Does your kindergartner have spelling tests?

[Anonymous]

Nope (MCPS K last yr)

[Anonymous]

Um, no.

[Anonymous]

Yes - parochial school. It's fine if the kids don't get 100%. CVC words.

[Anonymous]

No, but I wish they'd do something to challenge my kindergartener as she's an early reader and not a all challenged at school.

[Anonymous]

Nope and I’d be nervous the teacher has missed the entire shift to the science of reading and for that matter the common core standards…. Both of which clearly articulate there’s no need for spelling tests.

Your kid needs explicit, systematic, cumulative and diagnostic foundational skills instruction. If that sounds tricky check out the sold a story podcast.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nope and I’d be nervous the teacher has missed the entire shift to the science of reading and for that matter the common core standards…. Both of which clearly articulate there’s no need for spelling tests.

Your kid needs explicit, systematic, cumulative and diagnostic foundational skills instruction. If that sounds tricky check out the sold a story podcast.

That’s actually fallen out of favor. Now, nationally, phonics and spelling tests are back.

[Anonymous]

Spelling us one thing but the capitalization part is off. Kids are just learning to write letters at all. Asking A instead of a is not spelling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Spelling us one thing but the capitalization part is off. Kids are just learning to write letters at all. Asking A instead of a is not spelling.

So when should kids learn to use the correct letter case?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Spelling us one thing but the capitalization part is off. Kids are just learning to write letters at all. Asking A instead of a is not spelling.

So when should kids learn to use the correct letter case?

They are learning it every day. But a 5-year-old who is just learning how to write needs a little leniency. Even the kids who come in knowing all their letters, even already knowing how to read, will still often have bad handwriting due to physical immaturity and fine motor skills that are still developing. And under pressure a 5-year-old who's never taken quizzes before might write B instead of b. It would be better to have the children correct the errors at home under the guidance of their parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, but I wish they'd do something to challenge my kindergartener as she's an early reader and not a all challenged at school.

Give her spelling tests at home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids had "words of the week" but there was no test on them. They were just sort of the focus. And I distinctly remember the first list was just A and I.

This makes far more sense for Kindergarten.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Spelling us one thing but the capitalization part is off. Kids are just learning to write letters at all. Asking A instead of a is not spelling.

So when should kids learn to use the correct letter case?

It's something they should be learning all along. Not something they get marked wrong on in Kindergarten. That will start in first grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nope and I’d be nervous the teacher has missed the entire shift to the science of reading and for that matter the common core standards…. Both of which clearly articulate there’s no need for spelling tests.

Your kid needs explicit, systematic, cumulative and diagnostic foundational skills instruction. If that sounds tricky check out the sold a story podcast.

That’s actually fallen out of favor. Now, nationally, phonics and spelling tests are back.

Yikes! Teaching phonics does not mean spelling tests!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am jealous kids get this in school now. Ours came through during the “joy writing” era and most kids could not spell coming out of ES. Send flowers and say big thank you to any teacher who does spelling in ES.

Same.

The spelling test itself is fine.

Taking points off for the wrong capitalization is not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids had "words of the week" but there was no test on them. They were just sort of the focus. And I distinctly remember the first list was just A and I.

This makes far more sense for Kindergarten.

Though my child was reading chapter books at the time and was very disappointed.