Asking how your kid compares to classmates

[Anonymous]

Is it appropriate to ask how your second grader’s performance in reading & math compares to his classmates?
Or is that tacky? I am not suggesting asking about any classmates in particular, but the class as a whole.

[Anonymous]

Why don’t you ask how their reading and math is in relation to the grade level standards? Why other classmates?

[Anonymous]

Yes, tacky and no teacher worth his or her salt would answer you anyway.

[Anonymous]

Ask about grade level standards. Unless what you really want to know is how the school is performing overall.

[Anonymous]

How rigorous are grade level standards? If my kid is at grade level, is that in comparison to DC or the country? Is grade level enough? How high are the standards?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How rigorous are grade level standards? If my kid is at grade level, is that in comparison to DC or the country? Is grade level enough? How high are the standards?

DC uses the Common Core standards. Many states use them too. Look up the standards online and ask how your child is progressing toward them.

[Anonymous]

During my parent teacher conferences the teacher may say “All the kids are struggling in this area or, he’s the the only one”.

Those hints are enough for me to not ask specifics about other peers.

[Anonymous]

* he’s not

[Anonymous]

Our Kindergarten teacher showed us bar charts to show exactly where our child stood in relation to the whole class!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How rigorous are grade level standards? If my kid is at grade level, is that in comparison to DC or the country? Is grade level enough? How high are the standards?

Yes, most of the markers they use are nationally normed. If they say your child's reading level is M, ask what that standard is so you can look it up. If they say math scores are X, ask what test was used, so you can look that up, and they will answer your question. They only make 'grade level" comments when there is data to back that up, so that is based on some test, and you will be able to look up that test and see how it is normed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our Kindergarten teacher showed us bar charts to show exactly where our child stood in relation to the whole class!

Wow. As a teacher I’d never do this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our Kindergarten teacher showed us bar charts to show exactly where our child stood in relation to the whole class!

Wow. As a teacher I’d never do this.

At the schools with the Flamboyan grants for parent engagement this is standard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our Kindergarten teacher showed us bar charts to show exactly where our child stood in relation to the whole class!

Wow. As a teacher I’d never do this.

There is a dark competitive side of me (who got a 173 on the LSAT.) who craves this kind of bar chart.

[Anonymous]

Ask your kid or wait until Parcc comes along. Mine said that he is smarter than most, but there are few kids who know it all.
Parcc came out and he did better than 75% of kids in his grade level. I'd say he was pretty accurate.

[Anonymous]

Apparently it's not done, because it inflames competition and risks lowering self-esteem or might put undue pressure on some students... blah blah blah, all rubbish.

I remember one of my high school biology teachers handing out exam papers IN ORDER OF GRADE, calling out each student's name out loud to distribute the papers... and while I don't wish that kind of experience on anyone, I would find it extremely useful to know where my child stands among his grade or class level, in various skills (for primary school), or subject (starting in middle school).