Second grader got a lot of 2s on final report card

[Anonymous]

My second grader got a significant number of 2s on final report card. In almost every case, the "grade" in those areas was a 3 last quarter, so this was a surprise. The teacher hasn't said anything to me about what's going on. And now the year is over. How alarmed should I be by year-end 2s?

I don't know if all of the schools use the same grading system. This is at Campbell, and the kids get a score from 1-4 on lots of different competencies.

[Anonymous]

2’s are concerning

[Anonymous]

Reach out to the teacher.

Also might be worth getting them tested for potential learning disability. I had a well-regarded teacher tell me my 1st grader who was getting twos was fine - turned out she had dyslexia.

[Anonymous]

The range is 1-4 — we only got 3s at most. Is that typical?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Reach out to the teacher.

Also might be worth getting them tested for potential learning disability. I had a well-regarded teacher tell me my 1st grader who was getting twos was fine - turned out she had dyslexia.

Teachers don't work in the summer.

[Anonymous]

What did their MAP scores look like?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The range is 1-4 — we only got 3s at most. Is that typical?

My kid got a mix of 3s and 4s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The range is 1-4 — we only got 3s at most. Is that typical?

Are you OP?
I think straight 4s are given so 2s and 3s (and a downward trend) is very concerning.

[Anonymous]

2’s- VERY concerning! And plus your student digressed from the previous quarter so That’s also telling.

[Anonymous]

*regressed!

[Anonymous]

2s mean below grade level. Usually there is a heavy push to get kids to grade level by end of year. So 2s on a final report card are very concerning and may indicate your child is not prepared for grade level work next year. I also find the drop from 3 to 2 concerning -- that means the teacher considered them in track and no longer does.

I would reach out to the teacher and principal and frame it as wanting to know what you should do over the summer to get him back on track. I would also ask if there are any summer tutoring opportunities in the district, or other resources you should be aware of. Make it clear you are not complaining about the grades but worried about your child staying on track.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The range is 1-4 — we only got 3s at most. Is that typical?

Are you OP?
I think straight 4s are given so 2s and 3s (and a downward trend) is very concerning.

It depends on the teacher— 4 means you are above grade level. 3 means you are on grade level. There’s not much guidance but that’s what the scale is supposed to mean.

[Anonymous]

Which school district is this in? I have a 2nd grader in a Arlington school and they don't use numbers. It's interesting how different the grading styles are in the same area.

[Anonymous]

APS teacher here. I’m surprised that a 3 would go down to a 2. 3 means they have demonstrated the year end standard independently. It’s unlikely that they suddenly now can’t do something they have already done in multiple areas.
How was their EOY MAP scores? I would email the principal, not the teacher, only because teachers are on summer break and likely not checking email but principals are still working through the summer.
Some schools were basing grades on the work done that quarter and that is how grades will be reported next year in elementary. However the APS directive this year was to grade to the year end standard not the quarterly progress, which was super confusing but that’s what we were told to do.

[Anonymous]

APS teacher again- 4’s will vary and APS hasn’t given us much about how to determine if a student is at a 4 across the board and what to use to measure. So I’d take a 4 or lack thereof with a grain of salt at this point because it’s completely subjective IMO.