When does APS elementary get intense?

[Anonymous]

So far so good, our kid is in 1st grade and it seems okay in terms of homework etc, even if there is more than I think the kids actually need. Ive heard it picks up a lot; when does this happen? Thanks

[Anonymous]

Third grade. First grade is about solidifying what they started in kindergarten so that kids are entering second at roughly the same level regardless of their pre-K prep, second grade starts to encourage more self-organization and stuff in the kids, and then third is becomes significantly more rigorous and the kids are expected to be more independent.

[Anonymous]

Never. At least at our school it didn't.

[Anonymous]

Which school? At out school, I'd say K, but also because my kid isn't a natural student.

[Anonymous]

Agree re: Third grade. That is also when the report cards start issuing actual grades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Third grade. First grade is about solidifying what they started in kindergarten so that kids are entering second at roughly the same level regardless of their pre-K prep, second grade starts to encourage more self-organization and stuff in the kids, and then third is becomes significantly more rigorous and the kids are expected to be more independent.

What does that mean? "Ok, you kids here just hang out for another year or two while your classmates catch up"? APS says they scaffold the curriculum to meet kids where they are, do they stop doing that for the highest performers?

[Anonymous]

My APS 2nd grader gets a fair amount of homework, but it's not part of the grade until 3rd.

3rd grade is when they start handing out letter grades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Third grade. First grade is about solidifying what they started in kindergarten so that kids are entering second at roughly the same level regardless of their pre-K prep, second grade starts to encourage more self-organization and stuff in the kids, and then third is becomes significantly more rigorous and the kids are expected to be more independent.

What does that mean? "Ok, you kids here just hang out for another year or two while your classmates catch up"? APS says they scaffold the curriculum to meet kids where they are, do they stop doing that for the highest performers?

You catch on fast. (Not snark.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Third grade. First grade is about solidifying what they started in kindergarten so that kids are entering second at roughly the same level regardless of their pre-K prep, second grade starts to encourage more self-organization and stuff in the kids, and then third is becomes significantly more rigorous and the kids are expected to be more independent.

What does that mean? "Ok, you kids here just hang out for another year or two while your classmates catch up"? APS says they scaffold the curriculum to meet kids where they are, do they stop doing that for the highest performers?

Relax douchey. My kids are 'high performers' and the early grades should not be intense. It's not the way kids' brains develop. Sound foundation is best. Early readers don't died fly equal best readers/more vocabulary, etc. a kid taught math facts early may not be a superior mathematician, etc.

My kids went to a play-based preschool (like in Finland). Kids learn primarily through play. We always knew the older one was very bright based on the things he could do out of the womb, but I didn't lobby for more, more, more because I believe it has the opposite effect and takes away the love of learning.

My 4th grader, unprepped just took the Cogat and scored at the very, very top in each category, won many of the class competitions and now the school is shitting themselves and trying to put him in all of the GT tracks where he hates the instructor and the way things are taught. He is very self-directed and really likes a slow intro to new math concepts which I think is much better for establishing a solid foundation. Look, every kid is very bright at our school and they group them in class according to ability and I e always felt he is challenges. Most of the K and 1st geniuses are not that anymore. You can shove Kumon and Kahn down a preschoolers throat, it only means they learned material before it will be taught in school and often not at the correct time.

My advice- do some research. Look at depression rates among middle and HSchoolers and back off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Third grade. First grade is about solidifying what they started in kindergarten so that kids are entering second at roughly the same level regardless of their pre-K prep, second grade starts to encourage more self-organization and stuff in the kids, and then third is becomes significantly more rigorous and the kids are expected to be more independent.

What does that mean? "Ok, you kids here just hang out for another year or two while your classmates catch up"? APS says they scaffold the curriculum to meet kids where they are, do they stop doing that for the highest performers?

Relax douchey. My kids are 'high performers' and the early grades should not be intense. It's not the way kids' brains develop. Sound foundation is best. Early readers don't died fly equal best readers/more vocabulary, etc. a kid taught math facts early may not be a superior mathematician, etc.

My kids went to a play-based preschool (like in Finland). Kids learn primarily through play. We always knew the older one was very bright based on the things he could do out of the womb, but I didn't lobby for more, more, more because I believe it has the opposite effect and takes away the love of learning.

My 4th grader, unprepped just took the Cogat and scored at the very, very top in each category, won many of the class competitions and now the school is shitting themselves and trying to put him in all of the GT tracks where he hates the instructor and the way things are taught. He is very self-directed and really likes a slow intro to new math concepts which I think is much better for establishing a solid foundation. Look, every kid is very bright at our school and they group them in class according to ability and I e always felt he is challenges. Most of the K and 1st geniuses are not that anymore. You can shove Kumon and Kahn down a preschoolers throat, it only means they learned material before it will be taught in school and often not at the correct time.

My advice- do some research. Look at depression rates among middle and HSchoolers and back off.

Yep. By third grade, kids that were in a play-based preschool program will eclipse kids that were in a very academic early program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Third grade. First grade is about solidifying what they started in kindergarten so that kids are entering second at roughly the same level regardless of their pre-K prep, second grade starts to encourage more self-organization and stuff in the kids, and then third is becomes significantly more rigorous and the kids are expected to be more independent.

What does that mean? "Ok, you kids here just hang out for another year or two while your classmates catch up"? APS says they scaffold the curriculum to meet kids where they are, do they stop doing that for the highest performers?

Relax douchey. My kids are 'high performers' and the early grades should not be intense. It's not the way kids' brains develop. Sound foundation is best. Early readers don't died fly equal best readers/more vocabulary, etc. a kid taught math facts early may not be a superior mathematician, etc.

My kids went to a play-based preschool (like in Finland). Kids learn primarily through play. We always knew the older one was very bright based on the things he could do out of the womb, but I didn't lobby for more, more, more because I believe it has the opposite effect and takes away the love of learning.

My 4th grader, unprepped just took the Cogat and scored at the very, very top in each category, won many of the class competitions and now the school is shitting themselves and trying to put him in all of the GT tracks where he hates the instructor and the way things are taught. He is very self-directed and really likes a slow intro to new math concepts which I think is much better for establishing a solid foundation. Look, every kid is very bright at our school and they group them in class according to ability and I e always felt he is challenges. Most of the K and 1st geniuses are not that anymore. You can shove Kumon and Kahn down a preschoolers throat, it only means they learned material before it will be taught in school and often not at the correct time.

My advice- do some research. Look at depression rates among middle and HSchoolers and back off.

Nasty, and presuming a lot about me and my child both. My child was in a play-based environment up until the realities of APS kindergarten. Very bright and over-prepared for kindergarten based on DC's innate curiosity at a very early age. That's different than being truly gifted, and I don't know whether DC is or not. But, how many times should DC need to learn the sight word "the" or practice in all forms that 2+2=4? It's not shoving academics at a child too young, it's giving them the freedom and opportunity to actually learn rather than re-hashing the same thing for years and years and years waiting for kids to catch up.

[Anonymous]

PP- public schools in this area only care about test scores. Period. It gets worse in the later elementary school years. Wait until the have to continue to recite the same non-significant historical fact each year because it's a test question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Third grade. First grade is about solidifying what they started in kindergarten so that kids are entering second at roughly the same level regardless of their pre-K prep, second grade starts to encourage more self-organization and stuff in the kids, and then third is becomes significantly more rigorous and the kids are expected to be more independent.

What does that mean? "Ok, you kids here just hang out for another year or two while your classmates catch up"? APS says they scaffold the curriculum to meet kids where they are, do they stop doing that for the highest performers?

Relax douchey. My kids are 'high performers' and the early grades should not be intense. It's not the way kids' brains develop. Sound foundation is best. Early readers don't died fly equal best readers/more vocabulary, etc. a kid taught math facts early may not be a superior mathematician, etc.

My kids went to a play-based preschool (like in Finland). Kids learn primarily through play. We always knew the older one was very bright based on the things he could do out of the womb, but I didn't lobby for more, more, more because I believe it has the opposite effect and takes away the love of learning.

My 4th grader, unprepped just took the Cogat and scored at the very, very top in each category, won many of the class competitions and now the school is shitting themselves and trying to put him in all of the GT tracks where he hates the instructor and the way things are taught. He is very self-directed and really likes a slow intro to new math concepts which I think is much better for establishing a solid foundation. Look, every kid is very bright at our school and they group them in class according to ability and I e always felt he is challenges. Most of the K and 1st geniuses are not that anymore. You can shove Kumon and Kahn down a preschoolers throat, it only means they learned material before it will be taught in school and often not at the correct time.

My advice- do some research. Look at depression rates among middle and HSchoolers and back off.

Nasty, and presuming a lot about me and my child both. My child was in a play-based environment up until the realities of APS kindergarten. Very bright and over-prepared for kindergarten based on DC's innate curiosity at a very early age. That's different than being truly gifted, and I don't know whether DC is or not. But, how many times should DC need to learn the sight word "the" or practice in all forms that 2+2=4? It's not shoving academics at a child too young, it's giving them the freedom and opportunity to actually learn rather than re-hashing the same thing for years and years and years waiting for kids to catch up.

NP here.

1) Years and years and years? We're talking about K and 1st grade.
2) My kid is in APS kindergarten. Have you actually been in your child's classroom? They are broken into reading groups and the kids who can already read are doing higher level reading. If your teacher isn't doing this (which is fairly standard), talk to your principal. No one should be re-learning the sight word "the" over and over again.
3) Much of K and 1st is about social and emotional development. Even if your child is a math whiz and 2+2 is dull for him/her, he/she is presumably a typical 5 or 6 year old and needs practice at these critical life skills. Good news for you, your kid has mastered 2+2, so focus on whether your kid works hard, is a good friend, cooperates well, etc. Point is, your child IS learning. Just maybe not advanced math in K.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So far so good, our kid is in 1st grade and it seems okay in terms of homework etc, even if there is more than I think the kids actually need. Ive heard it picks up a lot; when does this happen? Thanks

I would agree with 3rd and the letter grades, but I think it really depends on the child. My older son is in 5th and it has never been intense for him. He is a great student, loves to read, and is intellectually curious. My younger son, who is now in 3rd, is also smart, but does not like school nearly as much. Gets very bored, wants to be more active, and thinks reading is "boring". His grades 1st quarter were still excellent, but it is much more of a challenge to get him to do homework and settle down. That said, homework has never been a huge deal at my kids' school. I've hear that things really pick up in 7th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Third grade. First grade is about solidifying what they started in kindergarten so that kids are entering second at roughly the same level regardless of their pre-K prep, second grade starts to encourage more self-organization and stuff in the kids, and then third is becomes significantly more rigorous and the kids are expected to be more independent.

What does that mean? "Ok, you kids here just hang out for another year or two while your classmates catch up"? APS says they scaffold the curriculum to meet kids where they are, do they stop doing that for the highest performers?

Hope, that's not what I mean at all. My oldest is in fifth at an APS elementary (one of the neighborhood schools in North Arlington frequently touted as one of the best, but I'm not saying which for privacy; also not specifying that to brag or suggest I buy into it, but to make clear that it's not a school that's dealing with a lot of issues related to to low SES, language barriers, etc., that complicate early education), my middle is in 3rd, my youngest is in 1st). All of my kids have gotten differentiated education to meet them where they are (e.g., reading groups, pull-outs for math enrichment, etc.) throughout the years. My first grader isn't being held back in reading just because he came into kindergarten reading while others are still learning in first, he's being given books that are appropriate to his level, but what he's expected to do with them will be different in third. Right now it's read a book in class, talk with the teacher and his reading group about what happened and what he liked about it. Last year in K he did one "big" project that was a very simple book report (truly, just answer a few spoon-fed questions, totally maybe five sentences plus a picture he drew), and was something all the kids did, regardless of reading level. In third grade, they will do a lot more independent reading without as many comprehension checks from the teacher, and will be expected to, for instance, do a more involved book report with a deeper analysis than they did in kindergarten. But again, the kids were able to choose their own books appropriate to their reading level.