APS -- Want to return but spouse resistant -- please clarify curriculum 5th grade

[Anonymous]

We left APS for Langley early in the pandemic, as our DD was struggling with the isolation of remote school and had trouble reading so much on the screen.

We have had a good experience at Langley, but it is quite expensive for us, DD misses her friends, and we would love to be part of a neighborhood school again.

Spouse believes reading and writing are underemphasized in APS, so can someone who has just finished 5th grade help me win this argument:

How many novels were assigned for 5th grade students to read on their own at home? Langley had DD read 5 novels, then write essays and do a quiz on them. Which spouse really appreciates since our DD is a reluctant reader, so having it "assigned" has made it much easier to get her to read independently.

[Anonymous]

Haven't you already signed a contract for next year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Haven't you already signed a contract for next year?

There is a huge waitlist, and we would just be switching back to private -- so we would ask if we could leave, and they find another, and we would be released. If not we would move for 7th grade.

DD really wants to be back with her friends, and despite how well she has thrived academically there, I want to support her needs in these weird years and saving money is a nice bonus.

[FGDaddio]

APS will have a new reading adoption for next school year so there is no information about how many books your child will be required to read. And some teachers assign students books more than others as a side assignment. So, there is not really a way to know the answer to this. But if you can presumably swing Langley, you could always go back to public and have a tutor for reading on the side, which would still be way less money than Langley. Does your daughter struggle in reading the words or comprehension?

[Anonymous]

FGDaddio wrote:APS will have a new reading adoption for next school year so there is no information about how many books your child will be required to read. And some teachers assign students books more than others as a side assignment. So, there is not really a way to know the answer to this. But if you can presumably swing Langley, you could always go back to public and have a tutor for reading on the side, which would still be way less money than Langley. Does your daughter struggle in reading the words or comprehension?

She was struggling in reading until Langley but that could also be a factor with growing older.

We had a reading coach before and still just barely made benchmarks at APS, but now has read books like Red Canoe and House on Mango Street without us coaching her. These are on grade level reading, it’s not like she is advanced but we like that it’s not graphic novels all the time.

Im confused, whether or not novels are read at home is completely up to teacher discretion?? There is no standard approach across APS?

[Anonymous]

Novels read at home? Like homework? That isn’t a thing at DS’s school. However DD did read several novels for fifth grade and I do think it was up to teacher discretion. It may have been part of the gifted program too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Novels read at home? Like homework? That isn’t a thing at DS’s school. However DD did read several novels for fifth grade and I do think it was up to teacher discretion. It may have been part of the gifted program too.

If they aren’t reading novels at home, how else are they reading them. Are they reading them aloud in class? Are they spending class time reading silently? Do you not get assigned novels to read unless you are gifted (our DD was not identified as gifted)

[Anonymous]

Fifth grade parent here. You’re asking how many novels were assigned into be read at home? None. I say that as a parent of a child who reads above grade level. Everything they read was in the classroom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Novels read at home? Like homework? That isn’t a thing at DS’s school. However DD did read several novels for fifth grade and I do think it was up to teacher discretion. It may have been part of the gifted program too.

If they aren’t reading novels at home, how else are they reading them. Are they reading them aloud in class? Are they spending class time reading silently? Do you not get assigned novels to read unless you are gifted (our DD was not identified as gifted)

I don’t know if they were part of the gifted curriculum or Part of the regular curriculum (DD doesn’t remember). Yes they read it all at school on their own time.

[Anonymous]

My kids are more advanced and we cannot afford private, so I know I’m coming from a different perspective. But I personally think APS can be good enough for the vast majority of kids. You can supplement a little bit of reading and writing at home; 30 minutes a day does wonders.

Here is a book on it: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QL31EU0/ref=dbs_a_def_awm_bibl_vppi_i4

Writing is harder but you can help kids with that too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fifth grade parent here. You’re asking how many novels were assigned into be read at home? None. I say that as a parent of a child who reads above grade level. Everything they read was in the classroom.

This was our experience, too, a couple years ago.

Kid is finishing 7th this year and has over 100% in English, yet I have never seen him read any books or do any homework/papers. I am not sure about APS instruction in reading and writing, to be honest. I know that he can read, which is fine, but it doesn't seem challenging in the slightest.

[Anonymous]

My 5th grader during the pandemic read 2 novels at home and in 6th grade read 1 at home.

This is also a solve-able problem though. My kid is required to read every night and always has been. It's part of his routine of going to bed.

I can bet that writing in particular is stronger at a private. I think writing is weak in any public. Other things are going to be much stronger too though.

If you want to be part of your neighborhood school, hire a writing tutor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fifth grade parent here. You’re asking how many novels were assigned into be read at home? None. I say that as a parent of a child who reads above grade level. Everything they read was in the classroom.

Same. My fifth grader brought zero novels home this year. They read 2 in class, but they were not allowed to bring those books home. My kid is a voracious reader, so I worry about reading least of all subjects.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Novels read at home? Like homework? That isn’t a thing at DS’s school. However DD did read several novels for fifth grade and I do think it was up to teacher discretion. It may have been part of the gifted program too.

If they aren’t reading novels at home, how else are they reading them. Are they reading them aloud in class? Are they spending class time reading silently? Do you not get assigned novels to read unless you are gifted (our DD was not identified as gifted)

I don’t know if they were part of the gifted curriculum or Part of the regular curriculum (DD doesn’t remember). Yes they read it all at school on their own time.

What does "on your own time mean" they have about 5 hours of instruction time once you back out lunch and recess and lining up for everything in between -- do they substitute silent reading for instruction?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fifth grade parent here. You’re asking how many novels were assigned into be read at home? None. I say that as a parent of a child who reads above grade level. Everything they read was in the classroom.

Same. My fifth grader brought zero novels home this year. They read 2 in class, but they were not allowed to bring those books home. My kid is a voracious reader, so I worry about reading least of all subjects.

Did they read them aloud in class?