Anonymous
Post 01/31/2014 12:50     Subject: Report Cards - ugh
Anonymous wrote:Report cards came home today with my 2d grader. Lots of i's in Reading but an mclass score above grade level which signifies to me that it's a matter of effort on DC's part not ability. Struggling with a Tiger Mom tendency to get worked up about this - not sure if I should, what good it would do. Husband is relatively blasé about it. Advice?


I had this situation last year with my child. I emailed the teacher and set up a brief conference with her. She explained to me how you can read above grade level based on words, etc., but the comprehension is the gist of the grade. Lots of kids are higher in literally "reading the words off the page" than in comprehension.

Don't freak out. Just contact the teacher and let her know your concerns.
Anonymous
Post 01/31/2014 12:48     Subject: Report Cards - ugh
Anonymous wrote:(I don't get people who teach their kids math at home and then complain that their kids are bored and not learning anything in math at school.)


Not the PP, but really? We teach math at home because DD isn't actually getting challenged at school. What do you recommend? That we just let her stagnate because that's what the school wants? No thanks.

And PP does have the right to complain if the kid's grades are being affected.
Anonymous
Post 01/31/2014 12:48     Subject: Re:Report Cards - ugh
Anonymous wrote:
(I don't get people who teach their kids math at home and then complain that their kids are bored and not learning anything in math at school.)


But do you get school systems that test. assess, and evaluate their incoming students then place them in appropriate classes for math comensurate with their assessment and ability?

Perhaps you still don't get that either?


Nope. I don't get it. You seem to think that if you teach your child above-grade-level math, and then your child is bored in grade-level math, the school has a responsibility to fix the problem. Why? The school didn't cause the problem. You caused the problem. And you should solve it: either stop teaching your child above-grade-level math, or accept that your child will be bored in grade-level math, or take your child out of public school.
Anonymous
Post 01/31/2014 12:28     Subject: Re:Report Cards - ugh
(I don't get people who teach their kids math at home and then complain that their kids are bored and not learning anything in math at school.)


But do you get school systems that test. assess, and evaluate their incoming students then place them in appropriate classes for math comensurate with their assessment and ability?

Perhaps you still don't get that either?
Anonymous
Post 01/31/2014 12:19     Subject: Report Cards - ugh
(I don't get people who teach their kids math at home and then complain that their kids are bored and not learning anything in math at school.)
Anonymous
Post 01/31/2014 12:10     Subject: Re:Report Cards - ugh
Its ridiculous. I have a 3rd grade son who scores in the upper 230s on map-m and got ES grades last year because he would write extra formulas on the back of the sheet when he was bored. When he started to learn how to draw cartoons he switched to doodling cartoons and then received Ps. He's never once gotten a question wrong and his teacher confirmed that he is great in math. Since the extra formulas that he was doing wasn't anything new to him (he already knew it obviously) and was just passing the time the ES wasn't worth much. I told him it was up to him what he did with his spare time. There is no value in my mid in just demonstrating to the teacher that all the kids know more than what she is teaching.

This last report card he received an I in math. I called the teacher. She said he was one of the best math students in the class but his writing on the new 2.0 explain your deeper thinking sections wasn't as strong. He isn't using enough descriptive language and storytelling in his explanations. His answers tin the math writing sections are brief and just enough to answer the question. She knows he can write better because of how he does in the language sections.

WTF??? I have put up with the math curriculum being pathetic. DS learned more in preschool than MCPS. We teach math at home and just accept that you can't get a math education from MCPS. I'm in the majority rather than minority on this one in our school. I know that DS sits there board out of his mind as some teacher imagines who deeper we can go with 1+1. However, now he has to pretend that he is taking math when its really just an extension of writing. Lovely.

If I had know how stupid MCPS is, I would never have moved here.
Anonymous
Post 01/31/2014 11:10     Subject: Report Cards - ugh
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
We just had my son practice writing paragraphs on topics of his choice (why I hate writing, why this is silly, etc.). As long as it was well written, I was fine with any topic. It seemed to help. For my child, at least, part of it was just getting over the mental block of thinking he was a bad writer.



This is a good idea! Thanks. (not the Op)
Anonymous
Post 01/31/2014 10:27     Subject: Report Cards - ugh
Anonymous wrote:Report cards came home today with my 2d grader. Lots of i's in Reading but an mclass score above grade level which signifies to me that it's a matter of effort on DC's part not ability. Struggling with a Tiger Mom tendency to get worked up about this - not sure if I should, what good it would do. Husband is relatively blasé about it. Advice?


Don't worry! Just email the teacher. At a certain level, reading grade will be partially based on written responses. I don't know if that happened in second or third. My child was a strong reader but a weaker writer.

We just had my son practice writing paragraphs on topics of his choice (why I hate writing, why this is silly, etc.). As long as it was well written, I was fine with any topic. It seemed to help. For my child, at least, part of it was just getting over the mental block of thinking he was a bad writer.

He's in 4th grade now and a good writer. Don't worry!!

Anonymous
Post 01/30/2014 18:44     Subject: Report Cards - ugh
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I'm not upset per se - I just want t know if I should be concerned since I means he is not hitting the mark for the quarter for progress.


uh

Have you looked at the reading levels?

My kid, who's in 4th, is reading off the charts. (not a bragfest, just a fact) So her level is not on the report card.

She received an I in reading comprehension.

Am I upset?

no



+1

Why aren't you upset? I don't mean that to be provocative. I just mean, what makes you not upset. Do you trust the reading level more than the teacher? Do you think these report cards (and I's and P's) are basically meaningless.? What's your perspective.

I ask this b/c I'm perplexed by the report card too and also have a kid w/good standardized scores but the report card doesn't seem to indicate anything valuable.
Anonymous
Post 01/30/2014 18:14     Subject: Report Cards - ugh
Anonymous wrote:I'm not upset per se - I just want t know if I should be concerned since I means he is not hitting the mark for the quarter for progress.


I think that the best thing to do is e-mail the teacher. Say that you saw that he is reading above grade level but got lots of Is in reading, and you would be grateful for the teacher's input -- could you have a brief conference with the teacher, because you do best with face-to-face communication.
Anonymous
Post 01/30/2014 17:28     Subject: Report Cards - ugh
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I'm not upset per se - I just want t know if I should be concerned since I means he is not hitting the mark for the quarter for progress.


uh

Have you looked at the reading levels?

My kid, who's in 4th, is reading off the charts. (not a bragfest, just a fact) So her level is not on the report card.

She received an I in reading comprehension.

Am I upset?

no


Why aren't you upset? I don't mean that to be provocative. I just mean, what makes you not upset. Do you trust the reading level more than the teacher? Do you think these report cards (and I's and P's) are basically meaningless.? What's your perspective.

I ask this b/c I'm perplexed by the report card too and also have a kid w/good standardized scores but the report card doesn't seem to indicate anything valuable.
Anonymous
Post 01/30/2014 17:22     Subject: Report Cards - ugh
Anonymous wrote:I'm not upset per se - I just want t know if I should be concerned since I means he is not hitting the mark for the quarter for progress.


uh

Have you looked at the reading levels?

My kid, who's in 4th, is reading off the charts. (not a bragfest, just a fact) So her level is not on the report card.

She received an I in reading comprehension.

Am I upset?

no
Anonymous
Post 01/30/2014 17:13     Subject: Report Cards - ugh
I'm not upset per se - I just want t know if I should be concerned since I means he is not hitting the mark for the quarter for progress.
Anonymous
Post 01/30/2014 17:08     Subject: Re:Report Cards - ugh
So your kid is above level in reading, but you're upset because he/she received Is versus Ps?

If it really upsets you, email the teacher. She should be able to tell you what concerns, if any, you should have or how you can help.

I mainly pay attention to the teachers comments. The new report cards are pretty useless.
Anonymous
Post 01/30/2014 17:05     Subject: Report Cards - ugh
Report cards came home today with my 2d grader. Lots of i's in Reading but an mclass score above grade level which signifies to me that it's a matter of effort on DC's part not ability. Struggling with a Tiger Mom tendency to get worked up about this - not sure if I should, what good it would do. Husband is relatively blasé about it. Advice?