Anonymous wrote:My son is in 5th grade HGC. He is at a level Z in reading. It seems that that is the highest and that he cannot go above it. Is he reading classics? No, he is not. Can he go beyond that reading level? Well, duh! In real life he can but not according to MCPS.

It is not that I mind that there is a limit to MCPS grading levvel. I mind that no teacher comes up with any thing more constructive than "keep doing what you are doing". I would like one teacher to say "How about graduate him to XYZ series and ask if he would be interested in keeping a reading journal?" Nobody says that.

He can read anything he wants to at home, can't he? Including classics, if you want him to read classics. Also, you can ask him if he would be interested in keeping a reading journal.

My son is in 5th grade HGC. He is at a level Z in reading. It seems that that is the highest and that he cannot go above it. Is he reading classics? No, he is not. Can he go beyond that reading level? Well, duh! In real life he can but not according to MCPS.

It is not that I mind that there is a limit to MCPS grading levvel. I mind that no teacher comes up with any thing more constructive than "keep doing what you are doing". I would like one teacher to say "How about graduate him to XYZ series and ask if he would be interested in keeping a reading journal?" Nobody says that.

My DD is in second grade and has not gotten an ES yet but I just enrolled her in after-school tutoring to help her to get some ESs next quarter.

Try not to worry to much about the inane grading system in MCPS, particularly as your child is only in elementary school.
ESs are the unicorns of grading, they appear only occasionally, and sometimes unexpectedly. If your child has all Ps, fine. P can mean anything from average to above-average. ES is when that particular teacher feels she can't ignore how that student is head and shoulders above the rest and above the grade level. As a PP said, reading assessments are tied to comprehension of the text, and not only decoding and fluency, which means that the students has to express him or herself intelligibly to communicate ideas.

You could work at home on conversing with your child and having her explain things to you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 1st grader is reading at a level J, which I believe is higher than 14. Reading above a grade level doesn't mean an automatic ES, as you have just learned. And really, in MCPS, there are so many kids that read above grade level that it has almost become expected - a "P" grade. "Reading" in MCPS is not just about what level reading group you are in.

To get an ES, the child must show consistently a deeper understanding of the subject matter being taught; be able to make inferences/connections not taught by the teacher. This is very subjective and cannot be defined using a formula (ie, 98% = A+, 95%= A, etc..). And again, it must be consistent.

My older DC has had a few ESs (not all) in the reading category in 2nd/3rd grade. This DC has always read way above grade level, but also does demonstrate a deeper understanding of what DC is reading.

OP here. Thanks for trying to explain. It sounds like it's more tied to comprehension. Maybe this is the issue.

PP here.. Yes, it is very much tied to comprehension in this case, and possibly making connections to other things they've read. I think in MCPS, the "reading" category is also tied closely to written comprehension as well, so you could look at how your DC is doing in this area.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand your confusion OP - but why does it matter if your kid gets an ES in first grade? You know your kid is advanced in reading and its not like college admissions offices aren't going to be looking at the elem grades.

OP here. I agree! I'm not looking to make an issue out of this at all, which is why I didn't want to push the issue with the teacher. I'm just trying to understand what it is that DD is NOT doing, that other kids are doing that shows they deserve an ES. Does that make sense? I feel like if she's getting a P, it means she's just 'good enough' at reading. But, other kids who get an ES are obviously doing something better, and I'm wondering what that is.

No, it means she's doing just fine in reading, as you know, and as her teacher told you.

Anonymous wrote:My 1st grader is reading at a level J, which I believe is higher than 14. Reading above a grade level doesn't mean an automatic ES, as you have just learned. And really, in MCPS, there are so many kids that read above grade level that it has almost become expected - a "P" grade. "Reading" in MCPS is not just about what level reading group you are in.

To get an ES, the child must show consistently a deeper understanding of the subject matter being taught; be able to make inferences/connections not taught by the teacher. This is very subjective and cannot be defined using a formula (ie, 98% = A+, 95%= A, etc..). And again, it must be consistent.

My older DC has had a few ESs (not all) in the reading category in 2nd/3rd grade. This DC has always read way above grade level, but also does demonstrate a deeper understanding of what DC is reading.

OP here. Thanks for trying to explain. It sounds like it's more tied to comprehension. Maybe this is the issue.

At some schools its impossible to get an ES. My son iscores off the charts on MAP-P, MAP-M, MAP-R (like as as in 3+ grades up). Never got an ES.

Anonymous wrote:I understand your confusion OP - but why does it matter if your kid gets an ES in first grade? You know your kid is advanced in reading and its not like college admissions offices aren't going to be looking at the elem grades.

OP here. I agree! I'm not looking to make an issue out of this at all, which is why I didn't want to push the issue with the teacher. I'm just trying to understand what it is that DD is NOT doing, that other kids are doing that shows they deserve an ES. Does that make sense? I feel like if she's getting a P, it means she's just 'good enough' at reading. But, other kids who get an ES are obviously doing something better, and I'm wondering what that is.

Anonymous wrote:I understand your confusion OP - but why does it matter if your kid gets an ES in first grade? You know your kid is advanced in reading and its not like college admissions offices aren't going to be looking at the elem grades.

I mean "are"

I understand your confusion OP - but why does it matter if your kid gets an ES in first grade? You know your kid is advanced in reading and its not like college admissions offices aren't going to be looking at the elem grades.

My 1st grader is reading at a level J, which I believe is higher than 14. Reading above a grade level doesn't mean an automatic ES, as you have just learned. And really, in MCPS, there are so many kids that read above grade level that it has almost become expected - a "P" grade. "Reading" in MCPS is not just about what level reading group you are in.

To get an ES, the child must show consistently a deeper understanding of the subject matter being taught; be able to make inferences/connections not taught by the teacher. This is very subjective and cannot be defined using a formula (ie, 98% = A+, 95%= A, etc..). And again, it must be consistent.

My older DC has had a few ESs (not all) in the reading category in 2nd/3rd grade. This DC has always read way above grade level, but also does demonstrate a deeper understanding of what DC is reading.

Anonymous wrote:That's not what the ES is about. I have a 5th grader in an HGC and he has never gotten ESs on his report card.

This is what I don't understand. What exactly is the ES for then?

DD did get an ES in writing, and the teacher said it's because she writes more than is asked. More details. More words. What defines the ES in reading?

That's not what the ES is about. I have a 5th grader in an HGC and he has never gotten ESs on his report card.

I can't understand what is required to get an ES. My first grader reads at a level 14. At the conference, teacher said she's above target and doing great. Yet, only a P. I asked the teacher why this is, and she explained that an ES is only for when the kid goes above and beyond what is required, or shows exceptional skill at something.

But, if the required first grade reading level is 6 (not sure if it really is 6) and my kid reads at 14, isn't that above and beyond?? This isn't making sense to me. I checked the MCPS site, but that wasn't very helpful.

I asked the teacher how I could help DD improve at home, but she said DD is doing fine and to just keep reading with her. If there's something I can to to help her earn that ES, I'd like to work on it with her. I just can't figure out what exactly the teacher is looking for to demonstrate that my kid is more than 'proficient'.

Any advice from parents who have BTDT? We're new to MCPS so any insight is appreciated.