Does your kindergartner have spelling tests?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids had "words of the week" but there was no test on them. They were just sort of the focus. And I distinctly remember the first list was just A and I.

This makes far more sense for Kindergarten.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Spelling us one thing but the capitalization part is off. Kids are just learning to write letters at all. Asking A instead of a is not spelling.

So when should kids learn to use the correct letter case?

It's something they should be learning all along. Not something they get marked wrong on in Kindergarten. That will start in first grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nope and I’d be nervous the teacher has missed the entire shift to the science of reading and for that matter the common core standards…. Both of which clearly articulate there’s no need for spelling tests.

Your kid needs explicit, systematic, cumulative and diagnostic foundational skills instruction. If that sounds tricky check out the sold a story podcast.

That’s actually fallen out of favor. Now, nationally, phonics and spelling tests are back.

Yikes! Teaching phonics does not mean spelling tests!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am jealous kids get this in school now. Ours came through during the “joy writing” era and most kids could not spell coming out of ES. Send flowers and say big thank you to any teacher who does spelling in ES.

Same.

The spelling test itself is fine.

Taking points off for the wrong capitalization is not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids had "words of the week" but there was no test on them. They were just sort of the focus. And I distinctly remember the first list was just A and I.

This makes far more sense for Kindergarten.

Though my child was reading chapter books at the time and was very disappointed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Spelling us one thing but the capitalization part is off. Kids are just learning to write letters at all. Asking A instead of a is not spelling.

So when should kids learn to use the correct letter case?

Once they are completely competent at actually writing their letters.

[Anonymous]

K teacher and this is appropriate. With our orton gillingham program, we do weekly spelling assessments but it's mostly to see where they are and if they're making progress learning the letters and sounds.

[Anonymous]

That’s not what the top elementary schools are doing.

[Anonymous]

No but my first grader does.

[Anonymous]

My kindergartener at FCPS is not having spelling tests. Giving zeros for case? That seems way out of the norm.

This just seems like a way to demoralize kids just as they're starting to learn. You can easily track a kid's progress without making them feel nervous about making mistakes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, but I wish they'd do something to challenge my kindergartener as she's an early reader and not a all challenged at school.

What is this thing about being challenged? Kindergarten is a lot more than reading. Plus at this age they read books according to their ability so it doesn’t matter what reading level any of them are.

People yammering about how their kindergarteners are not challenged because they read Harry Potter are ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Not in K, but yes to 1st grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, but I wish they'd do something to challenge my kindergartener as she's an early reader and not a all challenged at school.

What is this thing about being challenged? Kindergarten is a lot more than reading. Plus at this age they read books according to their ability so it doesn’t matter what reading level any of them are.

People yammering about how their kindergarteners are not challenged because they read Harry Potter are ridiculous.

I have a Kindergartener who's ahead on reading and we also can also read Harry Potter or books about the solar system at home. It wouldn't make sense to set the curriculum for 19 kids to one kid's level.

[Anonymous]

What school is this? Does not sound appropriate at all.