Silver Spring elementary schools + reading above grade level

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter attends a focus school in eastern Silver Spring. They allow children to move between grades to accommodate their reading levels when necessary.

That’s Amazing! Consider yourself fortunate.

We are at a Focus school and that is NOT an option. Even logistically, how would they make it work? The younger kids have lunch very early an the older kids have lunch later, plus recess and specials. It would be impossible to move a K kid to a 2nd grade class for reading. How does your school handle that?

[Anonymous]

Last year, our K team even tried to rotate the kids into different classrooms so that the kids who needed extra help, got more targeted attention. And our ES (or MCPS?) insists on putting the kids who read well in different classrooms (not too many strong readers in one classroom).

It proved to be too complicated, so they gave up after a few weeks.

[Anonymous]

My experience at a Focus school in silver spring has been that reading level test scores change once writing becomes a component of the reading comprehension. You child may be able to read the words at a second grade level but can they draw out and identify the details, inferences, motivations of the characters? Those skills are important to develop at all grade levels. My first grader read all the Harry Potter books and loved them but still tests at about a half year ahead.

[Anonymous]

My kids have always been a couple years ahead in reading and they have a group of peers. They do similar work to the rest of the class, just with harder texts.

[Anonymous]

OP here - thanks for these replies. What is a focus school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Last year, our K team even tried to rotate the kids into different classrooms so that the kids who needed extra help, got more targeted attention. And our ES (or MCPS?) insists on putting the kids who read well in different classrooms (not too many strong readers in one classroom).

It proved to be too complicated, so they gave up after a few weeks.

The guidelines for class creation are that each class should (in theory, anyway) have a balance of gender, race/ethnicity, IEP, ESOL, and reading levels. No class should be entirely above grade level while another in the same grade is entirely below.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here - thanks for these replies. What is a focus school?

A Focus school has a certain number or percentage of students who qualify for Free and Reduced Meals. They are allocated extra funding to reduce class sizes in K-2. They are different from Title I schools, which have an even higher number of students who qualify for FARMs and get federal funds. Our neighborhood school gets Focus funds, and the FARMs rate is 45%. Title I fluctuates year to year, but is generally 70% or above.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter attends a focus school in eastern Silver Spring. They allow children to move between grades to accommodate their reading levels when necessary.

This is definitely not typical, and I agree with others, that it seems like it would be logistically difficult to schedule around differing lunch periods and specials. How does your school work the scheduling? Others may be able to ask admin at their own elementary schools to implement.

[Anonymous]

My child’s K teacher told us at Nov conferences that our daughter was kind of in between two reading groups in the class and that she was waiting to see if it made sense to try to group her with students in a different K class for reading or if the kids would progress in a way that made for a good fit group within the class. I have not heard of kids being grouped with older grades. Usually those kids who read well above grade level work on comprehension and/or getting their writing level up to their reading level.

[Anonymous]

My oldest is at a Focus school in SS, and was reading at a third grade level by the end of K. She was in a pull-out group with a few other kids. She's in first now and probably at a fourth grade level, and also does a pull-out group for reading. She had 16 kids in both her K and 1st grade classes, which really allowed for personalized attention.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My oldest is at a Focus school in SS, and was reading at a third grade level by the end of K. She was in a pull-out group with a few other kids. She's in first now and probably at a fourth grade level, and also does a pull-out group for reading. She had 16 kids in both her K and 1st grade classes, which really allowed for personalized attention.

How often does the pullout group happen. It was offered one year for my daughter, but ended up not even happening once per week.

[Anonymous]

About a third of my DC's first-grade class at TPES reads between M and P which is 3rd to 4th-grade level. There are also kids that struggle but there is plenty of support for high-achievers too. These schools are large enough to provide solid differentiation.

[Anonymous]

Keep in mind too that once you are beyond a certain level (say, 14 or so) the reading level is more about your child’s ability to understand the material and WRITE about it with some complexity. My kid READS at an M or N but his writing is closer to a J, so that’s what MCPS considers his level.

[Anonymous]

My daughter was reading at a 3rd grade level in K at TPES. They had a small reading group of kids at her level. It was great. But, be aware, 1st grade teacher may pull the reading level way back in 1st to reflect writing ability. THat happened to us and DD was bored (also had a minor LD that affected writing). Was able to persuade 2nd grade teacher to bump her back up somewhat, but even in 2n grade, reading level was at or barely above where she was in K. 3rd grade teacher got her back on track in 3rd by testing reading orally. It was an ordeal.

[Anonymous]

I am amazed at how many people know the reading levels of other kids in your kids class. I volunteer at my 1st graders school once a week in the classroom so am there when they are in reading groups. I do hear the kids reading but couldnt tell you what " level" they are. I know my kid is a grade ahead because the teacher told us. I assume the other 4 kids in her group are her level. But the other kids, no idea aside from " lower" than my kid.