3rd grade Gen Ed Math/LA FCPS-

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, it isn't just your DC's teacher. I confirmed with my 4th grader's teacher that her students had never had much experience writing paragraphs, and they're struggling to rite their first 1-pagers this quarter. I'm livid as my DC get some all to mostly all 4s on report cards. What they are doing in class is not 4th grade work. Don't get me started on math.

I have a DC in AAP, and even there the system doesn't care about spelling or grammar.

And what's making me more annoyed is hearing about the same crap happening at MS level. No homework policies are coming there's too. If subjects aren't reinforced in school or at home, how the heck are students expected to learn anything? They aren't learning anything rushing through e.g. DreamBox to get the games. No wonder parents are writing college applications for their DCs.

I've been happy with our AAP classes in ES. They drill mult. facts, learn spelling and grammar and have homework. I think the no homework policies are an effort to close the achievement gap. All practice must now occur in the schools only.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers are very accountable. It all depends on the administration and the grade level team. We are supposed to follow the Standards of Learning. If your kid's teacher isn't, then find out why. Don't assume it is every teacher in the county. There is no research that says homework makes much difference in elementary school. Some kids may benefit, but just reading and practicing math facts or spelling words is plenty.

I'm OP, am happy if there isn't any or much homework. What I don't like is that my older child learned so much more in FCPS. I don't think it is every teacher in the county- but it is ours.

They have never had a spelling test, or vocab test this year. Not one. Maybe she's given them and kept them, but none to be studied for. No math tests to study for. Only 2 science tests that had a one sheeter come home to study and 2 social studies tests. All year. We are at the end of the 3rd q.

I know I should tell Admin, but I know they know and it will not change and as I said before, my kid and I will be labeled. It isn't as simple as me expressing concern and this 20+year teacher deciding I'm right. That is what is frustrating. She will retire soon and is done.

Students don’t need to take a test to be assessed.

13:33. Children in my child's grade came home at the end of the year with one of those blank notebooks used for language arts on a DAILY basis with only about 20 pages even slightly filled in. It is very clear that whatever assessment and teaching is being used beyond testing also has inefficiencies and deficiencies, not just testing.

Your school.

So. It is a school and I'm concerned. OP has the same issue as do others in the thread referenced by 13:52.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, it isn't just your DC's teacher. I confirmed with my 4th grader's teacher that her students had never had much experience writing paragraphs, and they're struggling to rite their first 1-pagers this quarter. I'm livid as my DC get some all to mostly all 4s on report cards. What they are doing in class is not 4th grade work. Don't get me started on math.

I have a DC in AAP, and even there the system doesn't care about spelling or grammar.

And what's making me more annoyed is hearing about the same crap happening at MS level. No homework policies are coming there's too. If subjects aren't reinforced in school or at home, how the heck are students expected to learn anything? They aren't learning anything rushing through e.g. DreamBox to get the games. No wonder parents are writing college applications for their DCs.

I've been happy with our AAP classes in ES. They drill mult. facts, learn spelling and grammar and have homework. I think the no homework policies are an effort to close the achievement gap. All practice must now occur in the schools only.

Everything they've done is on-grade level. The things you mentioned about AAP used to be GenEd. At a recent kid event, a parent pulled me aside and asked if I too was underwhelmed by what AAP was doing. I was surprised, because I don't know her, but it seems the parents of students in my DC's cohort aren't impressed, and I think with good reason. For example, knowing multiplication math facts cold by end of third grade isn't something that AAP should hang its hat on. That used to be expected of GenEd 3rd graders too, but apparently that's not universally (?) true any more. Certainly isn't true at our base.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers are very accountable. It all depends on the administration and the grade level team. We are supposed to follow the Standards of Learning. If your kid's teacher isn't, then find out why. Don't assume it is every teacher in the county. There is no research that says homework makes much difference in elementary school. Some kids may benefit, but just reading and practicing math facts or spelling words is plenty.

I'm OP, am happy if there isn't any or much homework. What I don't like is that my older child learned so much more in FCPS. I don't think it is every teacher in the county- but it is ours.

They have never had a spelling test, or vocab test this year. Not one. Maybe she's given them and kept them, but none to be studied for. No math tests to study for. Only 2 science tests that had a one sheeter come home to study and 2 social studies tests. All year. We are at the end of the 3rd q.

I know I should tell Admin, but I know they know and it will not change and as I said before, my kid and I will be labeled. It isn't as simple as me expressing concern and this 20+year teacher deciding I'm right. That is what is frustrating. She will retire soon and is done.

Students don’t need to take a test to be assessed.

13:33. Children in my child's grade came home at the end of the year with one of those blank notebooks used for language arts on a DAILY basis with only about 20 pages even slightly filled in. It is very clear that whatever assessment and teaching is being used beyond testing also has inefficiencies and deficiencies, not just testing.

Your school.

PP, yours is next. My neighbors with kids in HS/MS and ES are very disturbed at the downgrade. Our base was a desirable school when their kids started ES there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, it isn't just your DC's teacher. I confirmed with my 4th grader's teacher that her students had never had much experience writing paragraphs, and they're struggling to rite their first 1-pagers this quarter. I'm livid as my DC get some all to mostly all 4s on report cards. What they are doing in class is not 4th grade work. Don't get me started on math.

I have a DC in AAP, and even there the system doesn't care about spelling or grammar.

And what's making me more annoyed is hearing about the same crap happening at MS level. No homework policies are coming there's too. If subjects aren't reinforced in school or at home, how the heck are students expected to learn anything? They aren't learning anything rushing through e.g. DreamBox to get the games. No wonder parents are writing college applications for their DCs.

I've been happy with our AAP classes in ES. They drill mult. facts, learn spelling and grammar and have homework. I think the no homework policies are an effort to close the achievement gap. All practice must now occur in the schools only.

Everything they've done is on-grade level. The things you mentioned about AAP used to be GenEd. At a recent kid event, a parent pulled me aside and asked if I too was underwhelmed by what AAP was doing. I was surprised, because I don't know her, but it seems the parents of students in my DC's cohort aren't impressed, and I think with good reason. For example, knowing multiplication math facts cold by end of third grade isn't something that AAP should hang its hat on. That used to be expected of GenEd 3rd graders too, but apparently that's not universally (?) true any more. Certainly isn't true at our base.

PP here - I agree with you as I often feel that AAP resembles school back when I went. I've noticed quite a downturn in our base. Things were whittled away from year to year. My younger one didn't have to do many of the things my older one did. However, it depends on the school. Some body's gen Ed is another's AAP.

[Anonymous]

Everything they've done is on-grade level. The things you mentioned about AAP used to be GenEd. At a recent kid event, a parent pulled me aside and asked if I too was underwhelmed by what AAP was doing. I was surprised, because I don't know her, but it seems the parents of students in my DC's cohort aren't impressed, and I think with good reason. For example, knowing multiplication math facts cold by end of third grade isn't something that AAP should hang its hat on. That used to be expected of GenEd 3rd graders too, but apparently that's not universally (?) true any more. Certainly isn't true at our base.

PP here - I agree with you as I often feel that AAP resembles school back when I went. I've noticed quite a downturn in our base. Things were whittled away from year to year. My younger one didn't have to do many of the things my older one did. However, it depends on the school. Some body's gen Ed is another's AAP.

And therein lies the rub. It seems as though at some schools that things are backsliding. I don't blame the teachers individually. It is an FCPS organizational issue. I don't mind supplementing at home, but when I see the basics not being addressed with any rigor in school, I get very annoyed.

[Anonymous]

So what can be done? I'm tired of this being an issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So what can be done? I'm tired of this being an issue.

Me, too. I just keep hoping someone comes up with some ideas. I've helped out before, during and after school. Attended meetings with principals and teachers. Sometimes I just want to cry. I've had more than one teacher voluntarily tell me that they would like do more with my DC, but they literally have no time. This year, for example, at the end of January, DC's LA teacher told me she had not met with my DC's group since before break, because she had too many other kids who were too far behind especially with school closures/days off. She felt bad, but said at least my DC and the two students in his study group could keep themselves going alone. I didn't even know how to react to that. Worse is that I see these are good teachers ... when they have time to teach. They are pulled out for so many meetings during the day, exacerbating the issue.

[Anonymous]

This happened to us, too. My DC said the teacher hadn't met with her reading group for two weeks but she was younger and I thought she just forgot. However when she was making the same writing mistakes over again, she said the teacher was meeting with others who couldn't write yet. This was at a Title 1 school so the class sizes are smaller and they have more specialists than most schools, so I don't know why this is still an issue. Throwing money at the problem doesn't seem to help.

[Anonymous]

We are at a very affluent school with the same issues.

[Anonymous]

What does OP mean her kid will be labeled if she speaks up?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So what can be done? I'm tired of this being an issue.

I don't know, but I am concerned as well.