Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

IMHO, schools would be better served by having the borderline students and ones needing remediation getting extra supports outside of the regular classroom time, such as extra reading/math labs during any general study periods or in place of an elective, or as after-school/weekend/summer tutoring programs.

Sorry, but the teacher needs to teach to the child's level. Extra remediation is helpful--but it starts in the classroom.

The dirty little secret is that most teachers just teach to the middle and the top and bottom get short schrift.

"dirty little secret" poster -- if you are the same person -- you keep saying this. Can you accept that maybe this is your experience at one school, but that it is not the case everywhere?

Denial will get you nowhere.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

IMHO, schools would be better served by having the borderline students and ones needing remediation getting extra supports outside of the regular classroom time, such as extra reading/math labs during any general study periods or in place of an elective, or as after-school/weekend/summer tutoring programs.

Sorry, but the teacher needs to teach to the child's level. Extra remediation is helpful--but it starts in the classroom.

The dirty little secret is that most teachers just teach to the middle and the top and bottom get short schrift.

"dirty little secret" poster -- if you are the same person -- you keep saying this. Can you accept that maybe this is your experience at one school, but that it is not the case everywhere?

Anonymous wrote:

IMHO, schools would be better served by having the borderline students and ones needing remediation getting extra supports outside of the regular classroom time, such as extra reading/math labs during any general study periods or in place of an elective, or as after-school/weekend/summer tutoring programs.

Sorry, but the teacher needs to teach to the child's level. Extra remediation is helpful--but it starts in the classroom.

The dirty little secret is that most teachers just teach to the middle and the top and bottom get short schrift.

^ DC certainly doesn't believe that to be true, because they don't offer much by way of advanced instruction for advanced students.

If needs aren't being met then the law is a fraud and you might as well strike the word "appropriate" from it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Thank you all for the different helpful advice. My daughter is 8 , she is a very quick learner and I belive she is truly gifted and very matured fir her age. Math is not a concern to me as I belive she is learning advanced stuff in her AAP program . I see that has been a great fit for her. For some other personal issues, the school does not want to acknowledge her writing and reading level. It is a long story. So that is what bothers me. They have intentionally not even placed her at the highest level reading group in her class. So I need to do it for her by my own. Yes I am now having her work on her typing skill this winter break as I thought that would also help her with her writing as she loves to write. But as a parent when you know that a school is working against your child reaching her potential, you can imagine how you fear that your child does not stay behind. So far she is okay , I don't even know how she keeps progressing against all odds.

You need to gain some perspective and better understand what schools are required to provide. They are to provide a free and appropriate education, not to get each child to reach her potential. This is true whether your DC is above or below grade level. You should be able to determine exactly where your DD is based on her school work and standardized testing. If you want your DD challenged more than what she is at school, you'll need to do more at home.

^ This is utter bullshit.

How can it be considered an "appropriate" education when it's clearly not appropriate to the student's academic level and clearly is not meeting the student's needs?

Welcome to education law - which you clearly know nothing about. OP (and you) can have all the opinions you like. However, without data to support those opinions, you will not further your argument. Using inflammatory language like 'working against...her potential' reinforces the perception that OP is unreasonable and makes it easy to dismiss her claims. All we have is that the OP 'believes' her DD is gifted. Based on what? Her DD's placement in AAP? If her DD is 'truly gifted' as OP believes, she should have education testing done to support her DD's need for differentiated instruction. It's what special ed kids have to do - and advanced instruction IS a form of special education protected under the law. If OP believes her DD's current placement is harming her, it is imperative she be tested.

Is the bolded actually true? That advanced instruction is a form of special education protected by law? I have not found this to be true. We have had my son tested by an educational psychologist (WISC-IV and WIAT III) and brought his across the board 99.9% scores to his VA school and they are dragging their feet on doing anything. Would you be able to point me to the law whereby advanced instruction is protected? Thank you!

Anonymous wrote:I was an elementary school. Kids learn at different paces. Some soar awhile and then plateau. Some plod along and then take off. Some just plod and plod and plod--but they get there on their own terms.

Talk about personification.

Anonymous wrote:Are public schools mandated to provide any kind of advanced service for children who are working way above their grade level in a particular area. My child is already in advanced program but her reading instruction should be 3 grades above. What would you expect the school to do for your child in this case ?

Our MCPS school identified one of my son’s as preforming several levels above grade in math. They developed a special program/classes to challenge him academically. The school came to me with the request to allow the new instruction, I’m sure they do the same for reading. There is some code for the gifted and talented that gives the school additional money to supply services if children are identified as gifted.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Thank you all for the different helpful advice. My daughter is 8 , she is a very quick learner and I belive she is truly gifted and very matured fir her age. Math is not a concern to me as I belive she is learning advanced stuff in her AAP program . I see that has been a great fit for her. For some other personal issues, the school does not want to acknowledge her writing and reading level. It is a long story. So that is what bothers me. They have intentionally not even placed her at the highest level reading group in her class. So I need to do it for her by my own. Yes I am now having her work on her typing skill this winter break as I thought that would also help her with her writing as she loves to write. But as a parent when you know that a school is working against your child reaching her potential, you can imagine how you fear that your child does not stay behind. So far she is okay , I don't even know how she keeps progressing against all odds.

You need to gain some perspective and better understand what schools are required to provide. They are to provide a free and appropriate education, not to get each child to reach her potential. This is true whether your DC is above or below grade level. You should be able to determine exactly where your DD is based on her school work and standardized testing. If you want your DD challenged more than what she is at school, you'll need to do more at home.

^ This is utter bullshit.

How can it be considered an "appropriate" education when it's clearly not appropriate to the student's academic level and clearly is not meeting the student's needs?

Welcome to education law - which you clearly know nothing about. OP (and you) can have all the opinions you like. However, without data to support those opinions, you will not further your argument. Using inflammatory language like 'working against...her potential' reinforces the perception that OP is unreasonable and makes it easy to dismiss her claims. All we have is that the OP 'believes' her DD is gifted. Based on what? Her DD's placement in AAP? If her DD is 'truly gifted' as OP believes, she should have education testing done to support her DD's need for differentiated instruction. It's what special ed kids have to do - and advanced instruction IS a form of special education protected under the law. If OP believes her DD's current placement is harming her, it is imperative she be tested.

Anonymous wrote:MCPS will stamp out that love of learning in your child so you will not need to worry in subsequent grades. Trust me MCPS is brilliant at leveling, that's what they do best. Its all about teaching kids not to learn, get ready to go to community college and later work in MCPS or the DMV

wow. If you really believe this - I hope you are sending your children elsewhere.

I was an elementary school. Kids learn at different paces. Some soar awhile and then plateau. Some plod along and then take off. Some just plod and plod and plod--but they get there on their own terms.

MCPS will stamp out that love of learning in your child so you will not need to worry in subsequent grades. Trust me MCPS is brilliant at leveling, that's what they do best. Its all about teaching kids not to learn, get ready to go to community college and later work in MCPS or the DMV

Anonymous wrote:Reading levels are minimum levels needed to do well at the grade a child is in. Try not to get to puffed up with pride over this. I have never met any child from a middle class socioeconomic background without learning difficulties who wasn't at least 2 to 3 levels above grade level in reading. It's normal.

Read different types of fiction in different formats - poetry, short story collections, fairy tales, fables.

Don't discount picture books either. Many are longer and filled with more difficult text and the illustrations are great. Everyone likes to see beautiful illustrations while they are reading. It helps bring stories more alive.

Reading fiction is one thing but reading non-fiction and gaining understanding from it is another. So have your child read more advanced non-fiction texts in various formats - newspapers, trade journals, general news magazines, etc.

If a child is reading well, then focus on writing and learning to write well. Now is a great time to teach a child who to write a general essay on a topic as well as teaching how to write a critical response to a reading.

really? all kids are ahead? I'm not being snarky - I'm trying to get a handle on whether or not the benchmark reading levels are actually "low". My DD is just barely meeting them and we are very concerned.

IMHO, schools would be better served by having the borderline students and ones needing remediation getting extra supports outside of the regular classroom time, such as extra reading/math labs during any general study periods or in place of an elective, or as after-school/weekend/summer tutoring programs.

Sorry, but the teacher needs to teach to the child's level. Extra remediation is helpful--but it starts in the classroom.

Reading levels are minimum levels needed to do well at the grade a child is in. Try not to get to puffed up with pride over this. I have never met any child from a middle class socioeconomic background without learning difficulties who wasn't at least 2 to 3 levels above grade level in reading. It's normal.

Read different types of fiction in different formats - poetry, short story collections, fairy tales, fables.

Don't discount picture books either. Many are longer and filled with more difficult text and the illustrations are great. Everyone likes to see beautiful illustrations while they are reading. It helps bring stories more alive.

Reading fiction is one thing but reading non-fiction and gaining understanding from it is another. So have your child read more advanced non-fiction texts in various formats - newspapers, trade journals, general news magazines, etc.

If a child is reading well, then focus on writing and learning to write well. Now is a great time to teach a child who to write a general essay on a topic as well as teaching how to write a critical response to a reading.

Anonymous wrote:

Nonsense. There's absolutely NOTHING in Common Core that says you can't go above and beyond the standard. Common Core is a MINIMUM standard. It's the FLOOR. School districts and educators are still perfectly free to set whatever CEILING they like.

As long as these standards are tied to testing and evaluation of teachers (and they are, whether you like it or not), they will limit the education of kids. Teachers will necessarily concentrate on those borderline kids.

IMHO, schools would be better served by having the borderline students and ones needing remediation getting extra supports outside of the regular classroom time, such as extra reading/math labs during any general study periods or in place of an elective, or as after-school/weekend/summer tutoring programs.