Bright but not gifted children essentially being ignored?

[Anonymous]

If you are FCPS, she is not too young for gifted program as they have already tested and you will know soon. Level III introduced as pull-outs in 2nd and actual program Starts in 3rd grade.

It is true that the DRA scores are what is used for the spelling, reading placements - from my understanding. They talk about "comprehension" of what is read and not just reading ability. interpret that as you will.

I don't know what to advise. I had one at AAP center and one at GE. My GE kid could have done the AAP work. There is no challenge for the middle/ average kids anymore. If you are average/above average and have involved parents, you have to figure it out on your own. If you are "advanced/gifted" maybe you will get one or two teachers in AAP that really make it advanced but mostly it is the math. If you are below or need remediation, you get more.

One in public HS and one in private MS now. Wish I had gone private in ES now for both. If you have any means, I would highly recommend. The difference in personal instruction/differentiation is huge.

Glad mine are nearing the end. I feel for the public school teachers. Have no idea how they can meet the needs of 30 kids per class/90 a day or at HS level 150 a day. No way can they do it. If I had a solution, I would offer it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a second grade teacher. For word study a spelling inventory is given early in the year and the kids are grouped based on results. There are kids who learn the spelling patterns which I then see in their writing. They move to higher groups. There are also kids who memorize the spelling of words for the weekly test but do not transfer that to theor writing. They do not move up to a higher group. could that be your child? How students spell in their daily writing determines whether they move up, not performance on spelling tests.

OP here. This could be true. But wouldn't you be concerned if a child were essentially dropping a word study level each year? Not moving up with the peers she used to share words with? Her PALS test at the beginning of K was past the end of the year benchmark and her DRA was ahead too. In 2.5 this has changed dramtically! Why do they keep brushing me off like its NBD?

OP, you should request through the guidance counselor a meeting with the GC, teacher and perhaps reading (and math?) specialists. I'm not certain anymore if your DD's problem is that she is not being challenged enough or if it's that she is slowly falling off her "level". Either issue can be addressed through a whole team meeting. Start with the guidance counselor and insist that a meeting be set up.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks everyone. We emailed the teacher last night with our concerns in detail and have not heard back yet. I'm kind of surprised because she replies quickly about minor things. It seems like this won't be an easy fix or she would have just said so. I feel like either way it's a red flag. If she moves my daughter willingly and my daughter continues to do well, then she should have been there all this time. If she won't move my daughter and/or my daughter has significant trouble, then I think there is a disconnect between her ability and her performance, which would mean what? Learning disability? ADHD? Although she has no classic symptoms and has never been flagged...

I'll update when I hear.

[Anonymous]

I don't know what it is you ultimately want from the teacher. You do realize that with this much interference you're effectively telling her she isn't doing her job properly and you're micro-managing her, right? The delay in response is probably because she is having to take advice from the P or the VP on how to proceed.

If your focus is getting your child into the "top" group, get her a tutor 1 x or 2 x per week, work with her at home, and the pay off will appear in her classroom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I didn't read this whole thread but my DS always gets 100% on his spelling and vocabulary tests. Always. So, he asked the teacher to move him and then I discussed it with her. Turns out, he isn't a terrific speller when he is doing regular writing. He's an advanced writer too, but he lets the spelling lag. So, she wants him to start at the beginning and learn the spelling words list by list so that when he uses the words, he does so correctly. He is apparently just a good kid at memorizing lists. Anyway, she had a reason so we are going with it. Maybe your teacher does too.

OP here. Maybe there is a great reason. But this isn't the first time we've brought it up. Why are they so secretive and reluctant to share specifics? The teacher just kept saying "she's fine, she's not behind" like that is all we should care about. I want/expect more from my kids than simply "not behind." We had the preschool Weschler test done (considered private) and therefore we know her full scale IQ is 97th percentile. She is in a word study group with a student who almost needed to repeat a grade. Something is amiss here.

Preschool tests are not necessarily long term reliable. So many other factors go into a child scoring well vs a child not scoring well at age three, and most of them are behavior related and not intelligence related.

[Anonymous]

http://www.giftedguru.com/6-reasons-not-to-give-iq-tests-to-young-children/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks everyone. We emailed the teacher last night with our concerns in detail and have not heard back yet. I'm kind of surprised because she replies quickly about minor things. It seems like this won't be an easy fix or she would have just said so. I feel like either way it's a red flag. If she moves my daughter willingly and my daughter continues to do well, then she should have been there all this time. If she won't move my daughter and/or my daughter has significant trouble, then I think there is a disconnect between her ability and her performance, which would mean what? Learning disability? ADHD? Although she has no classic symptoms and has never been flagged...

I'll update when I hear.

She might just be a bright but average kid who needs smaller group instruction in language arts to be successful.

Don't make this about your own ego. Both of the elementary teachers she has had in her young school career have placed her like this. Unless your school is full of incompetent teachers this is likely an accurate placement for your daughter at this point in time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks everyone. We emailed the teacher last night with our concerns in detail and have not heard back yet. I'm kind of surprised because she replies quickly about minor things. It seems like this won't be an easy fix or she would have just said so. I feel like either way it's a red flag. If she moves my daughter willingly and my daughter continues to do well, then she should have been there all this time. If she won't move my daughter and/or my daughter has significant trouble, then I think there is a disconnect between her ability and her performance, which would mean what? Learning disability? ADHD? Although she has no classic symptoms and has never been flagged...

I'll update when I hear.

You are catastrophizing. Be calm for your child and yourself. Is something else stressing you out about this child's future? This is a serious amount of stress about a child's reading group. Impossibly, many parents do not know or care what ranking of reading group their child is in.

[Anonymous]

Hope you get some answers OP. I would be doing the same thing in your shoes.

[Anonymous]

"Mixed-ability groupings". They need your daughter placed where she is. This is for their convenience. If you're not in FCPS, you shouldn't be posting. You don't know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From your description this sounds like it is more about emotion than facts. You feel that she was dumped, that she is ignored, that the teacher is just relieved she's an easy kid, that she is not recognized as special, and this is making you sad. But the only fact I heard is that you would like her to be in a higher reading group. So, without the sadness and frustration etc., ask the teacher how she was assessed to be in this reading group because you think she should be in it.

No, that is not a fact, that is a wish. The OP, however did state several times that her daughter aces tests. That is a fact. OP, if you can afford it, put her in a private school that promises to push kids ahead at their pace. Too much of public ed is being watered down to allow other kids to catch up. THAT is a fact!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Mixed-ability groupings". They need your daughter placed where she is. This is for their convenience. If you're not in FCPS, you shouldn't be posting. You don't know.

NP. We're in FCPS. What does this mean? Can you elaborate?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From your description this sounds like it is more about emotion than facts. You feel that she was dumped, that she is ignored, that the teacher is just relieved she's an easy kid, that she is not recognized as special, and this is making you sad. But the only fact I heard is that you would like her to be in a higher reading group. So, without the sadness and frustration etc., ask the teacher how she was assessed to be in this reading group because you think she should be in it.

No, that is not a fact, that is a wish. The OP, however did state several times that her daughter aces tests. That is a fact. OP, if you can afford it, put her in a private school that promises to push kids ahead at their pace. Too much of public ed is being watered down to allow other kids to catch up. THAT is a fact!

completely true. And everyone gives the OP such a hard time because she wants her kid challenged!

[Anonymous]

OP, does your daughter read voraciously of her own accord during her free time?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From your description this sounds like it is more about emotion than facts. You feel that she was dumped, that she is ignored, that the teacher is just relieved she's an easy kid, that she is not recognized as special, and this is making you sad. But the only fact I heard is that you would like her to be in a higher reading group. So, without the sadness and frustration etc., ask the teacher how she was assessed to be in this reading group because you think she should be in it.

No, that is not a fact, that is a wish. The OP, however did state several times that her daughter aces tests. That is a fact. OP, if you can afford it, put her in a private school that promises to push kids ahead at their pace. Too much of public ed is being watered down to allow other kids to catch up. THAT is a fact!

completely true. And everyone gives the OP such a hard time because she wants her kid challenged!

But if there truly are only four kids at her daughter's level then perhaps she is getting the appropriate amount of challenge for her ability. Perhals she has certain skills that she needs to master and she isn't yet.

I find OPs "my 97% full scale IQ daughter is with the stupid girl who almost flunked 1st grade and the two kids who can't handle early elementary without tutors" posts a bit off putting.

If she is even including a whisper of slamming her daughters' classmates in her communications with the teacher as she is here AND she is one of the always volunteering in the classroom moms as she indicated, it is no wonder that the past two teachers are treading carefully with communicating with her.