Asking how your kid compares to classmates

[Anonymous]

Why do parents want to know this kind of information?

The important thing is for your child to be learning. Why so much interest in how other kids are doing? In what way does the rate at which other kids are learning affect your child?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our Kindergarten teacher showed us bar charts to show exactly where our child stood in relation to the whole class!

Wow. As a teacher I’d never do this.

At the schools with the Flamboyan grants for parent engagement this is standard.

We must be at the same school. It’s so weird. But indeed we know exactly where our kid registers.

[Anonymous]

I'm curious what metric is being used to create these bar graphs. Assessments are problematic in their own right. A mixture of objective and subjective/observational is often far more insightful. Do keep it about your kid and DONT ask that. Super tacky, type A and kind of missing the point of the whole learning journey. Telegraphs a lot of messages about your attitudes towards education that may then cause the teacher to subconsciously tailor your child's school experience in ways you don't want....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our Kindergarten teacher showed us bar charts to show exactly where our child stood in relation to the whole class!

Wow. As a teacher I’d never do this.

There is a dark competitive side of me (who got a 173 on the LSAT.) who craves this kind of bar chart.

I got a 178.

[Anonymous]

It's fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do parents want to know this kind of information?

The important thing is for your child to be learning. Why so much interest in how other kids are doing? In what way does the rate at which other kids are learning affect your child?

Duh, you want to make sure your kid is doing OK. Not a big deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our Kindergarten teacher showed us bar charts to show exactly where our child stood in relation to the whole class!

Wow. As a teacher I’d never do this.

There is a dark competitive side of me (who got a 173 on the LSAT.) who craves this kind of bar chart.

I got a 178.

And I got a 180.

And know someone who has more than one 180.

Which is why these charts and comparisons are at best ridiculous and at worst toxic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our Kindergarten teacher showed us bar charts to show exactly where our child stood in relation to the whole class!

Wow. As a teacher I’d never do this.

At the schools with the Flamboyan grants for parent engagement this is standard.

We must be at the same school. It’s so weird. But indeed we know exactly where our kid registers.

I am so against this! At our school they handed it out and one mom started to cry because her kid was so far behind. And it caused some anxiety among the high-SES parents that there were so many kids so far behind. Made them want to leave the school even more than they alrrady do. Next year we are switching to a grade level comparison so people don't see how other kids are doing.

[Anonymous]

So for parent engagement they are showing parents how the rest of the class is doing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So for parent engagement they are showing parents how the rest of the class is doing?

It's kind of a group parent conference where they talk about what is grade level expectation. You get an activity to take home and do with your child. There are some on the Flamboyan website that you can watch.

Personally I find it super awkward because our school is gentrifying and there is a big achievement gap, and it makes parents concerned that so many kids are far behind. I have to do an individual conference separately because of my DD's quirks. I really think there is a loss of privacy and losing the individual conferences is not a good idea. It seems to be intended for schools that are all low-income, does not mesh well with gentrifying communities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do parents want to know this kind of information?

The important thing is for your child to be learning. Why so much interest in how other kids are doing? In what way does the rate at which other kids are learning affect your child?

Duh, you want to make sure your kid is doing OK. Not a big deal.

So that their child will have a peer reading group and generally peers on their level, or at least grade level. So that they know the teacher is not overburdened trying to catch up a ton of below-grade kids and no time for the kids who are above grade. That is our situation and it sucks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do parents want to know this kind of information?

The important thing is for your child to be learning. Why so much interest in how other kids are doing? In what way does the rate at which other kids are learning affect your child?

Duh, you want to make sure your kid is doing OK. Not a big deal.

So that their child will have a peer reading group and generally peers on their level, or at least grade level. So that they know the teacher is not overburdened trying to catch up a ton of below-grade kids and no time for the kids who are above grade. That is our situation and it sucks.

Every school has kids below level, on level and above level. I taught in one of the wealthiest schools in the country and I had two groups of below grade level students in guided reading. I still did guided reading with my on level and above level groups and had extension centers for those above.

So I'm really trying to understand the point of showing every parent the chart of the class. Unless it's trying to create competition. Or trying to "motivate" lower students?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Why do parents want to know this kind of information?

The important thing is for your child to be learning. Why so much interest in how other kids are doing? In what way does the rate at which other kids are learning affect your child?



Duh, you want to make sure your kid is doing OK. Not a big deal.


So that their child will have a peer reading group and generally peers on their level, or at least grade level. So that they know the teacher is not overburdened trying to catch up a ton of below-grade kids and no time for the kids who are above grade. That is our situation and it sucks.


Every school has kids below level, on level and above level. I taught in one of the wealthiest schools in the country and I had two groups of below grade level students in guided reading. I still did guided reading with my on level and above level groups and had extension centers for those above.

So I'm really trying to understand the point of showing every parent the chart of the class. Unless it's trying to create competition. Or trying to "motivate" lower students?

Agree with others that this class-specific bar chart is a terrible idea. It would be much better to know how your child was faring compared to peers on a national basis, such as with standardized tests, than with the class they are in, which could be a very skewed group.

[Anonymous]

Why is this information helpful?
As a teacher and a parent I know this type of info in elementary school only serves to inflate your ego and then ONLY if the child is ranked number 1 in the class. Otherwise, it tells nothing about the child, especially in 2nd grade.

The kids who are doing the best in 2nd grade can be middle of the road in 4th. The reason we don’t give this information is, even though you crave it as if it's important, it means nothing.

[Anonymous]

I get the desire to know. After reading my daughter's standards-based report card and going to P/T conference, I still have no idea how she is doing comparatively. I know all the reasons it's not supposed to matter if I know 'rank,' and yet I'm still curious. I know she's bright, but I still don't know if she's being a good student. Oh well, I guess I'll find out by middle school.