Kindergarten switcheroo

[Anonymous]

I'm a staff development teacher and we do this every year. It really helps ensure that we create balanced classes. I can't speak for other schools but one non-classroom teacher sticks with a cohort of students as they move to the different rooms throughout the week. That way, the group of kids has a trusted adult who is always with them despite moving to each K room. On Thursday afternoon we meet after school and create the new classes. Students finish in their new class on Friday.
I assess my group of kids while I move with them from room to room. The K teacher leads the lessons and I pull my kiddos one at a time and just assess them on basic letter id, number recog. skills, etc. We want to ensure when we go to create classes we have peers who can learn with each other and don't have a class with one kid that is very high by him/herself.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:This kind of makes me sad to think that well behaved kids are just going to be in classes where they get ignored. I know they use those kids to balance out classes instead of just making a whole class of those kids where they can come out of their shells more.

I can speak for the school where I work that used to do this, and it has nothing to do with ignoring well behaved kids. It’s about balancing the number of kids who need special ed, ESOL, and have never been to preschool. All those kids need extra attention to know what is going on, so it’s harder if they’re all in one class.

Wouldn't special needs and ESOL kids get MORE help if they were all in one class? Versus split amongst 4 classes. The teacher could teach on a remedial level instead.

Do you think all SN look alike and have the same needs?

My dyslexic kid is very bright and does not need remedial teaching.

My point exactly. Some kids with SN need just pull out speech while others might be destroying classrooms. To say kids with SN should all be lumped together is just ignorant.

They don't do it for the kids. They do it to make it easier for the special ed teacher to deliver specialized instruction.

Huh? Because delivering specialized instruction isn't for the kids?

I mean it's not impossible to deliver specialized instruction to children in different classrooms. Some schools do it. It may be harder for the teacher though. The IDEA calls for disabled children to be learning alongside non disabled peers where possible. A classroom with 14 kids with IEPs and 4 without doesn't seem like it is putting in a good faith effort to do that

[Anonymous]

Our school did this. It worked out well.

[Anonymous]

My DD went through this years ago in MCPS (surprised it has taken so long to spread to other ES). It was actually not overwhelming for her and she wound up in a class that was a good fit for her. FWIW she was an advanced reader and did not need supports so it’s not only about IDing those kids.
Her teacher mentioned during conferences that with the typical “one hour orientation” program she likely would have wound up in a class where she was a reading group of one. I stead, she had a group of 4 and they were able to discuss what they read and relate to each other as peers rather than just sitting there with the teacher. So it was a really helpful thing actually.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This kind of makes me sad to think that well behaved kids are just going to be in classes where they get ignored. I know they use those kids to balance out classes instead of just making a whole class of those kids where they can come out of their shells more.

I can speak for the school where I work that used to do this, and it has nothing to do with ignoring well behaved kids. It’s about balancing the number of kids who need special ed, ESOL, and have never been to preschool. All those kids need extra attention to know what is going on, so it’s harder if they’re all in one class.

Wouldn't special needs and ESOL kids get MORE help if they were all in one class? Versus split amongst 4 classes. The teacher could teach on a remedial level instead.

Not all those kids need remedial classes so it fails the kids who need extra support but academically on target or ahead. Mine got zero help and the iep was a joke. The class was dumbed down and we had to work with our child at home on top of private therapies. Also the kids with behavioral problems picked on my kid who hated going to school.

[Anonymous]

Yes, it was fine. Not an issue for any of my kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This kind of makes me sad to think that well behaved kids are just going to be in classes where they get ignored. I know they use those kids to balance out classes instead of just making a whole class of those kids where they can come out of their shells more.

Welcome to MCPS! The quiet well behaved kids 100% get ignored, as do the high flyers. The ones with behavior issues and the ones at the bottom get all the attention, because the others will be just fine.

Don't believe the BS they tell you about differentiation in the classroom. Until your kid is tracked for math, and taking foreign language in 6th grade, they teach to the bottom

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This kind of makes me sad to think that well behaved kids are just going to be in classes where they get ignored. I know they use those kids to balance out classes instead of just making a whole class of those kids where they can come out of their shells more.

Welcome to MCPS! The quiet well behaved kids 100% get ignored, as do the high flyers. The ones with behavior issues and the ones at the bottom get all the attention, because the others will be just fine.

Don't believe the BS they tell you about differentiation in the classroom. Until your kid is tracked for math, and taking foreign language in 6th grade, they teach to the bottom

Get a "teaching" degree fast because you are it, caregiver! Teach things you know to your kid or form groups outside school to teach yours and other students. What PP said is 100%. May your kid have many quiet students and high flyers in their class.

[Anonymous]

They will not give your kid what they say they will, will tell you they will have a peer group, will tell you xyz but by 2nd grade will say their hands are tied. As posters above, plan to do academic stuff at home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This kind of makes me sad to think that well behaved kids are just going to be in classes where they get ignored. I know they use those kids to balance out classes instead of just making a whole class of those kids where they can come out of their shells more.

I can speak for the school where I work that used to do this, and it has nothing to do with ignoring well behaved kids. It’s about balancing the number of kids who need special ed, ESOL, and have never been to preschool. All those kids need extra attention to know what is going on, so it’s harder if they’re all in one class.

Wouldn't special needs and ESOL kids get MORE help if they were all in one class? Versus split amongst 4 classes. The teacher could teach on a remedial level instead.

ESOL teacher here. Trust me, nobody wants to teach this class. We've had this at my school before and the teacher quit by November. Teachers are required to teach grade level content. When nobody can do it, even with accommodations and modifications, it's awful for the teacher and the students. Students need English speaking role models. I service students in all three of our kindergarten classes. It is very doable if teachers are involved in scheduling.

[Anonymous]

My understanding is that our ES (in DCC cluster) used to do this, but it fell away with the pandemic and hasn’t returned. I’ve heard from a couple K teachers that it was helpful. Maybe there’s a movement to return to it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They will not give your kid what they say they will, will tell you they will have a peer group, will tell you xyz but by 2nd grade will say their hands are tied. As posters above, plan to do academic stuff at home.

How do y’all have time to do all the “academic stuff” at home after a full day of school plus aftercare or activities? If you’re only using school for childcare or socialization maybe you should reconsider.

[Anonymous]

What schools do this? Please name your school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They will not give your kid what they say they will, will tell you they will have a peer group, will tell you xyz but by 2nd grade will say their hands are tied. As posters above, plan to do academic stuff at home.

How do y’all have time to do all the “academic stuff” at home after a full day of school plus aftercare or activities? If you’re only using school for childcare or socialization maybe you should reconsider.

DP.
PP probably meant supplement outside of school. Unless a student needs services- esol, sped, extra support -students will not receive much instructionnjn school and content will be on-level or below level, therefore, many families "supplement" to keep kids academically fulfilled.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What schools do this? Please name your school.

No one wants to "name your school" and wind up on every troll's radar!