What should Public schools do for your child if she reads 3 grades above ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Totally normal and expected OP. My 4th grader tested at 12th grade for reading. DC was not the only one in the class to do so. Younger child also tested a few grade above expected level. They differentiate instruction. ELA is station based -- small groups rotate through work areas to focus on different skills, each at their now level. Both also have pull out enrichment for ELA. Don't sweat it.

Another parent of a late elementary child. He tested at level Z by the end of grade 3/beginning of grade 4. He's in MCPS HGC program. I think that his entire class (or most of it) also tested at level Z at beginning of grade 4. HGC works a couple grades up on writing, comprehension and having deeper level discussions. Until HGC, teachers complained about bored behavior during read-aloud time. Better teachers would just let him go read on his own. We've always supplied him with whatever he wants to read. Good teachers will work with higher level readers on more advanced vocabulary and writing skills. The key is to have a group; otherwise public school teachers don't have the resources to supply the instruction -- at least that's what I've seen in MCPS.

Disagree with those who say that the kids all level out over time, at least not by the end of elementary grades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

How can it be considered an "appropriate" education when it's clearly not appropriate to the student's academic level and clearly is not meeting the student's needs?

Thank Common core. When I taught, I thought it was my role to take each child where he is and take him as far as I could.

Nonsense. There's absolutely NOTHING in Common Core that says you can't go above and beyond the standard. Common Core is a MINIMUM standard. It's the FLOOR. School districts and educators are still perfectly free to set whatever CEILING they like.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Totally normal and expected OP. My 4th grader tested at 12th grade for reading. DC was not the only one in the class to do so. Younger child also tested a few grade above expected level. They differentiate instruction. ELA is station based -- small groups rotate through work areas to focus on different skills, each at their now level. Both also have pull out enrichment for ELA. Don't sweat it.

Another parent of a late elementary child. He tested at level Z by the end of grade 3/beginning of grade 4. He's in MCPS HGC program. I think that his entire class (or most of it) also tested at level Z at beginning of grade 4. HGC works a couple grades up on writing, comprehension and having deeper level discussions. Until HGC, teachers complained about bored behavior during read-aloud time. Better teachers would just let him go read on his own. We've always supplied him with whatever he wants to read. Good teachers will work with higher level readers on more advanced vocabulary and writing skills. The key is to have a group; otherwise public school teachers don't have the resources to supply the instruction -- at least that's what I've seen in MCPS.

Disagree with those who say that the kids all level out over time, at least not by the end of elementary grades.

They'll potentially level out if they are held back from hitting their potential for lack of supports to keep them challenged and interested. And, despite all the talk of in-class differentiation the real truth is that sadly too many teachers tend to just teach to the middle and ignore the kids who are ahead and the kids who are behind...

[Anonymous]

Grade levels standards are low, a lexile three grade levels above is probably average in most high SES areas. Just keep encouraging her to read appropriate level books at home.

[Anonymous]

Nonsense. There's absolutely NOTHING in Common Core that says you can't go above and beyond the standard. Common Core is a MINIMUM standard. It's the FLOOR. School districts and educators are still perfectly free to set whatever CEILING they like.

As long as these standards are tied to testing and evaluation of teachers (and they are, whether you like it or not), they will limit the education of kids. Teachers will necessarily concentrate on those borderline kids.

[Anonymous]

Grade levels standards are low, a lexile three grade levels above is probably average in most high SES areas. Just keep encouraging her to read appropriate level books at home.

+1

Also, encourage your child to read a variety of genres, including non-fiction, to keep building their vocabulary and background knowledge. Some students' reading levels will stagnate if they read too much of one genre, or even too many books by the same author (think the entire Harry Potter series, or the entire Rick Riordan series).

[Anonymous]

Also, encourage your child to read a variety of genres, including non-fiction, to keep building their vocabulary and background knowledge. Some students' reading levels will stagnate if they read too much of one genre, or even too many books by the same author (think the entire Harry Potter series, or the entire Rick Riordan series).

Remember what "encourage" means. Please don't try to control--unless it is inappropriate reading.

[Anonymous]

Also, encourage your child to read a variety of genres, including non-fiction, to keep building their vocabulary and background knowledge. Some students' reading levels will stagnate if they read too much of one genre, or even too many books by the same author (think the entire Harry Potter series, or the entire Rick Riordan series).


Remember what "encourage" means. Please don't try to control--unless it is inappropriate reading.

I am very aware of what "encourage" means. That's why I used it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Nonsense. There's absolutely NOTHING in Common Core that says you can't go above and beyond the standard. Common Core is a MINIMUM standard. It's the FLOOR. School districts and educators are still perfectly free to set whatever CEILING they like.

As long as these standards are tied to testing and evaluation of teachers (and they are, whether you like it or not), they will limit the education of kids. Teachers will necessarily concentrate on those borderline kids.

Then how do you account for all the kids that get into magnets/HGC? My DC got into HGC. We don't do a lot of supplementing at home - no tutors, afterschool whatevers. DC also has gotten a few ESs on the report card at HGC as well as when DC was in the home school. DC's teachers in 3rd grade challenged DC. Teachers were great at keeping DC interested. I haven't found DC's education limiting at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS8 is an advanced reader- we did discover that his comprehension was not on par with his mechanical ability. He has great story recall and excellent fluency which put him about two years above grade level.

Depending on your daughter's age, you might want to start books that require more inference/abstract understanding- for instance, books that are character-driven. Ask questions about the character- how they started, how they changed, challenges, relationships, etc. Making these connections is the gateway to higher understanding and analysis.

Many kids (even "good" readers) don't push on to more complex narrative and themes, and can tend to plateau once the books become more complex and reliant on higher reasoning. It's the "Harry Potter" dilemma that was discussed a few months back. There's a lot of depth to the series- it can be enjoyed superficially, but more appreciated if a reader truly understand the characters and story arc.

Hope this was helpful.

Not OP but this was helpful to me! My 4yo is reading simple chapter books by himself and this makes me think I should be reading them too to ask the right questions. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS8 is an advanced reader- we did discover that his comprehension was not on par with his mechanical ability. He has great story recall and excellent fluency which put him about two years above grade level.

Depending on your daughter's age, you might want to start books that require more inference/abstract understanding- for instance, books that are character-driven. Ask questions about the character- how they started, how they changed, challenges, relationships, etc. Making these connections is the gateway to higher understanding and analysis.

Many kids (even "good" readers) don't push on to more complex narrative and themes, and can tend to plateau once the books become more complex and reliant on higher reasoning. It's the "Harry Potter" dilemma that was discussed a few months back. There's a lot of depth to the series- it can be enjoyed superficially, but more appreciated if a reader truly understand the characters and story arc.

Hope this was helpful.

Not OP but this was helpful to me! My 4yo is reading simple chapter books by himself and this makes me think I should be reading them too to ask the right questions. Thanks!

Barf.

And at 4 years old you should definitely be reading them before your child reads them to make sure they're appropriate if he/she has any comprehension skills.

[Anonymous]

Barf.

Took the word right out of my mouth!

[Anonymous]

It really depends on the county and state that you are in, but in some counties, such as Loudoun County, public schools are trending toward providing very basic education at the elementary school level. With pressure to keep real estate taxes down, the impetus is on the parent to provide the child with advanced services, rather than to expect the taxpayer to provide it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Grade levels standards are low, a lexile three grade levels above is probably average in most high SES areas. Just keep encouraging her to read appropriate level books at home.

What basis do you have for your statement that grade level standards are low. Curious. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS8 is an advanced reader- we did discover that his comprehension was not on par with his mechanical ability. He has great story recall and excellent fluency which put him about two years above grade level.

Depending on your daughter's age, you might want to start books that require more inference/abstract understanding- for instance, books that are character-driven. Ask questions about the character- how they started, how they changed, challenges, relationships, etc. Making these connections is the gateway to higher understanding and analysis.

Many kids (even "good" readers) don't push on to more complex narrative and themes, and can tend to plateau once the books become more complex and reliant on higher reasoning. It's the "Harry Potter" dilemma that was discussed a few months back. There's a lot of depth to the series- it can be enjoyed superficially, but more appreciated if a reader truly understand the characters and story arc.

Hope this was helpful.

Not OP but this was helpful to me! My 4yo is reading simple chapter books by himself and this makes me think I should be reading them too to ask the right questions. Thanks!

Fluency is not the same as comprehension, genius.