." would make a darn bit of difference.

My point is to the original poster, find out. It is worth it to find out. Chances are the school needs to measure growth and progress and there you go.

Well, that would a huge difference here (must be in writing, though). HUGE. Those are the magic words. If you are in PA, you may have made a mistake not trying it. Your way works with individual teachers who are receptive to that... but once you have an individual teacher who does not give a crap what your child wants but simply wants obedience, then you have a problem. That is what we ran into and that is why I had to do it the way I did.

There are no gifted IEPs here, and the laws about gifted are pretty pathetic, I think that is probably the difference. Like I said "progress" doesn't matter, it only matters if the kid drops so far they aren't meeting the standards or passing the state tests. Interesting how different locales think differently. I agree, that if a teacher just wants obedience, it's useless trying to advocate in terms of what the child wants, or their feelings. Luckily we haven't encountered that too much.

It's also difficult in such states to get children with LDs help... It's so sad. We just happen to live in pa by default .... I had no idea how important it would be in terms of education. I think there are other states with even more favorable education laws... But there are definitely worse. 😔