Teachers? New students and grades

[Anonymous]

PP- We already wrote that we read IEPs. They are given to homeroom teachers (full IEPs) and snapshots are given to other teachers (resource, ESOL, etc). We also are not allowed to just pull cumulative files at the beginning of the year so it isn't an option for students who don't have IEPs.

[Anonymous]

At my school I always look back at old files and I talk to the teacher(s) who had them previously. I specifically look for what the kids struggled in, what they were strong in, behavior issues (and what, if anything helped) and which kids needed extra emotional support. All I have to do is walk into the office and look at their cumulative file. Super easy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To all those that rely on testing to determine a student's capability, this isn't a good idea for those that don't test well. You won't know that they don't test well unless you pull their file. My child's IEP doesn't say he doesn't well because the school thinks that being mediocre (just passing) at testing or anything is acceptable. I also ask that the specials teachers read my child's file/IEP as well. DS has mild CP and ADHD and you won't notice it straight away. You might just think that he's really clumsy and just not listening. So, reading the file and the IEP give you a better picture. I know that teachers are busy, but I would think that this would be rather important and might just make your life easier in the long run.

Pretty sure that any teacher will read an IEP--that's a little different than reading the files of all the children. An IEP is supposed to be followed and the teacher should certainly be familiar with it.

As a teacher, I read the files of all the kids, but you have to be careful not to let them influence you too much.

And, to the PP who said that the prior teacher would talk to the next teacher about the "most notable" kids--believe me--if you have already been in the school, you are well aware of the "most notable" kids.

[Anonymous]

Classroom teachers very seldom look at students' grades from previous years in my experience. At most they will look at the students' DRA scores from the end of the year testing in order to have a sense of what reading groups they will form.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To all those that rely on testing to determine a student's capability, this isn't a good idea for those that don't test well. You won't know that they don't test well unless you pull their file. My child's IEP doesn't say he doesn't well because the school thinks that being mediocre (just passing) at testing or anything is acceptable. I also ask that the specials teachers read my child's file/IEP as well. DS has mild CP and ADHD and you won't notice it straight away. You might just think that he's really clumsy and just not listening. So, reading the file and the IEP give you a better picture. I know that teachers are busy, but I would think that this would be rather important and might just make your life easier in the long run.

Pretty sure that any teacher will read an IEP--that's a little different than reading the files of all the children. An IEP is supposed to be followed and the teacher should certainly be familiar with it.

As a teacher, I read the files of all the kids, but you have to be careful not to let them influence you too much.

And, to the PP who said that the prior teacher would talk to the next teacher about the "most notable" kids--believe me--if you have already been in the school, you are well aware of the "most notable" kids.

+1 ...and their parents.

[Anonymous]

When I worked at a private school, I read each kid's file which also included their application.
If something seemed off with a child after the first few weeks of school, I would sit down with last year's teacher and see if they had the same concerns.
Easier than reinventing the wheel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Huh. As a parent I'm really surprised to hear this. I would assume some knowledge of the working level of the student and their strengths and weaknesses would be hugely valuable to hit the ground running in the beginning of the year.
It definitely makes me now understand those parents who always talk to the teacher at the beginning of they year.

I taught high school, but I think I could have figured out all I needed to know from a few class sessions and a writing assignment. Whether Johnny under or over performed for Ms. Thang was just not my business.

As a parent, I have had the same child go from being a poor student to being a great student. She is in HS so it is new teachers every year. They are much nicer to her now, and assume the best. One of our issues when she was a poor student is that they always assumed the worst. (The only thing that changed was that an invisible disability got resolved.)