Reply to MCPS practice of not assigning K students a teacher until today? (Poll)

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[quote=Anonymous]Have a MoCo K'er this year who is going through this.  My $0.02:
-fwiw this is our oldest child so I do not have experience with the "meet the kids during the May orientation, snap judgement, hope for the best" model.
-DC has been in center based daycare/preschool/pre-K for 5 years, with all activities being done in one room per age group (ie the 4YO preschool class learned, ate, played, napped all in the same room).
-the way it was explained to us, 45 mins during orientation the May before K, is not nearly enough time (nor is it the right time) to get to know all these kids and their abilities, etc.  Other schools have (we were told) implemented this draft model with great success... ie leads to an overall better K experience because the classrooms are more balanced.
-DC has a "homeroom" teacher this week... first thing in the AM, last thing in the PM, and spent all day with them on Monday.  They rotate through the other teachers one/day, and stay together as a class.  Tomorrow, the teachers basically do a draft and the kids are given their permanent assigned teacher, report there on Tues, no more rotations.
-they mentioned that they want classes balanced by race and gender, but also ability (so that there's not a lone kid in the class, way ahead or behind).  The intention does not seem to be creating classes segregated by ability, but rather balanced abilities across all classrooms (so not a "smart class" and a "not smart class").
-There has been A LOT of communication around it, so absolutely no confusion on our part.
-DC has reported back on two days of rotation (plus the first day of no-rotation) and did not seem bothered AT ALL.  The kids stay together as a class, and she actually remembered a few of the teachers from open house ("she's the purple lady").  Also, for the first time ever she is also rotating through different rooms... cafeteria, computer room, classroom... so the teacher rota is just another "difference" from preschool.
-I anticipate that on Tuesday we'll have to remind her a couple of times that she now goes to Ms Whoever's class.  But the school seems really on top of that and has said that teachers and aides will continue to be posted in the halls for before/after, etc.
-understand that this is not widely done, but seems likely to become more widespread practice at least in MoCo.  Ask me again at Christmastime, I guess.[/quote]

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