How bad is "approaching expectations"?

[Anonymous]

At my child's Kindergarten we just got back report cards for Quarter 1. The possible scores are Exceeds Expectations, Meets Expectations, Approaching Expectations and Below Expectations. This is a private school that we were warned has "no grade inflation," but I was still surprised that my child scored only "approaching expectations" in math and writing (with the other scores being "meets" or "exceeds" expectations).

How bad is "approaching expectations" in Kindergarten? Do we need to start doing more work outside school in these areas, maybe look into tutoring? We have a parent teacher conference soon—what should we ask?

[Anonymous]

A single approaching expectations and everything else meets or exceeds?

Don’t worry about it.

A couple teachers used to give almost everyone approaching in the fall then bumped them all up in the winter. I guess they had a certain threshold in their mind and in the fall most kids weren’t there yet and by winter most were.

You can ask teacher, “how can I help Larlo work on X” and do that. Other than that, I expect this will work itself out anyways over the course of the year

[Anonymous]

Especially in K I would assume it means your child is on track. Learn more at 5he paren5 conference and ask about it.

[Anonymous]

It’s kindergarten. Your child is fine!

[Anonymous]

It's the beginning of the year. They'll often use "approaching" for topics they've introduced but plan to keep working on. He needs to meet expectations at the end of the year, not now. Not a big deal at all.

[Anonymous]

It’s the first quarter. He’s right where he should be. Talk to the teacher about how you can support at home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s the first quarter. He’s right where he should be. Talk to the teacher about how you can support at home.

My elementary had a 4 point scale. 4 was - way beyond where the class should be. 3 is meeting goals...completely on track with the topic per curriculum standards. 2 is doesn't completely understand, may have gaps in knowledge or retention of the tested curriculum standards. 1 is needs remediation/extra teacher assistance.

Approaching expectations sounds like a 2. Many kids are able to remedy a 2 by themselves with just a little attention from the teacher. Gaps in understanding are very individual. The report card is usually just a very factual measure of whether a kid can demonstrate a certain skill or not.

Fall of kindergarten is a big time of change. I agree that a 2 here is no cause for concern.

It does always help for parents to work on phonics, reading to kids, having kids read to you, and simple math. But your kid doesn't need professional tutoring.

[Anonymous]

I was under the impression that the expectations are based on what is expected by the end of the school year, not what is expected right now. Therefore, approaching expectations is totally fine... and expected.

[Anonymous]

That's fine! If they are still approaching expectations at the end of the year, talk to your teacher.

[Anonymous]

You teach your kid how to read and count. No need for tutors at that age.

[Anonymous]

I am sure it’s probably fine.

[Anonymous]

He’s in K, and he’s a boy.
Lots of kids in K just need more time to mature. It will click. I wouldn’t worry about it at all especially this early in the year.

[Anonymous]

It’s not bad; In fact it’s normal. There is a huge range of skills, potential, and behavior in the younger grades. In every classroom there will always be a few kids who need extra time in order to master something. In some cases, it’s an ongoing thing. For example, there might be a child who is a strong reader but whose spelling makes writing feel more laborious. In some cases, it’s temporary. Sometimes the school-provided lesson plans clicked with most of the class, but a few children needed information presented differently in subsequent lessons. “Off” days or absences can also set a kid back temporarily.

There are two tricks with this type of report card. The first is to learn that it has zero correlation to an A-F scale. The next is to realize that the goal is grade-level mastery by the end of the year. If your child always met or exceeded expectations the first time, he would have very little need to be in school learning these skills.

[Anonymous]

We have those exact report cards K through the 5th grade. There were about 30 statements for the teacher to check one. Some of the statements I didn’t even understand, it was in educational language. In Kindergarten my kids got “approaching expectations” on some of them. I can’t remember which ones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was under the impression that the expectations are based on what is expected by the end of the school year, not what is expected right now. Therefore, approaching expectations is totally fine... and expected.

same.