Why does DCPS ignore advanced learners in ES?

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know if Hearst has a program for advanced learners? (I know they will get a new principal, but I would imagine that is something they would maintain with a new principal if they had it.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Within the class.

^^ Yeah, so the teacher spends her/his time tending to those with behavioral issues and cannot focus on the majority, and there's no special assistant to tend to the behavior problems and otherwise keep order. No thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Within the class.

^^ Yeah, so the teacher spends her/his time tending to those with behavioral issues and cannot focus on the majority, and there's no special assistant to tend to the behavior problems and otherwise keep order. No thanks.

This is the attitude that makes me nuts. (Not to pick on you, specifically, but I see it a lot on these boards, and your post is a perfect example.) Without any idea whether or not a specific teacher/school can effectively manage differentiation and discipline, you've decided, as a given, that the one and only effective way to handle advanced learners is by segregating them from other students.

If you see that an actual teacher/school is failing to meet the needs of the actual advanced learners attending it, that's one thing. But to judge a school as failing because its approach differs from your own -- without even looking at what results they achieve -- doesn't make sense. It's based on ideology rather than evidence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think reading 2 grades above level is likely 'average' in high SES school districts and not exactly something to write home about.

we just got an eval back from KK that evaluated dc for a possible learning disability. Reading levels etc were ranked by grade - he is in 2nd. His reading level was that of a 5th 1/2 grader, comprehension 5th nothing below 4th, yet he gets "3s'" on each report card until the last and is not in the highest level reading group but rather in the middle of the alphabet.

My dd is in Z - the highest reading level - in 4th. So I tend to agree with this assessment that kids are judged relative to each other. I had no idea that my child was reading above grade level - I was frustrated and angry as all hell that I could not get him to advance the way his sib had. But the benefit of this is they identify problems that might be ignored at other schools because dc is passing every subject but clearly has a problem with math......

Are dd and dc in any advanced reading programs at your school?

N0

[Anonymous]

Hearst has a program for advanced students called "SAIL". They also use Junior Great Books in grades 2-5 for advanced readers--it is focused on developing students critical thinking skills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Within the class.

^^ Yeah, so the teacher spends her/his time tending to those with behavioral issues and cannot focus on the majority, and there's no special assistant to tend to the behavior problems and otherwise keep order. No thanks.

Loser

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think reading 2 grades above level is likely 'average' in high SES school districts and not exactly something to write home about.

we just got an eval back from KK that evaluated dc for a possible learning disability. Reading levels etc were ranked by grade - he is in 2nd. His reading level was that of a 5th 1/2 grader, comprehension 5th nothing below 4th, yet he gets "3s'" on each report card until the last and is not in the highest level reading group but rather in the middle of the alphabet.

My dd is in Z - the highest reading level - in 4th. So I tend to agree with this assessment that kids are judged relative to each other. I had no idea that my child was reading above grade level - I was frustrated and angry as all hell that I could not get him to advance the way his sib had. But the benefit of this is they identify problems that might be ignored at other schools because dc is passing every subject but clearly has a problem with math......

Are dd and dc in any advanced reading programs at your school?

N0

Why not?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Within the class.

^^ Yeah, so the teacher spends her/his time tending to those with behavioral issues and cannot focus on the majority, and there's no special assistant to tend to the behavior problems and otherwise keep order. No thanks.

This is the attitude that makes me nuts. (Not to pick on you, specifically, but I see it a lot on these boards, and your post is a perfect example.) Without any idea whether or not a specific teacher/school can effectively manage differentiation and discipline, you've decided, as a given, that the one and only effective way to handle advanced learners is by segregating them from other students.

If you see that an actual teacher/school is failing to meet the needs of the actual advanced learners attending it, that's one thing. But to judge a school as failing because its approach differs from your own -- without even looking at what results they achieve -- doesn't make sense. It's based on ideology rather than evidence.

Watkins parent here. Differentiation for my advanced reader meant that DC could pick up a book at any time in class and read instead of being bored to tears by the material that was being taught and retaught in between behavior outbursts in class. One week, DC got through two Harry Potter books without using lunch, recess, specials or any time at home. That's when I knew that differentiation was NOT doing anything for my student.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think reading 2 grades above level is likely 'average' in high SES school districts and not exactly something to write home about.

we just got an eval back from KK that evaluated dc for a possible learning disability. Reading levels etc were ranked by grade - he is in 2nd. His reading level was that of a 5th 1/2 grader, comprehension 5th nothing below 4th, yet he gets "3s'" on each report card until the last and is not in the highest level reading group but rather in the middle of the alphabet.

My dd is in Z - the highest reading level - in 4th. So I tend to agree with this assessment that kids are judged relative to each other. I had no idea that my child was reading above grade level - I was frustrated and angry as all hell that I could not get him to advance the way his sib had. But the benefit of this is they identify problems that might be ignored at other schools because dc is passing every subject but clearly has a problem with math......

Are dd and dc in any advanced reading programs at your school?

N0

Why not?

Because as everyone else has said, they are not really considered advanced in their JKLM school, especially the one who is not at Z level yet. We had one that was truly considered advanced, and he was allowed to bring in his own books for independent reading time instead of even choosing from the z books....All three always scored advanced on the DC CAS.

But I guess that I think that in the early grades assuming your kid is not being bored (forced to read books below their level), the most important thing the schools can do is identify potential learning problems, which they have successfully done for the only one of our 4 who may need remedial help in math................

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Within the class.

^^ Yeah, so the teacher spends her/his time tending to those with behavioral issues and cannot focus on the majority, and there's no special assistant to tend to the behavior problems and otherwise keep order. No thanks.

This is the attitude that makes me nuts. (Not to pick on you, specifically, but I see it a lot on these boards, and your post is a perfect example.) Without any idea whether or not a specific teacher/school can effectively manage differentiation and discipline, you've decided, as a given, that the one and only effective way to handle advanced learners is by segregating them from other students.

If you see that an actual teacher/school is failing to meet the needs of the actual advanced learners attending it, that's one thing. But to judge a school as failing because its approach differs from your own -- without even looking at what results they achieve -- doesn't make sense. It's based on ideology rather than evidence.

Watkins parent here. Differentiation for my advanced reader meant that DC could pick up a book at any time in class and read instead of being bored to tears by the material that was being taught and retaught in between behavior outbursts in class. One week, DC got through two Harry Potter books without using lunch, recess, specials or any time at home. That's when I knew that differentiation was NOT doing anything for my student.

That's a legit criticism -- obviously the way that teacher implemented differentiation wasn't working for your child. That doesn't mean differentiation in principle is garbage, nor does it mean pull-outs are the only acceptable solution.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Within the class.

^^ Yeah, so the teacher spends her/his time tending to those with behavioral issues and cannot focus on the majority, and there's no special assistant to tend to the behavior problems and otherwise keep order. No thanks.

This is the attitude that makes me nuts. (Not to pick on you, specifically, but I see it a lot on these boards, and your post is a perfect example.) Without any idea whether or not a specific teacher/school can effectively manage differentiation and discipline, you've decided, as a given, that the one and only effective way to handle advanced learners is by segregating them from other students.

If you see that an actual teacher/school is failing to meet the needs of the actual advanced learners attending it, that's one thing. But to judge a school as failing because its approach differs from your own -- without even looking at what results they achieve -- doesn't make sense. It's based on ideology rather than evidence.

Watkins parent here. Differentiation for my advanced reader meant that DC could pick up a book at any time in class and read instead of being bored to tears by the material that was being taught and retaught in between behavior outbursts in class. One week, DC got through two Harry Potter books without using lunch, recess, specials or any time at home. That's when I knew that differentiation was NOT doing anything for my student.

That's a legit criticism -- obviously the way that teacher implemented differentiation wasn't working for your child. That doesn't mean differentiation in principle is garbage, nor does it mean pull-outs are the only acceptable solution.

And does this mean that that child was actually being taught ANYTHING at that school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Within the class.

^^ Yeah, so the teacher spends her/his time tending to those with behavioral issues and cannot focus on the majority, and there's no special assistant to tend to the behavior problems and otherwise keep order. No thanks.

This is the attitude that makes me nuts. (Not to pick on you, specifically, but I see it a lot on these boards, and your post is a perfect example.) Without any idea whether or not a specific teacher/school can effectively manage differentiation and discipline, you've decided, as a given, that the one and only effective way to handle advanced learners is by segregating them from other students.

If you see that an actual teacher/school is failing to meet the needs of the actual advanced learners attending it, that's one thing. But to judge a school as failing because its approach differs from your own -- without even looking at what results they achieve -- doesn't make sense. It's based on ideology rather than evidence.

Watkins parent here. Differentiation for my advanced reader meant that DC could pick up a book at any time in class and read instead of being bored to tears by the material that was being taught and retaught in between behavior outbursts in class. One week, DC got through two Harry Potter books without using lunch, recess, specials or any time at home. That's when I knew that differentiation was NOT doing anything for my student.

That's a legit criticism -- obviously the way that teacher implemented differentiation wasn't working for your child. That doesn't mean differentiation in principle is garbage, nor does it mean pull-outs are the only acceptable solution.

Actually, I would say that is not differentiation at all. That teacher is ignoring your child and/or your child is not doing the classwork and getting away with it. Time for a parent/teacher conference.

[Anonymous]

^^ no one cares so long as DC got top grades and scores on the DCCAS. We decided it was time for a new school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^ no one cares so long as DC got top grades and scores on the DCCAS. We decided it was time for a new school.

We won't even be bothering with Watkins. Goodbye.

[Anonymous]

Differentiation, when done right, can be excellent. However, it is a very complicated skill for a teacher to really learn well--and no, just reading a book when the content is something that the kid has already learned isn't differentiation. However, that is why teachers have to be (and are being) trained in differentiation. Pull outs are NOT necessarily the way to go--hence the whole legal concept of (and I'm making an analogy here since we're not talking about special education per se) "least restrictive environment".