4th grader sucks at math, goes to lackadaisical DCPS, what should we do about middle school?
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
| I was kind in same boat, coming from a family of high achievers, always being among first in class, very good at both math of humanities and so on (my spouse more relaxed thankfully) and had great expectations for my kids. well, first one was a desaster, due also to impact of health issues starting elementary school and ADHD. fast forward end of HS: she always sucked at math, like always taking just the basic classes with kids two grades behind and so on, just waiting for the last day of HS when she would kiss goodby to numbers hopefully for the rest of her life. however, in elementary school after the first two years when she was behind in everything, she became a great reader, developed a love for history, joined Model UN clubin middle school, the WIS academy at JR, took all humanities-history-government and so on classes, taking basic math, physics and chemistry only as long as forced (took As in those classes but they were basics and it took a lot of helicoptering) . she graduated well and just started college in a very good insitution. my sister sucked at math and she is a successful in house counsel for a major corporation. I love math and science but some people just dont and still have great interests and a successful life. |
Anonymous
|
I don't think there is a middle school that will address the current problems, without strong parent advocacy and involvement.
You can be involved, have questions, and be "nice" and understanding of what the teachers are juggling. It actually feels the opposite of nice to blame the teachers for not seeing and fixing these problems without your participation. You kid missed half of kinder and almost all of first. Mine too. It really really messed mine up in math and we were going down the path of evaluation for special needs when some good tutoring (from the school but we sought it out and asked for it) really identified what he needed to work on and explained to us how some kids were able to recover from the missed years and some really needed to work hard to make it up. I am not victim blaming but the school you are looking for (public, will do the work for you) doesn't exist. |
Anonymous
|
Welp, I’ll actually answer your question. If your kid doesn’t have a learning disability … BASIS. They’ll get her caught up quick.
But if you’re wrong about the LD, that’s going to be a bad fit. |
Anonymous
| Stop being cheap and put your kid in a private school. DCPS is garbage and you know it. |
Anonymous
+1. If you can’t afford private, lottery into Capitol Hill elementary or one in ward 3. The majority of kids are at or above grade level and your kid will be tagged for major intervention. Get out of your title 1 DCPS ASAP where your kid is similar to many of the other kids. |
Anonymous
| OP have you done a conference with the math teacher to get their impression? I would schedule one now and ask about whether special needs might be an issue this sounds like it is beyond what would happen with a crappy curriculum. |
Anonymous
| JO Wilson or Ludlow Taylor to Stuart Hobson could work--enter the lottery for next year. I also really like Amidon-Bowen's math interventionist and Jefferson may be better than your IB option, but that would be a rough commute. Agree to look at Inspired Teaching, and extra agree that you need to figure out if your kid has a disability or just needs to be taught before you consider BASIS. I tutored 3rd grade in a Title I school and your kid would have been behind even there, so you definitely shouldn't wait 2 more years before hoping this issue gets fixed. |
Anonymous
Why does everyone think OP’s kid has special needs?? Seriously, have you seen the PARCC math scores for poorly performing schools where majority of kids are scoring 1 and 2’s? They are way, way below grade level. |
Anonymous
| Waiting until middle school to do something is way too late. Act now by supplementing or getting a tutor. If your child doesn’t have the fundamentals down BEFORE starting middle school, she’s going to slip so far behind that there’s no chance of recovery. It gets so much harder in middle school. |
Anonymous
|
Does your kid have really high grades in ELA? Having really lopsided abilities is a hallmark of a learning disability. I’m a GenXer and was diagnosed with an auditory processing disorder that really is pronounced with numbers. (I tell you my age because learning disabilities weren’t really a thing discussed or acknowledged back then and even still I didn’t get diagnosed until my senior year of high school.)
Also I think for middle school finding a good tutor is important. |
Anonymous
Because it is possible. |
Anonymous
Right, those kids also have special needs. Or they have something difficult in their home life Which OP's child does not, so special needs is the likely explanation. |
Anonymous
|
OP, implement the Rocket Math program with your child. 15 minutes daily, paper based, math fact memorization. She needs to know her math facts cold - 3 second autmaticity. Everything else will come from there.
https://www.rocketmath.com/ |
Anonymous
If this was the case why no one at school has talked to Op about it? |
Anonymous
If you have a high income and you don't want to (or have the time to) get this kid up to speed yourself (on a consistent basis, put her in private. I'm not talking Sidwell but one of the K-8 schools. She would be a perfect fit--they'll catch her up to speed and/or identify her learning issues. They you can figure out high school when the time comes--go back to public, etc. I cant imagine why you wouldn't do this if you have the means. It honestly seems abusive to be laughing about her math skills, sticking her in a school that school that doesn't have time for her while also admitting you have a large income.  
|