Anyone know why and when the academic expectations changed for entering K?

[Anonymous]

If I understand correctly, the final year of preschool is more like Kindergarten used to be and K is now more like first used to be. Is that correct? Anyone know why things changed so much? Did this happen in the 80s or 90s because I grew up in the 70s and school was much more laid back then. I don't think other countries get so academic so early. Do they? Just wondering. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

No Child Left Behind Act.

[Anonymous]

OP again...interesting! So before NCLB K was the way I remembered it in the 70s? Any clue why NCLB created these expectations if they don't match with other countries? (I assume they don't match with other countries). Do you have links? Sorry to keep pushing this it just seems so insane to push kids so young and so many teachers claim the expectations are not developmentally appropriate for the majority.

[Anonymous]

I think it's NCLB. My older kids had "normal" K where you play and learn letters and numbers, but don't have to learn to read and do math. My youngest child (post NCLB) is in K where you are expected to enter K reading. If you aren't reading, you are put into a "remedial" group where letters and numbers are pounded into you. My child says he hates school! This is K! He says there's not enough time to play. It's so sad.

My older kids are considered gifted, but all were late readers (read at age 7+) by today's standards. I read at 7+ and that was considered normal in my day. My youngest is stuck in a remedial reading group with kids who are not his peers because of this constant emphasis on meeting "standards." His friends are all reading, which he will do when he's ready, as did my older kids.

But before NCLB, my older kids were allowed more time to play, and were doing more creative things in K, so they had plenty of time to spend with their natural peers, who were all reading before my kids were. They loved K. My youngest child never wants to go to school. NCLB ruined public school for smart kids, IMHO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP again...interesting! So before NCLB K was the way I remembered it in the 70s? Any clue why NCLB created these expectations if they don't match with other countries? (I assume they don't match with other countries). Do you have links? Sorry to keep pushing this it just seems so insane to push kids so young and so many teachers claim the expectations are not developmentally appropriate for the majority.

I completely agree with this. I don't know what has caused the push-down of academics to lower and lower grades. But it's a primary reason I'm looking at private school for my son. And I used to be a huge public school fan, since that's where I went (and thrived) myself. I can't think of a faster way to kill a love of learning than to pile all this on a child's plate when s/he's not ready.

[Anonymous]

I agree with previous posters. Remember when K was half a day?!

I was an early reader (in K I was sent to read with the 3rd graders). I am not pushing my kids into this position. I see no benefit in early reading. My DH was a late reader and is much better at math. I think early reading might come at the expense of math skills...just my theory I have no research to back this up. I want my kids to have fun while they are young. There is plenty of time for academics.

I also HATE standardized testing. It only shows how well you can take a standardized test. Walk on any college campus in the US and talk with some of the foreign grad. students who got perfect TOEFL scores...their grasp of English doesn't reflect their high scores because they were taught how to take the test. Do private schools have to participate in standardized testing? (I went public out West.)

[Anonymous]

Even before NCLB, states still had their own state tests and had started the change in curriculum and expectations. My friend is a K teacher and the first few yrs she taught, K was a lot more like it was back in the 80s. It was a whole day though b/c she taught in a high need area but the kids still had centers, blocks, art and crafts in the classroom and rest time every afternoon for 30-40 mins. I visited her classroom a few times and it made me happy to see that things had not changed much. After NCLB, it was VERY different. The kids who left K not reading were considered the remedial kids in first grade. So sad. She said there are much higher rates of kids not coming to school now. Parents tell her the kids say they don't like school (in kindergarten!). Yikes!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DH was a late reader and is much better at math. I think early reading might come at the expense of math skills...just my theory I have no research to back this up.

Actually, very early reading (kids learning on their own, I mean, not as a result of parental pushing) is associated more with later math success than with later reading success. After all, beginning to read is a sort of code-breaking. So if a three-year-old is working independently to break that code, it may be a sign of a propensity to do well in math. Whether that very early reader remains highly gifted in reading is more variable. (Of course, this doesn't discount the fact that later readers may also be highly gifted in math and/or reading. It varies tremendously by child.)

As a result of these links, I think that equating early reading with weakness in math is probably inaccurate.

[Anonymous]

here is what I do not understand...kids are supposed to do in K what used to be 1st BUT everyone is redshirting their kids, especially boys, b/c they are not necessarily ready for what is asked of them at the current level of academics and socialization. This means that a 6 year old in the 70s/80s is still at the same level as a redshirted 6 yr old today but it becomes a very confusing convulated process for parents to figure what grade to put their child and teh grades are far too mixed age.

the whole things is stupid!

[Anonymous]

The British curriculum(s) for preschool are more academic than the US (even with these changes). Not sure about other countries.

[Anonymous]

While private schools don't have to deal with the NCLB testing issue, in my experience, it's a mistake to send your child to private thinking he/she isn't going to be pressured to learn to read in K. At my dc's private, they are expected to read in K, and those that do not by the end of the year work with tutors so they can "catch up" to the rest of the class. Even though many bright kids don't learn to read until later, as a result of the private school admissions process, it is a fact that most of the kids in private K come in already reading or on the cusp of reading, and the curriculum is planned around that. That said, the pressure really seems to kick in in 1st grade.

[Anonymous]

"here is what I do not understand...kids are supposed to do in K what used to be 1st BUT everyone is redshirting their kids, especially boys, b/c they are not necessarily ready for what is asked of them at the current level of academics and socialization. This means that a 6 year old in the 70s/80s is still at the same level as a redshirted 6 yr old today but it becomes a very confusing convulated process for parents to figure what grade to put their child and teh grades are far too mixed age.

the whole things is stupid! "

Yep and then we put them on Ritalin so they can be interested in doing mind numbing worksheets all day without any PE or recess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's NCLB. My older kids had "normal" K where you play and learn letters and numbers, but don't have to learn to read and do math. My youngest child (post NCLB) is in K where you are expected to enter K reading. If you aren't reading, you are put into a "remedial" group where letters and numbers are pounded into you. My child says he hates school! This is K! He says there's not enough time to play. It's so sad.

My older kids are considered gifted, but all were late readers (read at age 7+) by today's standards. I read at 7+ and that was considered normal in my day. My youngest is stuck in a remedial reading group with kids who are not his peers because of this constant emphasis on meeting "standards." His friends are all reading, which he will do when he's ready, as did my older kids.

But before NCLB, my older kids were allowed more time to play, and were doing more creative things in K, so they had plenty of time to spend with their natural peers, who were all reading before my kids were. They loved K. My youngest child never wants to go to school. NCLB ruined public school for smart kids, IMHO.

In which school district are kids expected to enter K reading? This disturbs me.