How would I know if my kid is advanced?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are parents here so obsessed with whether or not their kids are "advanced"?

Because they make enough money so that they have lots of free time to obsess over that.

Myself included.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why are parents here so obsessed with whether or not their kids are "advanced"?

"Advanced" means "intelligent". They want their kids to be more intelligent so that they can get into good colleges and then get jobs that pay a lot of money and generally acquire the trappings of success.

[Anonymous]

They care because they want a shot at getting into the HGC where the anointed ones essentially receive an education on par with private school.

[Anonymous]

They care because they want to make sure their child is actually LEARNING something when they go to school- not just twiddling their thumbs because the school doesn't bother teaching them anything because the administration has decided the child will probably already score high enough on their tests for the school to look good. It's not always about getting ahead - it's about making sure your child is engaged at school and learning something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your child is reading that far above grade level, you have to supplement at home. MCPS will let her just sit there doing busy work until she falls in line with their grade level low bar.

It's "supplementing" when you give your child books to read at home, if the child reads above grade level and the books are above grade level? How about that. I thought it was "giving your child books to read".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The report cards under this new system make it virtually impossible to know if your child is advanced (and needs enrichment) or is falling behind (and needs help). This is the reason so many parents hate curriculum 2.0. It is a load of nonsense and the kids suffer.

First of all, how do YOU, the parent, not know you child's skill level.

Furthermore, there are differentiated groups. My daughter is in the highest math and reading groups, as they're constantly being assessed. Groups are flexible. So if little Bobby improves in reading, he'll move up.

How can so many of you be that clueless?

and these are forums for the so called "intelligent" city and suburban folks?

What are you talking about? Do you have a kid at MCPS in 1st or 2nd grade. Differentiated math groups?? Not in our school. Yes, DD has reading groups, but since she's in the highest group, it only meets once every other week (if that). And, math has just been a huge waste of time for us in ES. No, my kid's not a math genius, but the stuff they do in the early grades has just been a joke.

Yes, I (and it sounds like the OP) know our kid's skill level. That is why we are so frustrated. We see that there is no improvement, and that our kids are just stagnating.

3rd grade min here:
My kid is in differentiated groups in reading and math
As my child has improved in math she has been given more challenging work
We get notes, comments, helpful info from the teacher.
So your experience is different than mine.
We are happy with 2.0.
Is it perfect , no!
Was the prior curriculum, no?
Change is challenging and a lot of folks get so nervous if they cannot be assured by kindergarten that little Jonnie is going to Harvard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are parents here so obsessed with whether or not their kids are "advanced"?

"Advanced" means "intelligent". They want their kids to be more intelligent so that they can get into good colleges and then get jobs that pay a lot of money and generally acquire the trappings of success.

I believe this 100%

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are parents here so obsessed with whether or not their kids are "advanced"?

"Advanced" means "intelligent". They want their kids to be more intelligent so that they can get into good colleges and then get jobs that pay a lot of money and generally acquire the trappings of success.

Because if you're "advanced", you will go to a "good" college and get the right resume and make a lot of money (and claim to be middle class on a HHI of $350,000+) and be a success.

Whereas if you're not "advanced", you will go to a community college and live in a trailer park and be a failure.

And there are only so many people who can be successes -- the rest will be failures -- and you want to make sure your child is among the successes and not the failures.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The report cards under this new system make it virtually impossible to know if your child is advanced (and needs enrichment) or is falling behind (and needs help). This is the reason so many parents hate curriculum 2.0. It is a load of nonsense and the kids suffer.

First of all, how do YOU, the parent, not know you child's skill level.

Furthermore, there are differentiated groups. My daughter is in the highest math and reading groups, as they're constantly being assessed. Groups are flexible. So if little Bobby improves in reading, he'll move up.

How can so many of you be that clueless?

and these are forums for the so called "intelligent" city and suburban folks?

What are you talking about? Do you have a kid at MCPS in 1st or 2nd grade. Differentiated math groups?? Not in our school. Yes, DD has reading groups, but since she's in the highest group, it only meets once every other week (if that). And, math has just been a huge waste of time for us in ES. No, my kid's not a math genius, but the stuff they do in the early grades has just been a joke.

Yes, I (and it sounds like the OP) know our kid's skill level. That is why we are so frustrated. We see that there is no improvement, and that our kids are just stagnating.

3rd grade min here:
My kid is in differentiated groups in reading and math
As my child has improved in math she has been given more challenging work
We get notes, comments, helpful info from the teacher.
So your experience is different than mine.
We are happy with 2.0.
Is it perfect , no!
Was the prior curriculum, no?
Change is challenging and a lot of folks get so nervous if they cannot be assured by kindergarten that little Jonnie is going to Harvard.

You are lucky, not all kids are getting that

[Anonymous]

Glad it is working out for someone. I would say except for the math it is OK. The problem with the math is my kid is off the charts (99%) on every test and they are unable to challenge him. Prior to 2.0 (per his teacher) he would have been in 5th grade made in 3rd. Now there is really nothing she can do for him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My first grader just got all Ps on her report card and is reading at a third grade level. Should I take that to mean that she is "right where Ashe is supposed to be" or more? I've heard that some schools/teachers give ESs and others do not.frankly, I think her teacher is fine, but not inspiring. And I gather from my impressions and those from other parents that she favors the easier or quieter kids. I don't say that as judgement, but just to give a feel for the evaluator I am dealing with. I want to challenge my child within her capabilities, but I don't know how to determine what those are without the expertise of teachers, and frankly, a comparison to her peers.

I guess I should just ask for a conference, but in the past they have not been very productive. I get the impression the teacher feels somehow constrained not to say anything meaningfully positive or negative about my child. This system is frustrating.

Go to a party full of Asians and ask them about their kids reading and math levels.

Hmm ... racist, anyone?

Seriously. And how does that suggestion help OP in any way?

[Anonymous]

Not true that there is nothing that can be done for enrichment. Your schoil just chooses not to. Our school offers enrichment/acceleration and pull outs for advanced third graders.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They care because they want to make sure their child is actually LEARNING something when they go to school- not just twiddling their thumbs because the school doesn't bother teaching them anything because the administration has decided the child will probably already score high enough on their tests for the school to look good. It's not always about getting ahead - it's about making sure your child is engaged at school and learning something.

I'm just not yet convinced that the advanced students are not learning. I know there is differentiation in my daughter's class. I wish there was some way to determine this beyond anecdotes on DCUM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They care because they want to make sure their child is actually LEARNING something when they go to school- not just twiddling their thumbs because the school doesn't bother teaching them anything because the administration has decided the child will probably already score high enough on their tests for the school to look good. It's not always about getting ahead - it's about making sure your child is engaged at school and learning something.

THIS +1000! I want to know my child is learning. The hide-the-ball report cards, the lack of tests (just subjective "assessments" which often aren't even written down, just the teacher's feeling about how the kid is doing), the one conference at the beginning of the year: all of these things make me question MCPS. When there is an objective measurement, say a MAP-R or MAP-M and your child scores through the roof, you might realize your child needs more than the bare-minimum basics that are being spoon fed to every child in the class. A one-size-fits-all system simply doesn't work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Glad it is working out for someone. I would say except for the math it is OK. The problem with the math is my kid is off the charts (99%) on every test and they are unable to challenge him. Prior to 2.0 (per his teacher) he would have been in 5th grade made in 3rd. Now there is really nothing she can do for him.

Happened to my child also. It is a shame and very demoralizing both to my child and to me. I hope MCPS isn't inadvertently trying to create a system where, any parent who wants more than the lowest common denominator level work, must look into expensive private school options. Mr. Starr, where is the "social justice" in that. This 2.0 system is not working. It is hurting kids that need extra help b/c they are struggling…and it is hurting advanced kids who need more challenge to keep them engaged and learning. If you tank the once-impressive MCPS system on your watch you should be ashamed.