Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son just finished K. His class had a wide range at the beginning, from kids who barely recognized the letters to accomplished readers. The K teachers are amazing at working with them all, keeping everyone challenged but not overwhelmed.

OP here. This is my main concern. The readers will get further and further ahead while the rest of the kids are left to fend for themselves.

No unfortunately, the kids who read will be relearning everything, not moving ahead as you fear. They'll spend months on letter sounds just like everyone else

+1

This is about as relevant as the kids who potty train first. They all do it eventually and ultimately who was first out of diapers doesn't matter.

For the most part, I agree. I was a teacher. The teacher above who is ranting about kids "leveling out" doesn't understand that education is not necessarily "accretion".

Anonymous wrote:Please stop telling me that by 3rd grade it evens out, a lot! I have heard this mantra time and again. If by 3rd grade, a non reader is ahead of a KGer who was reading, the school has failed the one reading in KG. Our DC was reading the likes of trumpet of the swan in KG, the teacher sent her home with the BOB books. I was dismayed - did the teacher not assess my DC properly? End of year my DC was assessed as on level for reading? Really? Thanfully, I am a techer and just ignored the KG teacher and tested my DC weekly in reading (and math) 1st grade teacher said DC is so far advanced that would benefit in a 2nd grade reading group (just for reading, we didn't want to skip a grade). School replied that DC was just fine in 1st grade and would level out by 3rd. Thank God I am educated and an educator, again, I just ignored that administration and supplemented at home. Since SOLs, DC ha always scored 600/600 on the reading and writing SOLs. DC writes many stories and song lyrics and reads, on average, 3-4 hours a day. We have considered Mary Baldwin in place of HS, but DC wants to go to prom and be a 'normal' kid.

So...no, kids don't level out by 3rd grade, if the parents are involved and question the authorities (admin). Had our DC leveled out, it would have been a tragedy, as DC is beyond exceptional, especially in reading and writing. This is not to say that some non-readers in KG will catch up to the KG readers, but it is not the other way around, or it should not be, IMO.

Sounds like your daughter is exceptional, and clearly ahead, but I still think it's fair to say that most kids catch up to the "norm" by third grade. I really don't understand what the tragedy would have been. Would it have stopped her from reading? Something she loves? Clearly you were able to find her books that challenged her, as would anyone really, who did a little research or went to the library. The great thing about reading is that it was designed as a solitary pursuit, so advanced reading groups, discussions? Nice to have, but with all due respect, certainly not necessary. There is also the matter of emotional and intellecutal readiness -- maybe your daughter could read Proust in grade school, but would she understand or be able to relate to it?

It still hold that the majority of parents need to chill out -- particularly in the case of good readers. What is the freaking rush?

Please stop telling me that by 3rd grade it evens out, a lot! I have heard this mantra time and again. If by 3rd grade, a non reader is ahead of a KGer who was reading, the school has failed the one reading in KG. Our DC was reading the likes of trumpet of the swan in KG, the teacher sent her home with the BOB books. I was dismayed - did the teacher not assess my DC properly? End of year my DC was assessed as on level for reading? Really? Thanfully, I am a techer and just ignored the KG teacher and tested my DC weekly in reading (and math) 1st grade teacher said DC is so far advanced that would benefit in a 2nd grade reading group (just for reading, we didn't want to skip a grade). School replied that DC was just fine in 1st grade and would level out by 3rd. Thank God I am educated and an educator, again, I just ignored that administration and supplemented at home. Since SOLs, DC ha always scored 600/600 on the reading and writing SOLs. DC writes many stories and song lyrics and reads, on average, 3-4 hours a day. We have considered Mary Baldwin in place of HS, but DC wants to go to prom and be a 'normal' kid.

So...no, kids don't level out by 3rd grade, if the parents are involved and question the authorities (admin). Had our DC leveled out, it would have been a tragedy, as DC is beyond exceptional, especially in reading and writing. This is not to say that some non-readers in KG will catch up to the KG readers, but it is not the other way around, or it should not be, IMO.

My DD started kinder knowing how to read. She did not go to preschool.

My son read fluently by K and so did a handful of other kids. They were put in their own reading group and occasionally the teacher got them together to read and discuss a book. But most of the kids knew some/most of their letters and letter sounds by starting K and working on reading during the year. At the Title One school I teach at, your child would be the head of the class.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Former K teacher:

There may be several that can "call words". That may be reading in their parents' mind, but not in mine. Reading involves lots more than decoding letters.

Not OP, but I find this interesting. I've seen or heard people say, "oh that's not reading..." and I'm genuinely curious know how people define "reading." How will I know when my child can do it? What will it look like? Thanks!

When your child can pick up a book s/he hasn't heard or read before, read it, and hold a conversation with you about it after.

Anonymous wrote:Former K teacher:

There may be several that can "call words". That may be reading in their parents' mind, but not in mine. Reading involves lots more than decoding letters.

Not OP, but I find this interesting. I've seen or heard people say, "oh that's not reading..." and I'm genuinely curious know how people define "reading." How will I know when my child can do it? What will it look like? Thanks!

My DD is getting ready for first grade. She started K just recognizing a few words while most of her classmates already read pretty well. By the end of the year, she tested at a third grade level. So if my anecdotal experience means anything, I would say that reading at the start of kindergarten is predictive of nothing. And FWIW, none of my kids read by the time they started kindergarten and they are all proficient readers.

OMG relax. It is KINDERGARTEN.

This is about as relevant as the kids who potty train first. They all do it eventually and ultimately who was first out of diapers doesn't matter.

None of my sons "read" in the sense that it meant anything when they went to kindergarten -- though I remember my oldest could recite books to me as we read them together and his brother liked to fill notebooks with squiggly shapes he called letters. Once they learned they were off, and are all great readers and students today. That's kind of what school is for. Parents need to chill! It's not a competition and they all catch up.

I have 3 kids. One was reading a few words here and there. One was not reading at all. And one could read short books. All three fit in their K classrooms just fine. The one who could read short books was in the highest reading group with only one other kid, so I would guess that not half the class will be reading.

My kids were reading when they started K but a lot of kids were not. The kids that were not reading, don't seem to be that far behind, some are advanced.

OP,

Really try to relax a bit. My daughter is going into MS this year. In K, she could not read by any stretch of the imagination. In her private school reading is the real work of 1st grade and K is more pre-reading. Reading has become a greater focus in K in public school because of the increasing power of standardized testing. Before NCLB, the older teachers I know say that reading was not forced in K like it is now.

My daughter did not read with fluency until 2nd grade and she is doing just fine. She was in the most advanced reading group in 5th grade and her friend who could read books fluently in K was not in the most advanced reading group.

The other thing is that in 3rd grade everyone starts to even out a lot. Kids who were early readers don't stand out because everyone can read with greater fluency. Kids who seemed really advanced in K show deficits in other areas so you, as a parent, can understand that while your Larla may be in the second reading group, she has no trouble making friends and has won a seat on the student council while Marla who is in the 1st reading group is still eating paste and talking to her imaginary friend. You can really see by 3rd grade, in my experience, that everyone evens out *a lot*.

She will be fine. My DS came to K already reading but about half of his class wasn't. The teacher and the IA kept the reading part occupied.