Lost on how to handle 2nd grade assessments

[Anonymous]

OP, your DH might need to read up on the idea that people are different types of learners. (Visual learner, auditory learner, kinetic learner, etc.) You child may be the type for whom aural learning (I hear it, I process it, I understand it) does not work well. There is a lot of research on different learner types and how best to work with those types for efficient learning. That does not help you in the short run, of course, but it might help your husband chill a bit and realize that his child is not an ace at listening in class and then turning that listening into knowledge he retains in his head. Sometimes it's not as simple as "Just listen better in class." (And sometimes....it is.)

Meanwhile: One to two days before the test for the study guide to come home is a short time frame, I agree. I really think you and DH, without your son present, need to talk with the teacher along these lines: "When these study guides come home, no more than two days before the test, we feel we need to help Son study them. We do this by (describe how DH does it, how long it takes, etc.). We're telling you this in order to ask: Is this what you have in mind? Are we overdoing this or underdoing it? And is there a reason the study guides come home two days before a test rather than, say, a week before the test, since the curriculum covered is already known?"

In other words -- I hope you and DH can go see the teacher and lay out what you ARE doing and whether that is what SHE expects or whether you need to ramp back. Your DH and you are both frustrated but if you aren't careful you may go in there criticizing the teacher (which would only make her defensive and is not useful) and the study guides (for which she might have good reasons to do what she does; can you listen to her if she gives reasons?) and the lack of any textbooks (which is probably out of her control and a choice by the school or the school system).

As someone else noted above, this may not be as much about mastery as you and DH think it needs to be. Ask the teacher that, ask what a 2 or 3 assessment really means, ask if she is concerned or feels your son is on track. You and especially DH are now so close to this issue that you may need to hear from her that it's going to be fine and it's fine not to put in so much time.

Ask her if it's possible for the whole class to get the study guides at least a few days earlier. She likely won't do that just for your son. It's also close to the end of the year and she may not be willing to change the study guide schedule that she's used all year long--frankly that's her prerogative, especially with so little of the year left.

I do think it's great that DH is working with your child and though it might need ramping back, and shouldn't be so test-focused, I would keep working with him for shorter periods. A lot of parents say kids must sink or swim on their own, but children are not born knowing how to study, or how to set priorities. A lot of parents just put kids at a table and say "Now, study for that test" but never demonstrate for kids how to break down material, figure out what's most important, think ahead about what would be good replies to questions, and so on. You are setting that foundation with your son and that's good. Just don't let second grade social studies and science turn into a fight at home or with the teacher.

If DH is really very frustrated, I would try to give him a break if you can, and take over the oversight of homework and studying for a while. There is just no reason for this to be about "blowing up" over second grade stuff. Each teacher is different and maybe you got one this year who operates in a way that's not the most effective for your son. But that's going to happen some years. And it might help to figure out how your son learns best; not all teachers are going to accommodate that, but you and DH will be better able to work with him.

[Anonymous]

Things will get easier next year. With SOLs starting in 3rd grade, the kids get more notes (mine both had "interactive notebooks" for social studies and science that they worked in most nights). The students can also review the material online at the SOLPASS website, where you can find quizzes and knowledge checks plus overviews and notes for each unit. Both of my kids occasionally forgot to bring home materials to study in elementary school, and that site provided sufficient review materials.

[Anonymous]

Will DS's assessments on these topics matter in the long run? Probably not. Maybe will weather "C's", or weather some language of "needs improvement". Don't fret too much. Teachers are throwing a lot of material at students and making it unnecessarily demanding, in second grade I think in part, to prove that not everyone belongs in AAP (when it ought to be content, depth & breadth in stead of sheer volume memorization)

[Anonymous]

Our situation may be different because DD has ADHD and LDs so she has an IEP but I let the teacher know we need lead time. She used to send study guides home for the kids to complete. One time, it took dD four hours to complete it and then when we quizzed her, she hadn't retained any of it. Now the teacher tells the whole class about a week in advance of tests and she sends a completed study guide home for DD so she can focus on learning the material instead of fling In the study guide.

Talk to the teacher. I'm sure she ca help you figure out sow thing that works for your child.

Also, I agree with PP that you shouldn't sweat the grades at this point. Your child may be very different by 4th or 5th grade.

[Anonymous]

Dd's 2nd grade teacher gave us at least 2 weeks notice. You can also google the topic and find some good power points or other resources to help you study. I needed some very visual learning aids for my dd, and the study guides often didn't cut it. Learning about those famous americans was brutal. My dd never did pass that test even though she took it twice.

[Anonymous]

OP, definitely talk to the teacher. If only 1 or 2 parents have said something he/she probably assumes it's fine. The more who let her/him know what is going on the more likely the teacher is to realize this isn't working.

I agree that it's insane to give so little notice about tests. Other than the occasional pop quiz in highschool did anyone on DCUM have tests in highschool, college or grad school that were announced with 2 days notice?

I find some teachers understand what is developmentally appropriate and others have to learn by trial and error. Did people give this teacher feedback last year? Do you know any other parents who had this teacher prior?