Reading groups being slowed down?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I volunteer in school at least once a week and it is clear the kids in the higher reading groups much less. I wish teachers would keep a chart to check off when groups meet. My daughter in 1st meets twice a week tops for 10min. I ask her everyday and I mark it down. When I am in school, I can see how little of groups she takes. Maybe 2 a day. The rest do worksheets or read a book at the table. Many fool around with no discipline. So uninspiring and boring.

I'm the PP and this is exactly right.

And, to answer 21:00, yes, we can talk to the teacher about it, but what is she supposed to do? There is only ONE teacher. She can only do so much. And, because I do volunteer, I know how much she does already! She has her hands full. I'm not really interested and harassing her and making her come up with more challenging instruction for my kid. I'm lucky that DD is pretty laid back and doesn't get into trouble.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I volunteer in school at least once a week and it is clear the kids in the higher reading groups much less. I wish teachers would keep a chart to check off when groups meet. My daughter in 1st meets twice a week tops for 10min. I ask her everyday and I mark it down. When I am in school, I can see how little of groups she takes. Maybe 2 a day. The rest do worksheets or read a book at the table. Many fool around with no discipline. So uninspiring and boring.

I'm the PP and this is exactly right.

And, to answer 21:00, yes, we can talk to the teacher about it, but what is she supposed to do? There is only ONE teacher. She can only do so much. And, because I do volunteer, I know how much she does already! She has her hands full. I'm not really interested and harassing her and making her come up with more challenging instruction for my kid. I'm lucky that DD is pretty laid back and doesn't get into trouble.

I really don't know why anyone found this hard to believe. When you have twenty some kids with varying abilities and one teacher, who do you think is going to get ignored? Can you just use some common sense and logic thinking? In class differentiation is the biggest education fraud.

[Anonymous]

In class differentiation only works when the students are given materials and resources that provide feedback and correction. Montessori does this pretty well BUT all the materials are designed to provide feedback to the student so they can self correct and learn . MCPS still uses traditional style teaching which is not self-paced and offers no feedback other than through teacher comments, or verbal feedback.

If MCPS could give the kids a computer with a program that provided feedback and coaching then they could do in class differentiate. These programs exist but of course MCPS doesn't use them....that would make too much sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure about a "cap" as my dd is a couple a grades ahead and there are many others in a Farms school. It's not a big deal if they work with the slower kids because the most relevant reading takes place at home.

Lastly, teachers can't waste time testing level upon level til infinity.

I agree. And, I don't really care about testing 'til infinity'. But, I do care that my kid's not getting ANY reading instruction at school. Simply because she's past the expected reading level for her grade. WTF?

Your kid's not getting ANY reading instruction at school? What do they do with her during the Reading/Language Arts block?

I'm the PP. I'll respond to you and the other PP who asked.

I have a 3rd grader and a K. I'll talk about my K student.

Her class has an hour and twenty minutes in the AM designated for Literacy Centers/Small Group Reading Instruction. I guess the theory is that the teacher spends 20 minutes with 6 different reading groups? Well, it doesn't work that way.

My kid is NOT a genius, but she's always liked to read. She was assessed at Level 14. There is one other boy in her reading group. They have met not even met so far this month. Last month, they met 3 times the whole month. And, it's not just her reading group that doesn't meet. The other 'advanced' reading group barely meets as well.

So, while the teacher works with the other reading groups, DD is supposed to be sitting quietly and reading to herself (which is fine, but I don't really consider that 'reading instruction') or they're given BS (IMO) worksheets to color/cut/paste. Some of the kids do that, and some of them just play pretend in the corner or draw or whatever.

Yes, I've talked to the teacher about it. I actually think she's a very good teacher! She's doing the best she can with 21 other kids in the class. It's her responsibility to get all the K students reading at Level 6 by the end of the year. So, she has to spend more time with the kids who need help. DD's teacher has given me things to work on with DD at home (and we do), and given me the list of Sight Words for Grades 1 and 2, etc. We do that, and I volunteer every week in the classroom, but I stand by the fact that my kid isn't really getting 'reading instruction' at school.

I'd even rather they just had an aide come in and play games with the kids during that 80 minute period. Anything would be an improvement over sitting around for that time every day!

I'm this PP, and I'll add that if anyone has any suggestions on improving the situation for my DD, I'd be happy to hear them! Like I said, she has a good teacher, and I think she'd be willing to implement something as long as it isn't disruptive to the other kids in the class.

I'm not sure what I could specifically ask, so any advice would be wonderful! I'd just like the time my DD spends in school to be better spent, if at all possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In class differentiation only works when the students are given materials and resources that provide feedback and correction. Montessori does this pretty well BUT all the materials are designed to provide feedback to the student so they can self correct and learn . MCPS still uses traditional style teaching which is not self-paced and offers no feedback other than through teacher comments, or verbal feedback.

If MCPS could give the kids a computer with a program that provided feedback and coaching then they could do in class differentiate. These programs exist but of course MCPS doesn't use them....that would make too much sense.

It is horrible how much these kids just completely sit around. Very little learning on any given day. Don't even get me started how little science and history is in MCPS. Why they can't incorporate it into their "reading" time is beyond me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

It is horrible how much these kids just completely sit around. Very little learning on any given day.Don't even get me started how little science and history is in MCPS. Why they can't incorporate it into their "reading" time is beyond me.

I'm wondering how you know this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

It is horrible how much these kids just completely sit around. Very little learning on any given day.Don't even get me started how little science and history is in MCPS. Why they can't incorporate it into their "reading" time is beyond me.

I'm wondering how you know this.

I'm not the PP, but have you been to your ES kid's classroom? There is SO MUCH wasted time.

I have a friend that homeschools, and she mentioned the the curriculum for K is only an hour or so a day?

However, I don't know that this is a problem unique to MCPS. I'd imagine it's the same at any public school.

[Anonymous]

You all are ridiculously obsessed with reading levels. Reading level is only a small piece of the puzzle. It is what you do with the reading that counts--and that can be taught at grade level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

It is horrible how much these kids just completely sit around. Very little learning on any given day.Don't even get me started how little science and history is in MCPS. Why they can't incorporate it into their "reading" time is beyond me.

I'm wondering how you know this.

Because I volunteer 2.5hrs a day 1-2x a week. I am actually in the classroom all morning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

It is horrible how much these kids just completely sit around. Very little learning on any given day.Don't even get me started how little science and history is in MCPS. Why they can't incorporate it into their "reading" time is beyond me.

I'm wondering how you know this.

Because I volunteer 2.5hrs a day 1-2x a week. I am actually in the classroom all morning.

And therefore you know what everybody in the class is and isn't learning?

[Anonymous]

I volunteer too and see the same thing. There is so much unproductive time. Even during parent observation hour which you would think would be a display of more engaging activities the kids are bored to death and the parents try not to fall asleep in the chairs. The 1st grade teacher was demonstrating things that my kids did early in preschool. Their second year of preschool for ages 4-5 was more advanced than what the teacher was doing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

It is horrible how much these kids just completely sit around. Very little learning on any given day.Don't even get me started how little science and history is in MCPS. Why they can't incorporate it into their "reading" time is beyond me.

I'm wondering how you know this.

Because I volunteer 2.5hrs a day 1-2x a week. I am actually in the classroom all morning.

And therefore you know what everybody in the class is and isn't learning?

Yes, I do. I have been in both of my kids classes enough to see that not placing these kids in homerooms based on reading levels and constantly splitting up 25+ kids in mini groups while the rest of the class goofs off is a total waste of time management. The kids not in the group (usually 18 or so) are not learning anything. Even if their group does meet, they get 10-15% of that time learning. The kids groups who do not meet do one worksheet and sit at their desks and "read" but most good off instead.

Have you been in your child's class? You see 100% learning I guess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, I do. I have been in both of my kids classes enough to see that not placing these kids in homerooms based on reading levels and constantly splitting up 25+ kids in mini groups while the rest of the class goofs off is a total waste of time management. The kids not in the group (usually 18 or so) are not learning anything. Even if their group does meet, they get 10-15% of that time learning. The kids groups who do not meet do one worksheet and sit at their desks and "read" but most good off instead.

Have you been in your child's class? You see 100% learning I guess.

It sounds to me like your child's teacher is not very good at classroom management. I am sorry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, I do. I have been in both of my kids classes enough to see that not placing these kids in homerooms based on reading levels and constantly splitting up 25+ kids in mini groups while the rest of the class goofs off is a total waste of time management. The kids not in the group (usually 18 or so) are not learning anything. Even if their group does meet, they get 10-15% of that time learning. The kids groups who do not meet do one worksheet and sit at their desks and "read" but most good off instead.

Have you been in your child's class? You see 100% learning I guess.

It sounds to me like your child's teacher is not very good at classroom management. I am sorry.

Well since my one child is in 6th and my other in 1st, I guess all 8 teachers I have witnessed have poor classroom management. Wait, I take that back. How can a teacher TEACH to a class if she spends 1.5hrs of the day, pulling aside a few kids at a time. Oh, wait she can't, especially when she has 25-32 kids in a class. It is not the teacher, it is the style of teaching MCPS wants to have. Trying to be politically correct and blend the kids. Kids who are reading at 2-3 grade levels above and kids who can't read or don't even speak English. Neither group of kids are getting the direct teaching/learning they deserve.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Well since my one child is in 6th and my other in 1st, I guess all 8 teachers I have witnessed have poor classroom management. Wait, I take that back. How can a teacher TEACH to a class if she spends 1.5hrs of the day, pulling aside a few kids at a time. Oh, wait she can't, especially when she has 25-32 kids in a class. It is not the teacher, it is the style of teaching MCPS wants to have. Trying to be politically correct and blend the kids. Kids who are reading at 2-3 grade levels above and kids who can't read or don't even speak English. Neither group of kids are getting the direct teaching/learning they deserve.

Maybe they do all have poor classroom management. Or maybe you have unrealistic expectations. Because it actually is possible to teach kids reading without separating them into different classes.

Parents on DCUM like to assert that MCPS is doing within-class differentiation because of "political correctness". (Whatever that means.) An alternative explanation is that MCPS is doing within-class differentiation because that's what works best for the most children, with the resources MCPS has.